Nick Saban's concerns about NIL are valid but also exactly why he needed to go away

Coaches who don't think the millions they're being paid is worth the headache should get out the way.

Nick Saban was critical of the current state of college athletics Tuesday during a Capitol Hill roundtable discussion about name, image and likeness (NIL), blaming what he called a “free-agency” transfer system and “pay-to-play” model for impacting the development of student-athletes.

Saban said that while he’s not against athletes having an opportunity to create a brand for themselves, the system in place is part of why he decided to retire from college football in January.

“All the things I believed in for all these years, 50 years of coaching, no longer exist in college athletics. It always was about developing players. It was always about helping people be more successful in life. … We really are creating a circumstance here that is not beneficial to the development of young people, which is why I always did what I did,” Saban said at the roundtable hosted by Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Nick Saban says everything he believed about college football for 50 years no longer exists

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— Kyle Henderson (@BamaYoutube) March 12, 2024

Saban is right and wrong.

When one of the greatest coaches of all-time says the development of athletes is being negatively impacted by the massive changes we’ve all seen take place in college athletics, we should listen. It’s great athletes can now profit off the brands they’ve built and more easily change schools to find the best opportunities for themselves, but there are values that will inevitably fall by the wayside when things aren’t as buttoned up as they should be.

However, a flawed system is exactly why these athletes need understanding coaches — now, more than ever — to help them navigate it. The job of a college coach has evolved since NIL rules were created in 2021, but at its core, it’s still about helping people be more successful in life, as Saban said. That just looks a little different now.

The coaches who don’t think the millions of dollars they’re being paid is worth that added responsibility should get out the way, which is why it’s a good thing Saban retired. It’s OK to say things can be better, but NIL isn’t going away and student-athletes might even earn money from the universities themselves one day. Even with improvements, the new landscape of college athletics requires a new kind of coach.