Link: 2026 Transfer Portal

[Cruloc]

NCAA Revenue Sharing & NIL Estimates 2025

nil-ncaa.com

 

[Cruloc]

This is a quote from Troy Aikman on NIL.......noted from that NIL website I posted..

In a December 2025 interview with the Athletic, ESPN Monday Night Football announcer and former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman made a very interesting comment about NIL:

I gave money to a kid. I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. Never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. It’s one of those deals to where I’m done with NIL. I mean, I wanna see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.

 

[Cruloc]

 

[bamamc1]

remember that the portal closing just means more guys can't enter. It doesn't mean guys won't still be trying to work through their landing spots. There's still time to make an impact, but the staff better get busy.

Remember we have Courtney Morgan. Yes the one that struck out (his words not mine) last year in the portal and doing the same thing now. FIRE HIM TODAY

 

[Cruloc]

This right here shows exactly why the Power 4 will break away at some point.

 

[gtgilbert]

Remember we have Courtney Morgan. Yes the one that struck out (his words not mine) last year in the portal and doing the same thing now. FIRE HIM TODAY

well, doing that now would certainly decrease our chances of finishing well in the portal, but if we haven't made considerable progress in the next couple of weeks, that might be the right path.

 

[Cruloc]

Since they capped the revenue sharing at 20.5 million....it keeps the Power 4 even in that regard.

Once the SEC and Big 10 poach the higher football revenue generating schools, who knows what happens. I don't see how the ACC and Big 12 keep up....they will just continue to get poached.

 

[rolltide_21]

247sports has us ranked at #24 in the portal so far.....12th in the SEC.

We need to finish in the top 15. We've got some guys we're after, so hopefully we get there. Unfortunately, top 15 overall probably has us no better than 9th in the SEC.

Our recruiting went very well....we just need to do well in the portal so we have a good mix of players. If we don't, we will fall further behind.

View attachment 55098

What I see in this is that money doesn’t buy championships. Impressive rosters? Sure. Click bait articles for 247 and On3? Definitely. Five of the top ten spenders including the top three had first round exits this year. Ohio State did win it last year but it took getting hot much like Miami has done this year. I expect Indiana to win it. They’re not much above Bama in spending. It still requires elite coaching, player development, and good/quality portal additions. It’s a proven model that even Saban used before NIL (2015, 2017, 2020). Bama’s problem right now is that we might have only one of those three.

 

[Cruloc]

well, doing that now would certainly decrease our chances of finishing well in the portal, but if we haven't made considerable progress in the next couple of weeks, that might be the right path.

Who in the world would we hire as GM if we did that? I'd throw the money at Jim Nagy, but he's doing the same at Oklahoma right now.

College football's 22 best general managers, according to those who know

As college football transitions to a more NFL-like model, the GM role has become essential

www.cbssports.com

Quote from that article: ON COURTNEY MORGAN
"This guy has not only revolutionized the position but he's also consistently delivered," said one industry source who works with GMs. "I think he's the gold standard."

 

[Cruloc]

What I see in this is that money doesn’t buy championships. Impressive rosters? Sure. Click bait articles for 247 and On3? Definitely. Five of the top ten spenders including the top three had first round exits this year. Ohio State did win it last year but it took getting hot much like Miami has done this year. I expect Indiana to win it. They’re not much above Bama in spending. It still requires elite coaching, player development, and good/quality portal additions. It’s a proven model that even Saban used before NIL (2015, 2017, 2020). Bama’s problem right now is that we might have only one of those three.

Agreed.

I think, as I've said before, that you need to finish in the top 15 in recruiting and the portal.....but you've also got to have a coaching staff that can coach and develop.....not just recruit.

Saban focused on coaches that could recruit for a long while and we'd just out talent everyone.

We've got to get better in the actual position coaching. If DeBoer can do that, he'll improve....if not, he won't be at Bama long.

 

[CaliforniaTide]

This is a quote from Troy Aikman on NIL.......noted from that NIL website I posted..

In a December 2025 interview with the Athletic, ESPN Monday Night Football announcer and former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman made a very interesting comment about NIL:

I gave money to a kid. I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. Never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. It’s one of those deals to where I’m done with NIL. I mean, I wanna see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.

I don't think Aikman's experience is an outlier. For every donor that gets involved, there's gotta be at least one or more that got in, have the Aikman experience, and then said, "I'm out" given the athlete leaving as quickly as he came in. I for sure would feel that way if I ever became a big donor like that - not that it'll ever happen.

