In a season where unexpected teams like Indiana have made their mark, Tommy Tuberville, former college football coach and current U.S. Senator, voiced concerns over the impact of NIL rules.
Tuberville, who served as head coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati before entering politics, spoke out on Indiana’s rapid rise this season, suggesting the team’s success is tied to its financial investments.
“You just don’t build a team, you pretty much buy a team now,” Tuberville said. “That was a little bit forbidden when I was in coaching, but now it’s legal.
“Look at Indiana. They went out and bought them a football team, and look where they’re at. They’re playing Ohio State this week, possibly play for a national championship and maybe in the Final Four.”
The comments reflect the growing debate surrounding NIL’s influence on college sports, as teams increasingly leverage financial resources to attract top talent.
Tuberville pointed to Pittsburgh’s approach last year as another example of how the system is shifting.
“Pittsburgh went out last year and a lot of their players wanted more money. Head coach says you’re all done, go somewhere else and went out and bought another team,” he said.
“A few weeks ago, he was 7-0. You can get it done but as Nick Saban says you can buy them but you’ve got to buy the right ones.”
Indiana, under the guidance of head coach Curt Cignetti, has embraced the NIL era, using it to bolster their roster.
Cignetti, who took over the program after a successful stint at James Madison, highlighted how the current environment allows for quick transformations through the transfer portal.
“It’s a new day and age in football where, with the portal, you can change the team real quick,” Cignetti said.
“I was given the resources to do that, and I knew when we came in, (and) I started interviewing the old players, that we’d need a lot of new faces. Fortunately, they did me a favor by leaving.”
Cignetti’s first recruiting class at Indiana included 31 transfer players, with 14 of them hailing from his previous program at James Madison.
The quick reshaping of the roster has helped propel Indiana into national relevance, with the team now preparing to face Ohio State on Saturday, with hopes of continuing their push for a potential College Football Playoff berth.
Tuberville, meanwhile, is calling for changes to the NIL framework, arguing that it should be more regulated, particularly when it comes to contract violations by players.
“I’m not against players making money, but we got to have some kind of penalty for players breaking contracts,” he said said.
As Indiana looks to continue their ascent, they will face a critical test against Ohio State in Columbus this Saturday at noon EST.
Both ESPN’s College GameDay and FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff will be broadcasting live ahead of the massive big-stakes showdown.
Do you give Indiana any shot to pull off the upset?
As far as NIL, what is your take on the whole situation?
Michigan just flipped top quarterback Bryce Underwood tonight. Needless to say, he didn’t come cheap … Do you like the idea that coaches can just “buy teams” like Tuberville said???
