Mar 13, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) during a business meeting of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions in Washington, DC, March 13, 2025 Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NIL In 'Dire Need of Restructuring' Says Former Coach and Current State Senator

Originally posted on NIL on SI | By Troy Brock | Last updated May 12, 2025 11:52 AM ET

The last time Tommy Tuberville roamed a college football sideline with a clipboard in his hand, Name, Image, and Likeness was still a distant reality.

His last year as a coach came in 2016 with the Cincinnati Bearcats, though he is most remembered for his time at the helm of the Auburn Tigers from 1999 through 2008.

As everyone does, Tuberville has his own thoughts on the current collegiate athletic landscape, specifically when it comes to the transfer portal and NIL.

In an interview with CNN on Sunday, the former head coach and current state senator for Alabama weighed in on the topic.

“He’s got a commission that he’s putting together,” Tuberville said regarding President Trump’s plan, via Pro Football Talk. “I’ve recommended some people to go on it, of course. I’ve been working on it for four years. Nick Saban is gonna be involved. I think the NIL is in dire need of restructuring.”

As things currently stand, NIL is more like the Wild Wild West than anything resembling any sense of decency. While there are guidelines that some adhere to, they are more just guidelines than actual rules or regulations, and most programs do whatever they please.

Hard commitments have flipped just before the clock struck midnight after another program swooped in with a much larger NIL offer. College players have also started sitting out training camp like their professional counterparts until they are paid more money.

The government and NCAA are trying to alleviate those issues.

There is also the issue of the haves and the have-nots.

Now, more so than ever before, the Power Four schools can pilfer the rosters of the Group of Five schools once those players prove they are capable of bigger and better things. The Group of Five programs can still compete amongst themselves, of course, but it puts them at a much greater disadvantage against the Power Four schools than they ever have been before.

NIL is great.

It is a good thing that student athletes are finally being compensated for their efforts on and off the field.

But, as things currently stand, it is more like an unfinished product rushed to market than something that was built to last for decades.