In a fiery appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit didn’t hold back, venting his frustrations about the current state of college football and the lack of structure surrounding the rapidly changing NIL landscape.
Herbstreit’s comments came in the wake of a high-profile incident involving Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who made headlines with the way he handled his situation in Knoxville.
When the university refused to accommodate his demands to renegotiate his NIL terms, Iamaleava skipped team practice and went off-the-grid.
This lead to head coach Josh Heupel announcing that the program was moving on without Nico – a move that shocked the college football world.
“Obviously, we’re moving forward as a program without him. I said it to the guys today. There’s no one that’s bigger than the Power T. That includes me,” Heupel said
“This program has been around for a long time. There are a lot of great coaches, a lot of great players who came before that laid the cornerstone pieces, the legacy, the tradition that is Tennessee football.
“It’s going to be around a long time after I’m gone and after they’re gone.”
Clearly overplaying his hand, Iamaleava entered the transfer portal. For Herbstreit, this moment highlighted a broader issue in college sports: the absence of clear leadership and authority.
“The NCAA has zero power over this sport,” Herbstreit said. “Who’s running the sport? Who are we supposed to file these complaints to? Who’s supposed to make change?… I have no idea who that is.”
Herbie’s frustration centered around the growing sense of chaos within college sports, especially as NIL deals have transformed the way players and institutions interact.
With no clear authority stepping up to organize or regulate this new environment, Herbstreit suggested the sport is in a state of limbo.
“Nobody’s got the stones to become that guy who’s gonna be the leader and say, ‘This is what we’re doing,'” Herbstreit continued.
“Everybody’s afraid of litigation. Nobody says what they really think. Nobody’s willing to be a leader. Nobody’s leading this sport. That’s where we are right now.”
In response to McAfee co-host A.J. Hawk’s question about why no one is willing to take the lead, Herbstreit pointed to fear as the primary reason.
He argued that the player-driven movement within college sports has made it difficult for officials to make decisions that don’t align with players’ demands.
“This player movement, if you do anything that’s perceived to not be willing to give what the players want, then you’re a problem,” Herbstreit said.
Herbie elaborated on the current environment, claiming that decision-makers are too terrified to act, leaving them paralyzed in the face of mounting pressure.
“They’re sitting back and not doing what, to me, they need to do. Which is having some balls and making some decisions and taking the heat,” Herbstreit said.
“The problem right now is, if you do do that, you get an attorney who either threatens to sue you or sues you. And now you’re in a tough spot because the players win all these arguments.”
While Herbstreit refrained from criticizing Iamaleava personally, he did touch on a larger concern about the reluctance to be critical of players in today’s NIL-driven world.
“I’m just saying, when do you ever hear anybody be critical in this era of a player?” he asked. “They’re afraid to be critical of a player because you get labeled as a guy who’s against the players.
“You get labeled as a guy who’s an old head. And I’m just saying that somebody’s got to have the stones to step up.”
Love him or hate him, Herbie said what 99% of the college football world is thinking – especially the fans and coaches.
What needs to be done to fix the disaster that is (the current structure of) NIL and the transfer portal?
Does college football need Nick Saban to step in and fix the system???
