Big-time college football has become a Wild West situation, marked by new rules for name, image, and likeness (NIL), where players now receive salaries from schools, and the transfer portal, which enables student-athletes to move from one school to another from year to year.

This new anything-goes-era of major college football has former University of Florida gridiron players a bit concerned about the state of the game and lost loyalty to one team. The NCAA’s power programs now resemble pro teams. Some even describe it as NFL Jr.

“NFL Jr.? No.” said Jon Xynidis, who played safety and special teams for the Gators from 1994-97. “I think it’s the NFL with no rules. No salary cap, trade rules, nothing.”

Former Florida Gators express views on NIL

Beginning this season, athletic programs will be allowed to share revenue directly with their athletes. Based on a court-ordered mandate, every school will be allowed a cap of $20.5 million in direct payments to athletes in the first year, increasing by 4 percent every season for the next 10 years.

Former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon is widely considered the Father of NIL. He fronted a lawsuit in 2015 that eventually led to players taking control of their NIL, which opened the door for athletes to lend their name to products and services for profit.

It’s a far cry from John Schnebly’s college experience. Schnebly was the Gators backup quarterback and placeholder under head coaches Ray Graves (1968-69) and Doug Dickey (1970-71).

“When I played, I got what I bargained for,” said the 75-year-old Gator pigskin alum. “I got a good education. They fed me and took care of me. Whether I needed new shoes or to fix a broken leg, the Gators took care of it.”

“Am I jealous of these guys? I don’t know,” he added. “I guess maybe a little bit. To me it seems like these rules make it very difficult to coach because you don’t know what players you’re going to have from year to year.

“These days they can leave and go play someplace else if they want. Maybe they get a little better offer, and they are gone. So, there’s no loyalty. It’s all about what each individual gets. It’s definitely different.”

Xynidis, 49, played for legendary Head Coach Steve Spurrier, who advocated for player pay in the 1990s. The Gators won the SEC Championship each year Xynidis was on the team. UF captured the NCAA National Championship in 1996. No big money was being tossed around in those days.

“We struggled in college,” he said. “We got a stipend for food and for rent. You had to have a side job to get out to dinner or go on a date or whatever it was. It wasn’t easy living but it was part of the experience so I appreciated it.

“Would have been a different experience if I had been given $5,000 a month? Yeah. I can see why they did this because the schools were profiting off the players and the players deserved to share in that. But I can see that a lot of the sacred stuff about college football may be gone. Back when I played it the big thing was (college programs) turning boys into men. Now when schools recruit players, the players ask, ‘How much am I going to get paid?’ That part is unfortunate.”

Seemingly gone are the days of developing a high school athlete with potential into a stellar player. Schnebly believes some football coaches have left the game because of these new rules.

“Because it’s too difficult to work your butt off to get good players, then somebody offers them some more money and they go off down the road after you spent all that time to get the player to a certain level,” he said. “It’s definitely going to change things, well, it already has to some degree. I guess people will have to adjust to it.”

Xynidis agreed and cited this recent example.

“What bugs me is the freedom players have to move from team to team,” he said. “Take, for example, the Florida basketball team. There was a kid, Denzel Aberdeen, who just transferred to Kentucky for his senior season. He was sure to be a starter next season for the Gators. So, Florida will be playing against him next year after winning the National Championship this year. That part of it is heartbreaking to me.”

The NCAA approved a $2.8 billion settlement via the House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit. The money will be used to pay former athletes, who were denied NIL opportunities. This applies only to athletes who played from 2016 to 2024. Neither Schnebly nor Xynidis are eligible for compensation.

“Before 2015, you’re out of luck,” Xynidis said. “It is what it is. I’m not looking for money. My knees and shoulders hurt but I appreciate what I got (when I was playing) and what I put into the University of Florida.

“I was there at a really good time. We won four SEC Championships and an NCAA Championship, so that was a great experience. To me it’s all about experiences and that experience can’t be replaced and can’t be bought. Well, I guess, now it can be bought (laugh).”

