Alabama Football: Is it still possible to do it the right way?
By Ronald Evans
Under Nick Saban, Alabama football has been a trendsetter in many ways. Broad use of former coaches as off-field analysts is one way. The use of the most modern analytical tools to help players increase speed and conditioning is another. The sideline medical tent was introduced by Alabama Football.
One exploding trend in college football that Nick Saban is resisting is the outright (and now basically legal) buying of recruits. Saban has always been a development guy. One of the results has been National Championships. Another has been, guys who stick in Tuscaloosa for three or four seasons, improve their chances to make it in the NFL. That is even true for some players who were never regular Alabama football starters.
Now in almost every Power Five program, slow-cooking development has lost favor, replaced by microwave-like bursts from elite high school recruits and transfer players.
Make no mistake, this conversation has nothing to do with opposing NIL. Players should benefit from the massive dollars college football generates. It is possible to have that opinion and also believe that NIL, as it is currently being used is, as Saban has said, “not sustainable.”
Every program provides prospective players with NIL information. Some start paying recruits when they commit. Most wait, at least, until a new player actually joins a roster by signing or enrolling. If rumors are true, some programs open the NIL spigot before new players sign or enroll.
Alabama Football to use NIL to reward value
Nick Saban embraces NIL, but he sees it as a reward, rather than as an enticement. When Kaden Proctor flipped from Iowa to Alabama, the high school recruit said Alabama’s offer of future NIL money was smaller than what Iowa had offered.
A few coaches agree with Nick Saban. After returning to college football to coach Nebraska next season, Matt Rhule said,
"NIL is being “misused and mishandled” … schools are “tampering everywhere” with players who aren’t even in the transfer portal, which is a clear violation of NCAA rules."
New Stanford coach, Troy Taylor embraces that the Stanford program has no intention to rely on NIL, and expanded acceptance of transfers, to annually build its roster. Taylor has quite a daunting task. As reported by On3 reported when David Shaw resigned,
"More than a dozen players, including four-fifths of the starting offensive line and the team’s leading tackler, left the Farm for schools such as Michigan, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa State."
It is hard to get into Stanford and that is also true for football players. So far, roster replenishment for Taylor has been three transfers, with two of them being former Ivy League players.
As Ivan Maisel penned in the On3 piece, what Stanford and Taylor are trying is to win the old-fashioned way.
"The wisdom of the crowd is embracing NIL and the portal. Stanford is ignoring the wisdom of the crowd."
It is not hard to hope the plan works for The Cardinal. Being optimistic about Stanford starting a new trend is difficult.