When Winning Costs Everything: College Football’s NIL Paradox

College football is out of control.

Yes, there’s more parity than ever. More teams. New teams. Real competition at the top.

But there’s also more destruction. More fraud. More unethical behavior.

And it’s ruining the sport overall.

Below are the biggest issues currently plaguing college football, along with clear, common-sense steps that could create fairness and limit the damage being done to the best sport in the country.

1️⃣ Limits on “Poaching”

The Matt Campbell hire made me realize just how ridiculous college football has become — in a different way. I’m happy with the hire, but there’s absolutely no way Penn State should have been able to ransack Iowa State for 24 players.

Plan: When a coach switches schools, he can offer a maximum of 10 players from his previous program. That’s it. This allows a coach to help build a foundation at the new school while preventing the complete destruction of the old one.

2️⃣ A Real “Contact Process”

Players should absolutely have the right to change schools — within reason, and with limits.

Actions: If a school is interested in a player, it must contact the player’s current school through an assigned representative. This must happen at least seven days before the portal window closes, giving the current program time to counter, respond, or find alternatives.

No last-minute nonsense. No behind-the-scenes tampering.

3️⃣ Limits on NIL Money A school may not offer any player more than 3% of its total NIL budget.

Example: If LSU has a $50 million NIL budget and wants a quarterback, the max offer would be $1.5 million.

This does not include revenue-sharing money. The rule applies equally to every school and every position.

That’s still a massive payday for a college athlete and creates fairness tied to NIL production.

Want to pay more? Fine — tie it to the postseason. If a player stays and plays through the postseason, they earn an additional 1% NIL bonus. Fair for everyone.

4️⃣ Limits on Time & Transfers

Multiple players are transferring every single year — some playing for five, six, even seven schools. It’s ridiculous.

Players jumping into the portal with no offers is just as bad. Either they already have offers (which is tampering), or they’re taking an enormous, reckless risk.

Actions: A player may not enter the transfer portal unless they publicly state a minimum of two schools that have offered. Those schools must follow the legal Contact Process and notify the player’s current program of their interest.

5️⃣ Enforcement (or Lack Thereof)

The NCAA has been completely absent for years now — and it’s clearly intentional. The organization is a fraud that now promotes fraud through inaction.

There needs to be a simple governing body that takes swift and severe action.

Actions: Massive monetary fines equal to what was illegally offered, plus postseason bans.

Example: If Miami illegally offers Mensah $10 million and violates tampering rules, Miami should pay a $10 million fine and be banned from postseason play for one year.

That would stop this nonsense immediately.

Right now, schools are stealing players for a single season, paying insane money, just to chase a title — with zero consequences.

The NCAA could enact any one of these measures and meaningfully help college football.

I’m a nobody. I came up with these logical, common-sense solutions while lying in bed on a cold Saturday morning.

There is no excuse for the NCAA’s continued absence — unless they’re afraid of legal issues or actively part of the fraud.

If meaningful steps aren’t taken soon, college football will lose its heartfelt luster and become nothing more than a shell of what it once was.