Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has strong words about the current state of college football recruiting. Saban believes the current era of NIL and the college football transfer portal are not sustainable. During a December 21, 2023 interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Saban hinted that recruiting has become “pay for play.”

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has strong words about the current state of college football recruiting. Saban believes the current era of NIL and the college football transfer portal are not sustainable. During a December 21, 2023 interview on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Saban hinted that recruiting has become “pay for play.”

“So, what you have in some cases is you have players who are looking to create value for their future. They’re looking to go to a program where they can have a good quality of life. But at the same time their personal development, their academic development, their career development on and off the field are all things that are most important to them and their family,” Saban continued.

“And then you have some people that are just looking for where can I make the best deal? And sometimes those factors change toward the end.”

Saban may not be the biggest fan of the current climate of college football, but it does not appear to be impacting Alabama negatively. The Crimson Tide finished with the second-ranked recruiting class for 2024, per On3.com.

The Alabama coach is pushing for more “guard rails” in the NIL world. Saban predicts there will eventually be lawsuits as a result of the lack of parameters.