Many college football fans believe NIL is ruining the sport they love. In today’s age, it feels like players have no loyalty and are chasing the biggest paycheck over staying with a program and developing throughout their careers.

Despite the criticism of NIL, one of the benefits is that it allows high school athletes to immediately make money to support their families through things like brand deals. One  that has taken advantage of NIL is Adidas, and the company just announced its newest class of football stars to represent the brand.

Adidas Unveils Stacked 2025 NIL Class Featuring Top Football Recruits

Adidas recently announced its 2025 NIL class, featuring six top recruits in the 2026 cycle. Each of these athletes will be featured in brand campaigns for the company throughout their final year of high school.

The class is headlined by five-star Tyler Atkison, the No. 1 linebacker in the 2026 class, and five-star LSU commit Tristen Keys, the No.1 wide receiver in the 2026 class.

I’m blessed to continue #AtkNup with #Adidas.@adidasfootball @adidas @adidasUS @grayson_fb @MilesGarrettTV @On3NIL @On3Recruits @ChadSimmons_ @samspiegs @TomLoy247 @GDPsports @Mhoward38 @MensHealthMag @RecruitGeorgia@jeffsentell @Zack_Poff_MP https://t.co/jNrzB87XRi

— Tyler Atkinson (@Tyler16Atkinson) June 27, 2025

Along with Atkinson and Keys, Adidas class also features four additional top receiver recruits: five-star Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr, five-star Calvin Russell, four-star Ohio State commit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, and four-star Texas A&M commit Madden Williams.

It’s a star-studded high school class for Adidas and represents the ever-changing landscape of college athletics in the age of NIL.

While there are obviously downsides to the current NIL system, the fact that these young athletes can sign with a company like Adidas and earn money before they even get to college highlights how NIL can be so special and make massive impacts on these players’ lives.

Every athlete that Adidas signed to this campaign has proven themselves at a high level and are all regarded as some of the best high school football players in the country. They’ve earned the right to be able to make money off of their name, image, and likeness, and Adidas is giving them the platform to do so.

Time will tell if their college careers pan out. Still, they have at least had the opportunity to make life-changing money by signing with Adidas for their senior years and will attempt to solidify their place in college football during the 2026 season.

The New York Knicks are reportly exploring a historic hire: legendary South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. According to Knicks Fan TV and Fullcourtpass, the Knicks have “reached out” to Staley to gauge her interest in their head coaching position. If (and that is a strong “if”) she took the job, it would be an unprecedented move that would make her the NBA’s first female head coach.

Staley’s reputation certainly procedes her, as both a Hall-of-Fame player and one of the most successful coaches in college basketball. She has led the Gamecocks since 2008 with three NCAA titles (2017, 2022, and 2024) and seven Final Four appearances. Her coaching brilliance has earned her a historic contract extension at South Carolina as well, making her one of the highest paid coaches in women’s college basketball.

Speaking of which, her contract does allow for an NBA or WNBA move without penalty, though leaving for another college coaching position would have financial consequences. Staley was asked about her contract terms after the 101-60 win Oklahoma at Colonial Life Arena several months ago.

“It’s a give and take,” Staley said. “It was important for me to have a guaranteed contract, but to have a guaranteed contract you have to give them something. I will never leave here to coach another college job. I have the best of the best here. I really don’t have a passion for the next level, I don’t. I would have been gone, seriously. So to have it in there, it was just something fancy to have (a reporter) ask me that question.”

It is doubtful that Staley would make such a move, but hiring a coach of her caliber would spark a seismic shift in culture in pro sports, rewriting the NBA norms. However, Staley’s current dominance in the college ranks and her deep roots in South Carolina may ultimately define her path.

Richard Davenport

Richard Davenport has covered recruiting for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and wholehogsports.com since 2007. He appears weekly on “The Morning Rush” with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft on 95.3 FM in Fort Smith, 96.3 FM in Hot Springs, 104.3 FM in Harrison/Mountain Home and 99.5 FM in Fayetteville, and on “Out of Bounds” with Wess Moore and Joe Franklin on 103.7 FM in Little Rock.