Jesse Palmer Discusses Evolving College Football Landscape, Favorite Week 1 Game with BetSided

ESPN's Jesse Palmer chatted with BetSided about the the 2023 college football seasons, the ever-changing landscape of the sport and talk about his partnership with College Colors Day!

The former Florida quarterback and college football analyst covers a different sport than when he played. After a successful career at Florida in the late 1990's, Palmer is amazed at how much the sport has changed with the rise of NIL and the transfer portal.

"I've been prepping for this season since April..." Palmer told BetSided in an exclusive interview. "And it feels like half the players are coming from different programs. I remember it didn't seem that long ago if there was one transfer, two at an impact position that was a big deal. Certainly that was the way it when I played in the late 90's for coach Steve Spurrier at the University of Florida, people just didn't transfer. If you didn't start, you had to compete and win your job back."

Palmer notes that the money making opportunities for college plays through NIL has changed the way the sport is constructed.

"The advent of NIL has changed it as well. I feel for coaching staffs out there. Not only are you having to go out on the road in the offseason and recruit new players into your program be it from the high school level, now you are having to do it at the collegiate level and re-recruit your own roster," Palmer told BetSided.

The sport may be changing, but the excitement remains the same for Palmer as he gets set to call Tennessee vs. Virginia on ABC in Week 1. He also mentioned one of the most explosive games on the official opening weekend of the sport between North Carolina and South Carolina in Charlotte on Saturday that he is looking forward to.

"I'm excited to see [North Carolina quarterback] Drake Maye and [South Carolina quarterback] Spencer Rattler, UNC vs. South Carolina," Palmer said. "I've called that game in the past and its a great rivalry between two schools that are very close to each other geographically, obviously in different conference, but you are getting the chance to see two of the top signal callers in the country. Two programs that are very talented and loaded, both have some question marks on defense. I think we are going to learn a lot about both of these teams very early on. I'm excited to watch that."

Palmer joined BetSided to also discuss his role with College Colors Day, which is celebrating its 19th year, and is a movement to that unites fans across the country to encourage them to represent their favorite schools by wearing their apparel on a single day, Friday, September 1. Make sure to watch the full interview below where Jesse discusses this year's "Fan Out Loud" theme!