 

[AlexanderFan]

This is a quote from Troy Aikman on NIL.......noted from that NIL website I posted..

In a December 2025 interview with the Athletic, ESPN Monday Night Football announcer and former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman made a very interesting comment about NIL:

I gave money to a kid. I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA. Never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. It’s one of those deals to where I’m done with NIL. I mean, I wanna see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.

The guy he's talking about is playing tonight for Oregon, taking snaps and stuff.

 

[CB4]

But can you trust him to play to his full potential?

Which is exactly why these contracts should all be performance based, even though the NCAA says NIL can’t be.

 

[Cruloc]

I don't think Aikman's experience is an outlier. For every donor that gets involved, there's gotta be at least one or more that got in, have the Aikman experience, and then said, "I'm out" given the athlete leaving as quickly as he came in. I for sure would feel that way if I ever became a big donor like that - not that it'll ever happen.

If I was a billionaire and could give money like that.....got sold on giving money for a few kids that the coaches said we needed....and then those kids left and I got nothing in return, not even the satisfaction of winning.....my giving would end quickly.

For every Troy Aikman giving what he gave there are going to be people like Cody Campbell with Texas Tech....Mark Cuban with Indiana.....Les Wexner with Ohio State etc etc.

Billionaire Boosters: Who Are CFP Teams’ Biggest Money Backers?

Sportico looked through school disclosures and published reports to identify the highest-profile backers of the college football playoff teams.

www.sportico.com

 

[Cruloc]

Which CFP teams have the most money? Breaking down field by NIL spending power

Elite spenders highlight this year's playoff bracket, but some teams are doing more with less

www.cbssports.com

Elite Spenders:
Ohio State
Oregon
Texas Tech
Miami
Texas A&M

Big Spender:
Ole Miss

Good, but maybe not as elite as you think:
Alabama
Not all that dissimilar to professional stars leaving money on the table to allocate to their supporting casts, Alabama players at the start of the NIL era in many cases were willing to take a discount to play for Nick Saban. While that allowed the Crimson Tide to spread its wealth and build deep, immensely talented rosters, it also meant the program would have to play catch-up after Saban's retirement. To be clear, Alabama is doing just fine on the recruiting trail (Kalen DeBoer just signed the nation's No. 2-ranked class), but its payroll is a hint more modest than some of the other programs in its realm.

Georgia
Oklahoma

Solid Spender:
Indiana

 

[Cruloc]

Which is exactly why these contracts should all be performance based, even though the NCAA says NIL can’t be.

They are going to have to be performance based and include bonuses.

Scholarships need to stop being given to these kids though, but that's not going to happen.

 

[CB4]

Does Alabama have some big money folks (not quite billionaire level but net worth wise certainly close)? Yep. Problem for us is that they didn’t get those millions by being stupid. They want to see ROI. Not an “ego driven ROI” of winning titles in football, basketball, etc.. They want dollars in return.

Cuban, Haslem, Knight, et al, look at this like going to the golf course and beating the guys in their foursome via a $2 Nassau, then thumping their chest in the 19th hole over a couple of beers.

 

[Cruloc]

Does Alabama have some big money folks (not quite billionaire level but net worth wise certainly close)? Yep. Problem for us is that they didn’t get those millions by being stupid. They want to see ROI. Not an “ego driven ROI” of winning titles in football, basketball, etc.. They want dollars in return.

Cuban, Haslem, Knight, et al, look at this like going to the golf course and beating the guys in their foursome via a $2 Nassau, then thumping their chest in the 19th hole over a couple of beers.

The only billionaire in the state is Yellawood fella.

 

[CB4]

The only billionaire in the state is Yellawood fella.

True. But there are others with Alabama ties that net worth wise are in the $500-$600 million plus range. One of them who’s father has his name on the stadium.

However, I’ve been told by many who know that situation pretty well that he isn’t “all in” on this NIL thing

 

[Cruloc]

True. But there are others with Alabama ties that net worth wise are in the $500-$600 million plus range. One of them who’s father has his name on the stadium.

However, I’ve been told by many who know that situation pretty well that he isn’t “all in” on this NIL thing

As you said earlier........these folks with that kind of money want a tangible return on their investment.

This NIL stuff is just flushing money down the toilet.