In case you needed a reminder that we’re living in a brand-new era of college athletics, allow USC quarterback Caleb Williams to serve as exhibit A.
He’s about to head off to the NFL where he’s expected to be the #1 overall pick – but he’s apparently been living large these past few years at USC.
That shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise … As one of the biggest, if not the biggest, names in all of college football, Williams took full advantage of the new NIL rules.
You can look no further than the luxurious Southern California penthouse he proudly showed off on Instagram…
We’ve heard plenty of stories of all the money and perks that are being thrown around to college athletes, especially football players.
It annoys old-school coaches such as Nick Saban who have said that college football has become a flat-out “pay-for-play” sport, much different than how it used to be.
Saban, along with coaches such as Dabo Swinney and Kirby Smart are all for players being paid – but it’s extremely clear that guard-rails need to be put into place.
Recruiting high school players is no different than NFL free agency. Many of the players are simply going to the highest bidder.
Meanwhile, the amount of current college players who have entered the transfer portal is ridiculous. It has to drive coaches crazy to have to recruit and then RE-recruit their own players.
Sometimes transferring from one school to another is a smart thing to do. But clearly, many players are leaving great, winning situations for worse situations just to squeeze out every penny they can get.
Look at Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins who just announced that he’s entering the transfer portal … Head coach Lane Kiffin practically built his offense around him. The Rebels have had the best “transfer season” in the country and are expected to be a legitimate national championship contender next season.
Judkins was in-line to be the face of that title contending team and would have been one of the Heisman Trophy favorites entering the 2024 season.
However, unless he changes his mind, he’s most likely leaving a phenomenal situation in Oxford for money … (And let’s not pretend he wasn’t already being highly compensated at Ole Miss.)
Getting back to Williams living like a king – You have to wonder how Reggie Bush feels about the current state of college football … There’s no doubt he’s thrilled that players are now able to be paid for all of their hard work and all the revenue they bring to their universities.
However, Bush had his Heisman Trophy taken away and was scratched from the record books over violations that are now perfectly legal and embraced … Needless to say, that has to tick him off quite a bit.
Reggie bush getting his heisman taken away for getting a car and $1k but Caleb Williams is living in a pent house at usc is wild lmao https://t.co/VCtt1ww6dm
— John (@iam_johnw) January 3, 2024
What are your thoughts on the new world of NIL?
No one is saying that players shouldn’t be able to make money – of course they should … But clearly, guard-rails need to be put into place.
What do you think needs to be done???