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As the unknown hangs over college football and there are more questions than answers, a new era of excitement and longevity appears to be taking shape.
With no meaningful football games taking place, all eyes are on the NFL Combine, a rare crossroads where football fans and college football fans collide.
It's stopwatch season! That part isn't new. The themes that have encompassed the NFL Combine since its inception still hold true today. Jump high and long, run fast, and lift a lot.
However, the makeup of this particular event took on a much different feel, and the NFL has college football to thank.
A total of 58 underclassmen were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, the lowest number of underclassmen selected in over a decade. To further clarify, in 2021 he had 128 players declared (more than twice as many as he did this year). Last year he decided to have 82 players leave school early.
This recent trend is due to a number of factors, including a shortened season and an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, no trend has more impact on this transition than NIL (name, image, and similarity).
In just 18 months, it has become commonplace for players to be “legally” paid to play college football. Of course, the introduction of NIL lacked significant guidance. Courts have also intervened. In this new world without rules, teams and groups can largely do as they please.
The catalyst for this glorious mayhem was the transfer portal, which has now become its own footballing world. A lack of coaching combined with a desire to win has created free agency in college football.
It was, well, a great mess.
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That too has been confusing. Basically, coaches have to recruit their roster every year. Players leave as quickly as they become known to the fan base. Players are given the opportunity to maximize their value, and that part has been happening for a long time. However, the impact on sports has had mixed results.
Despite the unknowns and periodic disruptions, the movement had an undeniable impact on the sport. Money is given out, which encourages players to stay longer. Furthermore, the annual outflow of human resources is slowing down.
For further proof of this trend, take a look at past seasons. Quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix all began their careers elsewhere. They could have declared for the draft last season, but chose to come back for another year.
These decisions turned out to be great regardless of where each player is drafted next month. Each has had another year to improve their game and profile. And the sport has become much better because of it.
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While it's unfair to think that money helped me make this decision, it's not unreasonable to say that NIL made difficult decisions easier. It motivated each player to extend their college football careers.
The result was well over 100 total touchdowns, a Heisman, and a trip to the National Championship. And only a handful of players made this choice.
Of course, this logic has its limits. Quarterback Caleb Williams did not stay at USC for another season. So did Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. Or Drake May in North Carolina.
Star underclassmen who are likely to be in the top 10 of a given draft are still likely to leave. While the NIL is strong, it still falls short of the NFL's second contract. For many of these players, the appeal will be impossible to ignore.
But for players struggling with decisions, the NIL is a life raft. The risk of continuing to go to school for growth feels much less risky when you are paid a small amount of money to do so. And with money flowing into the sport at an incredible rate, great players with untapped potential will be looking at their options a little more.
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Oh, and at least in some high-profile instances, players who have stayed longer have recognized the benefits of doing so.
For all the craziness the NIL brought, it gave college football a jolt of energy and star power. It's clear that some structure is needed in the near future, but at least in a small sample size, better players are staying longer.
It cost nothing. That much is clear.
It's a perplexing time to be a fan as the sport moves forward without any real direction. But this past season, thanks to so much money flowing freely, gave us a glimpse of what could become the norm, and that glimpse clearly caught the eye of many, not just fans.
