Name, Image and Likeness deals have been the talk of the college football landscape since they came into the picture in 2021. Now, NIL is once again in the news with the football spring transfer window coming to a close and the recruiting cycle heating up.

Georgia legend and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker David Pollack might just have the solution to fix it.

Georgia Legend David Pollack Calls for NIL Rookie Cap

Pollack shared an idea to help curb NIL concerns on his “See Ball Get Ball” podcast, calling for less money going to incoming freshmen, and suggesting a cap on how much they can make in NIL before even touching the field.

“I have a proposal to start round one. Like, again, I’m seeing all this stuff and you see all these topics, like, how do I really fix NIL? I know the number one thing that needs to be changed,” Pollack said.

“Like, if you want to start with something and change college football, and make it better and make it better for the athlete, the athlete’s future and everything about it? We need a rookie salary cap. A coming into a university salary cap. It cannot exceed X.”

The conversation arose after five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell — the No. 1 overall recruit in 2026, according to On3 — committed to Miami on $2-$2.5 million deal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Pollack thinks it should be about more than just the dollar signs.

“NIL — name, image, and likeness. What you did on the field should dictate how much money you get paid. It should not be what you did in high school. Like, it should’t be,” Pollack said. “Not everybody comes from the same background, same stuff. I mean, there’s a lot of factors that go into that.

“Have a rookie cap. Now, you can choose the spot that’s best for you and it’s not just based on money. Here’s the thing. When you make a decision based on money and not looking towards the future, how many of those decisions have you made and you regretted? Like, a lot for me. If I’m making them just on money, I’m blinded, it’s harder. I can’t make a decision based on what’s really best for me.”

But given the precedent set over the past few years with NIL, getting change enacted will be difficult.

“You want to do something that’s really better for the players? Institute that and it immediately will get better,” Pollack said.

Pollack isn’t the only person against the current state of NIL, with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart recently voicing his concerns on how the system works.

KEEP READING: ‘Lightyears Better’ – David Pollack Expects Major Turnaround for Oklahoma in 2025

“I just want to be able to have a freshman come in and not make more than a senior and I’d like for other sports to be able to still survive. You know, we’re on the brink of probably one to two years away from a lot of schools cutting sports,” Smart said.

Fans are split on the concerns, with some believing the inability to exploit the system works against large programs — who they think have been paying players under the table for years.

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Mario Cristobal reloaded his Miami football roster with a newcomer class stacked with blue-chip transfers and recruits. Talent acquisition at that elite level comes with a hefty price tag in modern college football, and those hesitant to embrace the NIL era are often quick to criticize the programs that engage in immense offseason spending. Cristobal, however, brushed off the narratives that surround his highly-touted haul.

Transfer quarterback Carson Beck is the centerpiece of the roster overhaul and commanded a $4 million NIL package despite the uncertainty surrounding the health of his elbow, which he injured while playing for Georgia in the SEC Championship. He represents just one of the numerous expenditures Miami tallied in a hectic transfer portal cycle.

“I could imagine some of the things that are said out there,” Cristobal said to CBS Sports’ Josh Pate. “I don’t know what value that type of noise or people really have. Actually, I guess the value lies in the fact that you can take your son or you can take a prospect and say, ‘You see all that noise and trash? There’s an example of what’s irrelevant in life and in processes of hard work.’ That’s maybe the only value to it.”

Miami is not alone in its spending. The nation’s top programs ran up the tab on the recruiting trail in an effort to stockpile talent before the House v. NCAA settlement officially opens the door to revenue sharing and reshapes budget constraints. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti said that the most expensive rosters in 2025 cost as much as $40 million.

Ohio State last season became the face of the NIL era when athletic director Ross Bjork said the football program spent $20 million to construct its national championship roster. That figure pales in comparison to the largest payrolls ahead of the 2025 season.

“I think you can also take a parent and say, ‘Look, your son is a high-profile guy,'” Cristobal said. “‘This is great practice, because when you’re playing in college and you miss a tackle or you throw a bad pass or when you’re onto the NFL and you enter a certain city, they’re going to throw tomato cans at you at every stop they can. You have to get used to what comes with sports.’ I guess that would be the only value: practice for the future or just point out what’s irrelevant.”

