Troy Aikman said he’s “done with NIL” after writing a check to a UCLA football player who never thanked him and went on to leave for another school after one season.

There was a reason for that lack of gratitude, according to one person familiar with the Bruins’ football name, image and likeness operations from that time not authorized to discuss donor information publicly.

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The player in question didn’t know who funded his NIL deal, only that it was coming from the team’s collective, Men of Westwood. It was standard practice for players not to know which donors or alumni contributed NIL funds that were distributed to the team.

Aikman, who did not identify the player in his remarks, did receive thanks from Men of Westwood leadership, coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Martin Jarmond, according to the person familiar with the situation.

Read more: UCLA donors question athletic director Martin Jarmond’s leadership, future viability

Aikman, the former UCLA quarterback who led the Bruins to a victory in the 1989 Cotton Bowl before going on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys, voiced his frustrations about NIL on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch.

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“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who,” Aikman told Deitsch. “I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank-you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”

Aikman went on to say he believed that players should be able to leave one school for another amid coaching turnover but should have to otherwise stay with the program paying them.

“There’s got to be some leadership at the very top that kind of cleans all of this up,” Aikman said. “Starting with players that accept money. There’s got to be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf, to have to stick to a program.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

ESPN’s lead NFL analyst Troy Aikman made headlines earlier this week when he took direct aim at what he sees as a flawed NIL system.

Aikman shared a story on a recent episode of the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast about how he made a significant donation to UCLA, his alma mater, to secure a star quarterback recruit. It turns out that recruit played just one year for the Bruins, and didn’t even give Aikman so much as a “thank you” for his hefty NIL payday.

“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank-you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it,” Aikman explained.

It turns out there was a good reason why Aikman didn’t get a “thank you” from the UCLA quarterback. According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, it was a matter of policy.

Per Bolch, “The player in question didn’t know who funded his NIL deal, only that it was coming from the team’s collective, Men of Westwood. It was standard practice for players not to know which donors or alumni contributed NIL funds that were distributed to the team.”

Instead of receiving thanks directly from the player, Aikman was thanked by the Men of Westwood leadership, head coach Chip Kelly, and athletic director Martin Jarmond, according to the Times.

Troy Aikman is far from the only one calling for stricter regulation of NIL. As it stands, the system essentially allows players to be free agents every year, which isn’t ideal for college football as an entertainment product. But Aikman was clearly a bit misguided about what exactly he was getting from his NIL donation. Sure, the money he gave to the collective almost certainly went towards the quarterback he speaks of. But the player won’t know that; he only knows the money is there, not where it came from.

So does Aikman’s broader point about NIL in college football stand? Yes. But if he had a do-over, he might take back his statement that he didn’t receive any gratitude from the player he helped.

The 2025 college football carousel is spinning faster than it has ever spun before.

In the Power Four ranks, 16 different college football programs have made head coaching changes: Virginia Tech, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Penn State, LSU, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Iowa State, Kansas State, California, Stanford, Kentucky and Michigan.

While this cycle has created chaos throughout the college football landscape, none of the changes compare to Lane Kiffin’s decision to leave Ole Miss, the No. 6 seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff, for the Rebels’ Magnolia Bowl rival in LSU.

The subject of Kiffin’s departure has sparked much debate about leaving a Power Four program while in a position to win championships and about the current layout of the college football calendar.

The Kiffin saga was recently addressed on Outta Pocket, a podcast hosted by Heisman-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III and his wife, Grete Griffin.

On a recent episode of Outta Pocket, the Griffins were joined by current Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed as a guest. Grete asked Reed about his reaction to the news of Kiffin’s departure to LSU.

“I felt like it was going to happen,” Reed said. “No disrespect toward Lane or anything, but you can’t talk about it that long and it not happen. If $91 million for seven years was in front of my face, I would not pass it up.”

Coaches are no longer the only ones college football programs are attempting to lure away from their rivals. The work Reed has accomplished at Texas A&M has turned him into a hot commodity for the Aggies and something they need to protect for their future.

