Name, image, and likeness (NIL) has dominated the college football conversation during the offseason, and it continued at the SEC’s spring meetings in Destin, Florida.
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz was asked about the future of student-athlete compensation on Tuesday, with Drinkwitz saying he was unsure of what is to come.
Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz in the fourth quarter of a college football game between the Missouri Tigers and Kansas State Wildcats on Sept. 10, 2022 at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I think the future is unknown,” Drinkwitz told reporters. “I think we’re in a very unknown situation”
“I know that in my opinion, right now, what we have is a broken system that needs some sort of guidance,” he continued. “We’ve been criticized for our state law, which I think is unfair. We don’t criticize other people for being innovative in what they try to design for offense or defense or how they run their schemes to try to create an opportunity for success. So, why would we be criticized for creating an opportunity for success for us through our state laws?
“So, I don’t believe that’s a fair criticism by anybody. And I think it’s an unknown situation. Until there’s some sort of crisis, I would assume to create it, create some streamlined standards, I don’t know that there’ll be a change.”
Missouri House Bill 417 passed in early May, allowing in-state recruits to begin profiting off of NIL as soon as they sign with in-state colleges.
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Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz during an SEC college football game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Missouri Tigers on Nov. 25, 2022 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The bill has yet to be signed by Gov. Mike Parson.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban also discussed the future of student-athlete compensation, suggesting college football adopt a pay structure similar to the model that exists in the NFL.
“Yeah, I have no problem with that,” Saban said, according to AL.com. “Unionize it, make it like the NFL. I mean, if it’s going to be the same for everyone, I think that’s better than what we have now because what we have now is we have some states and some schools in some states are investing a lot more money in terms of managing their roster than others and I think this is going to create a real competitive disadvantage for some in the future. And it’s also going to create an imbalance in the competitive nature of the sport, which that’s not good for the sport.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban looks on prior to the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 24, 2022 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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“Everything they do in the NFL is to create what? Parity. Parity. And if they could have every team going into the 17th week 8-8, that would be like a dream for the NFL. … Well if you think there’s disparity in college football right now, there’s going to be a lot more in the future.”
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report
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