This is an opinion post. It includes some facts. Much of the rest is based on 'supposed' facts that are widely available. It concludes with a perhaps unanswerable question. How long in football and men's basketball can the Alabama Crimson Tide continue to do more with less?
Little-regulated transfer opportunities, sometimes massive NIL resources, and revenue sharing have changed big-time college sports. So far, the changes have evolved rapidly. There have been claims that some football programs have player budgets of around $40M this season. It has been reported that the Kentucky Wildcats have a $22M basketball player payroll budget this season.
The pace of change confuses debate. Just last season, it was claimed Ohio State bought its National Championship with a $20M or so football player payroll. The season before, it can be claimed that Michigan won a national Championship by cheating. The point being that the best team in a season can get there in ways many fans disdain.
Money has affected college football for over a century. Rules have many times been considered as obstacles to overcome rather than a standard to be held to. Men's college basketball became a cesspool of money decades ago. Is now so different than then?
Athletes being paid is not the problem. Pretty much everything else about the new compensation system is flawed. Take one example. St. John's does not have a football program. With a huge portion of its revenue share funds (maybe nearly all), plus NIL, Rick Pitino can have a player payroll budget comparable to the one Kentucky is purported to have. If in March, the Red Storm knocks the Wildcats out of the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky fans would have a claim that compensation rules unfairly favored St. John's.
Here's another scenario. Some have claimed Texas Tech has college football's largest player payroll. What if the Red Raiders, with a Strength of Schedule currently at No. 60 per ESPN's FPI and a remaining SOS of No. 44, cruise into and through the Playoffs and become National Champion? How many fanbases will cry foul?
What the Alabama Crimson Tide sells
Based on many observations provided by Alabama Crimson Tide insiders, player payrolls for football and men's basketball are below what many other programs are spending. The two Alabama sports are not poverty programs, but many on the Tide's gridiron and hardwood are players who could be making more money elsewhere. No further credible details are available.
What Alabama sells is a fair pay structure with the added reward of proven professional opportunities in both sports. Alabama has long been an NFL player factory. Nate Oats has quickly built an NBA one as well. Especially with Oats, but also with football, offensive players, Alabama sells the systems of Kalen DeBoer and Oats. Young men want to play in the systems. Not only are they paths to professional success, but they are fun to play in.
Little assurance is available on how to make the current compensation structure work, other than do not risk being left behind. The one sure given comes from Nick Saban. In 2024, Saban said, "If you don't pay the right guys, you'll be sh** out of luck."
The Tennessee Vols are one example of paying a wrong guy. So far, Alabama has not made a similar mistake. Again, the unanswerable question is how long can the Alabama Crimson Tide do more with less?