Cristobal’s primary emphasis during the 2025 transfer cycle was to bolster a defense that allowed far too many explosive plays, especially through the air, en route to last year’s 10-3 record that fell short of a College Football Playoff berth. He added seven defensive backs, a pair of linebackers and a defensive lineman through the portal.

Miami also secured plug-and-play weapons to slot next to Beck on the offensive side of the ball, including speedy former BYU wideout Keelan Marion and ex-LSU veteran CJ Daniels.

IRVING, Texas – Oklahoma State’s Braylen Smith was tabbed the Big 12 Player of the Week and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for his performance against Arizona State on the final week of the regular season.
 
Smith carried OSU to a series sweep of the Sun Devils as he hit .667 with three doubles, two home runs and six RBIs. He went 8-for-12 at the plate and also led the Cowboys with six runs, 17 total bases, two walks, a 1.417 slugging percentage and four stolen bases (4-for-4 on attempts).
 
A junior from Omaha, Neb., Smith hit safely in all three games and tied a career high with four hits in the second game. During one stretch over games two and three, he reached base safely in nine consecutive plate appearances, including collecting hits in seven of those at-bats with three singles, two doubles and two homers.
 
In the series opener, Smith delivered a three-RBI double in the second inning to push OSU’s lead to 5-1 in a game it went on to win by a 6-2 count.
 
The series-clinching second game saw Smith go 4-for-4 with a home run and two stolen bases; the four hits tied a career high.
 
Smith capped his stellar series with a 3-for-4 performance in the finale that included a double, homer and two stolen bases, including a straight steal of home that put the Cowboys up 3-1 in the fifth inning. Then, with OSU trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Smith delivered a go-ahead, two-run homer as the Pokes went on to win, 7-4.
 
The impressive weekend saw Smith raise his season batting average to a team-high .313, and he finished with a .343 average in conference-only games, which also led the team.
 
Smith’s honors marked the seventh and eighth weekly awards for OSU this season. Harrison Bodendorf tied a Big 12 record with four Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors and also garnered a Newcomer of the Week nod, and Sean Youngerman also picked up Newcomer of the Week accolades.  

On Sunday night Liberty Lady Flames softball beat the overall No.1 seeded Texas A&M to advance to Super Regional play for the first time in program history. However and perhaps the most shocking first was the premature exit of the overall No. 1 seed, a feat that had yet to happen in the modern collegiate softball era.

The 64-team regional post season play that began on Friday, May 16 saw several upsets demonstrating the parity and growth within collegiate softball, especially in the NIL era.

Other Notable Regional Upsets

University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) knocked out Power 4 foe Arizona State, a program with a history steeped in post season play including winning the national title in 2008 and 2011. UCSB eventually fell to 12 time national champions and softball powerhouse UCLA in the championship game, but not before knocking out the Sun Devils and San Diego State Aztecs.

In a similar trajectory to Liberty, Southeastern Louisiana shocked and eliminated the No. 10 LSU Tigers in the opening game 4-3, booting them into the losers bracket. The Lady Lions would defeat the Tigers a second time, 8-7, eliminating them from the tournament. Southeastern would eventually fall in the championship game to the Nebraska Cornhuskers led by Player of the Year finalist, two way player Jordy Bahl (formerly of Oklahoma softball).

Liberty Lady Flames Looking to Add to Historic Campaign, Eyeing the 2025 Women’s College World Series

This parity continues to evolve in the game with more teams not only making the post season, but taking games from larger, stacked Power 4 teams. Despite this parity, only eight mid-majors (Fresno State in 1997, 1998, & 1999; UMass in 1998; DePaul in 1999, 2000, 2005, & 2007; Louisiana-Lafayette in 2003, 2008, & 2014; Hawaii in 2010; South Florida in 2012; Southern Mississippi in 1999 & 2000; and James Madison University in 2021) have made the Women’s College World Series since 1997 when the tournament took its permanent residence at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, OK.

The Lady Flames will look to be the ninth team added to this small, but mighty list of mid-major teams etching their name into the Women’s College World Series history books.

For the full schedule and bracket for Super Regionals, click here.

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