How NIL and the Transfer Portal Broke College Football’s Middle Class
By Clinton Shrout
If you told me five years ago that college athletes could finally get paid, I would’ve said “It’s about time.”
And I meant it. I believed in NIL. I supported the transfer portal. I still do — in theory.
But the way it’s playing out? It’s not what any of us hoped for.
NIL Was Supposed to Be About Branding — Now It’s About Bidding
The intent behind Name, Image, and Likeness was clear: let student-athletes capitalize on their popularity. Great. Long overdue.
But what we’ve created instead is an open market where the richest programs write the biggest checks — and smaller schools are left on life support.
📉 Kentucky basketball’s NIL valuation? Over $20 million, per A Sea of Blue.
💸 Division II and mid-tier FBS schools? They can’t compete, let alone retain their stars.
What started as an opportunity has turned into an arms race. NIL collectives, booster-backed deals, and marketing “partnerships” are now just the entry fee to recruit elite talent.
“Right now, NIL isn’t about branding — it’s about bidding.”
The Portal Was Meant to Empower — Now It’s Just a Free-for-All
I still support giving athletes mobility. If a player isn’t getting reps, they should be able to move.
But the portal has morphed into something different. Athletes aren’t transferring for development — they’re shopping for better deals. Loyalty? Chemistry? Team building? Those concepts are becoming outdated.
I’ve worked with schools that pour time, coaching, and care into a freshman — only to lose him the moment a Power 5 program flashes an offer. It’s not just frustrating. It’s unsustainable.
And for fans? It’s disorienting. Roster turnover is so rapid, it’s hard to stay invested. The jersey might stay the same — but the players wearing it don’t.
The Middle Class Is Getting Squeezed
Programs without deep-pocket donors or flashy media markets are struggling to keep up. I spoke to a former colleague at a respected mid-major who told me flat out:
“We’re not even recruiting for talent anymore. We’re recruiting for retention.”
Think about that. We’ve shifted from scouting ability to bracing for exits. College football’s middle class — once the heart of the sport — is being gutted in real time.
So Where Do We Go From Here?
Look, I’m not against players getting paid. I’m not dreaming of the “old days” either. The sport needed to change — and it has.
But this version? It’s too chaotic, too transactional, and too tilted toward the top.
Here’s what we should be exploring:
Multi-year NIL contracts that protect both athletes and programs
Regulated loyalty bonuses to reward player development and team continuity
Basic transparency standards to keep deals above board
A return to some kind of identity — not just talent rental
Final Thought
I still love college football. But I don’t love watching it drift into professional-lite chaos without the structure or ethics of the pros.
We’ve built a system that celebrates freedom but forgot about stability. And if we don’t fix that soon, we’ll lose what made this sport so beloved in the first place.
What do you think? Has college football changed for the better — or have we gone too far?
Let’s keep the conversation going.