Author: Clayton Wood, Contributor
College football crossed the Rubicon the moment the NIL became the primary driver for roster construction.
This is no longer amateur track and field with a following. It’s professional soccer with looser rules, worse contracts, and no adult supervision.
And the chaos we see every December is exactly what you would expect when you professionalize a sport but refuse to adopt a professional structure.
1 year rental.
A mercenary with no loyalty.
Players opt out the moment the calculations decide they want to “save the bag.”
Fans asked for close attention to the roster, which is reset every year.
None of this is surprising. What’s surprising is how slow college football has been to acknowledge reality.
Once college football becomes professional, the solution is obvious.
Copy the NFL. The NFL solved this problem decades ago
The NFL isn’t perfect, but it understands human motivation.
Players sign multi-year contracts.
The longer they stay, the more they earn.
Teams invest in development because retention is built in.
Players who quit mid-season will not be paid for games not played.
College football was the opposite.
It has created a free-for-all environment where short-term incentives dominate, long-term development is irrational, and loyalty is treated as optional.
So, the fix is:
1. Multi-year NIL contracts should become the norm
Stop pretending that annual trades mean anything.
All NIL contracts must be structured like professional contracts.
• Duration is 3-4 years
• Salary increases in 3rd and 4th year
• Retention bonus for continuing the program
If a player leaves early, real money remains on the table.
Right now, the incentive is to fix it as soon as a better offer appears. It’s not a character flaw. It’s a structural flaw.
2. Modify the structure. Development needs to get paid better than hype
In the current system, being a star freshman earns more money than being a developed junior.
That’s backwards.
NFL contracts reward longevity and growth. University NIL should do the same.
We will pay additional fees to the player if:
• Stay
• improve
• graduation
• Be a leader in the locker room.
Make development the most profitable path.
3. Bowl opt-outs should have economic consequences.
This will be controversial. good.
If a player signs a multi-year NIL contract and opts out of a bowl game without injury, there should be a financial penalty.
The NFL doesn’t pay players who don’t play. Neither should college football.
Bowls are also part of the season. The fans paid. A teammate appeared. The coaches prepared us. The school traveled. It shouldn’t be costly to quit when it matters most.
If a player wants complete freedom as a professional, that’s fine. Declare for the draft. But if you receive NIL money tied to team obligations, those obligations should become important.
4. Loyalty must be encouraged, not romanticized.
Fans continue to demand loyalty as if it were a moral appeal. The ship has sailed.
Speeches don’t earn you loyalty. Earn loyalty through incentives.
The NFL knows that. College football needs to learn that.
Multi-year contract.
Rewards escalate.
Obvious consequences if you opt out.
Clear reward for staying.
This is not an anti-player. That is professional reality.
This is not meant to punish athletes.
It is about building a system like this:
• Create better soccer
• Creates true continuity.
• Compensation development
• Protect fans from roster roulette
• Preparing players for the real professional world
College football tried to turn pro without growing up.
The fix is easy.
Stop pretending.
Adopt a contract.
Align your incentives.
Copy what works.
The longer you wait, the worse the product will be.
College football hasn’t lost its soul for money.
We are losing it because of the confusion.
And chaos is always an option.
Clayton Wood is a Knoxville lawyer, pastor, and Vol fan who owns Thrive and Wears Valley Ranch. He is a regular contributor to tristardaily.com.
