Deion Sanders thinks spending in college football is getting out of control, and wants some rules put in place. Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Deion Sanders explains why he wants a college football salary cap in NIL era

Originally posted on CFB-HQ on SI | By James Parks | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 12:12 PM ET

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders believes the time has come for college football to introduce an official salary cap policy as the sport enters the revenue-sharing era.

That windfall, combined with the NIL spending schools still undertake, has resulted in too great a disparity between those who can pay up, and those who can’t.

“I wish there was a cap. A top of the line player makes this, and if you’re not that type of guy, you know you’re not going to make that,” Sanders said.

"All you gotta do is look at the [CFP] and see what those teams spent, and you'll understand darn well why they're in the playoffs."

Deion Sanders on NIL and the current state of college football. pic.twitter.com/y6A5C3dWUP
— ESPN (@espn) July 9, 2025

“That’s what the NFL does. The problem is, you’ve got a guy that’s not that darn good, but he could go to another school and get half a million dollars. You can’t compete with that. It don’t make sense.”

Ohio State made preseason headlines a year ago when it was reported the program was spending upwards of $20 million to assemble its roster.

That team went on to win the national championship. Case closed, says Coach Prime.

“All you have to do is look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent, and you’ll understand darn well why they were in the playoffs,” Sanders said.

“It’s kind of hard to compete with someone who’s giving $25, $30 million to a darn freshman class. What’s going on right now don’t make sense.”

The recent House vs. NCAA settlement that went into effect on July 1 allows schools to spend up to $20.5 million on student-athletes in direct payments, with football players expected to receive the bulk of that figure.

But there’s still no cap on college football’s ongoing NIL system that allows boosters to make their own arrangements with players.

And in a world of haves and have nots, not everyone in the NIL marketplace is created equally, allowing some to vastly outspend the competition.

If that money equals success on the gridiron, more coaches like Sanders will be in line to argue that some rules are necessary to even that playing field.