Reed came to Texas A&M as the fourth-string quarterback behind Conner Weigman, Max Johnson and Jaylen Henderson in 2023. After very limited action in the regular season, he pieced together a strong first start in a 31-23 Texas Bowl loss after Johnson and Henderson entered the transfer portal.

The Aggies featured Reed in all but their season opener in 2024. He finished his redshirt freshman season with 1,864 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions while rushing for an additional 547 yards and seven touchdowns.

Texas A&M made a significant jump in 2025 thanks to Reed’s guidance. His numbers ballooned to 2,932 pass yards with 25 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions while he rushed for an additional 466 yards and six touchdowns.

The Aggies’ 11-1 record is their best in a regular season since 1992. Their performance has them as the No. 7 seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff, hosting No. 10 Miami (10-2, 6-2) in Kyle Field on Dec. 20 (Noon EST, ABC).

Troy Aikman said he’s “done with NIL” after writing a check to a UCLA football player who never thanked him and went on to leave for another school after one season.

There was a reason for that lack of gratitude, according to one person familiar with the Bruins’ football name, image and likeness operations from that time not authorized to discuss donor information publicly.

The player in question didn’t know who funded his NIL deal, only that it was coming from the team’s collective, Men of Westwood. It was standard practice for players not to know which donors or alumni contributed NIL funds that were distributed to the team.

Aikman, who did not identify the player in his remarks, did receive thanks from Men of Westwood leadership, coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Martin Jarmond, according to the person familiar with the situation.

Aikman, the former UCLA quarterback who led the Bruins to a victory in the 1989 Cotton Bowl before going on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys, voiced his frustrations about NIL on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch.

“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who,” Aikman told Deitsch. “I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank-you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it.”

Aikman went on to say he believed that players should be able to leave one school for another amid coaching turnover but should have to otherwise stay with the program paying them.

“There’s got to be some leadership at the very top that kind of cleans all of this up,” Aikman said. “Starting with players that accept money. There’s got to be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf, to have to stick to a program.”

Arizona State finished 8-4 (6-3 Big 12) and will head to the Sun Bowl, marking another successful season under third-year head coach Kenny Dillingham. 

Despite the winning record, the narrative has centered on last year’s unexpected Big 12 title run and 11-3 finish, along with this season’s offensive struggles, largely due to injuries such as Sam Leavitt’s season-ending foot injury.

Leavitt’s season ended after seven games and 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, a sharp contrast to his 2024 breakout, when he earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 recognition with 2,885 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and 443 rushing yards with five rushing scores.

Persistent chatter and Leavitt’s absence from team events sparked transfer speculation, and on Monday, reports confirmed he plans to enter the portal.

On Monday, coach Dillingham fielded media questions about Leavitt’s future at ASU but stopped short of making any formal announcement.

“I’m going to let that leave that to Sam’s team, out of respect for him, for how they want to progress from that,” Dillingham said. “I love Sam. Sam grew so much here, he really did, and I grew so much learning from Sam. Whatever his future holds, I wish him nothing but the best. I absolutely want to see him succeed.”

“With that, I’m very, very confident that we’re going to have a really, really good quarterback at Arizona State,” Dillingham added. 

On the roster, Arizona State is not without alternatives.

True freshman Cameron Dyer (four-star recruit) remains on the depth chart and has been cleared to play, while ASU’s 2026 class features Jake Fette, a four-star dual-threat signee who enrolled early. 

Those internal options, along with the possibility of adding an experienced passer via the portal, give Dillingham multiple pathways to attempt to replace Leavitt’s production.

Leavitt is also one of the more marketable athletes in college football, with a reported NIL valuation of around $1.8 million.

After a poor 3-9 start to the program, Dillingham led Arizona State to an 11–3 season, a Big 12 title, and a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, earning coach-of-the-year recognition for that run. 

However, while Dillingham’s work drew national attention a year ago, his challenge now is sustaining momentum, finding Leavitt’s replacement, managing NIL pressures, and guarding against recruiting reverberations from a marquee departure.

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