Will NIL Ruin the Authority of Coaches?

Ever since student-athletes have been able to profit off their name, image, and likeness, a whole new aspect of collegiate sports has come into play. Unlike before, student-athletes are now in contact with different brands that are willing to provide compensation in return for advertisement. While the biggest concern with NIL tends to be players being “bought,” new concerns have come to light regarding how NIL impacts the athletes’ attitudes once they are part of a team. Some fear that NIL has led to new distractions for players, as they have become more focused on scoring deals for monetary gain rather than remaining focused and excelling in their sport.

Under football head coach Nick Saban, the University of Alabama’s overall official record is 184-26, with 21 bowl game appearances with 15 victories, nine SEC West titles, eight SEC championships, and six national championships. Since 2008, Saban’s teams have spent part or all of each season ranked No. 1 in national polls. Yet, this year Saban feels his Alabama team is not executing at a high-enough level to be one of the elites. Is it because of NIL?

According to Paul Finebuam, Nick Saban “doesn’t like dealing with the kids getting paid.” Saban said the players don’t fear him like they used to, and that there are so many outside distractions. Following Alabama’s recent loss to the University of Tennessee, Saban stated, “We’ve seen it before, but what we saw Saturday to me reeked of NIL.” Finebaum said he doesn’t think Saban will coach through that new contract.

This is not the first time Saban has expressed his concerns regarding NIL. This past May, Saban was in hot water for insinuating that Texas A&M “bought” every player, stating “A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image, and likeness.” Even further, he stated “We didn’t buy one player. But I don’t know if we will be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it.” 

According to the Washington Post, the generational divide in college coaching has never been more recognizable than it is now, and it has little to do with on-field strategy. While Saban is not the only coach expressing concerns, critics have called out fellow coaches, stating that they must adapt rather than complain. Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey has stated, “We’ve got to stop complaining, like, this is the world we live in, so everybody should shut up and adjust.”

Are coaches such as Nick Saban wrongfully blaming NIL for lack of team focus and performance, or is there a real issue unfolding? It is clear that many coaches have different opinions on the impact of NIL, and time will tell how this will impact the retention rate of these coaches.

To learn more about how NIL impacts coaches, check out the CleanKonnect NIL Certification Course.