Nick Saban weighs in on UNLV QB situation, potential trend of NIL disputes

College football is in a tumultuous new era with name, image and likeness (NIL) payments becoming commonplace. Players can now profit from their athletic abilities while still in school and decisions on which institution to attend are now largely based on where the biggest check will be written.

For some, however, that check looks bigger than it actually is during the recruitment process and ends up not materializing like they thought. At least, that was the case according to UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka.

The senior passer claims a promise of a $100,000 check was not fulfilled by an assistant coach, something the football program denies was even on the table. Sluka announced Wednesday he would be redshirting the rest of the season over the alleged misrepresentations.

Legendary coach Nick Saban wants this issue fixed before it grows

On "The Pat McAfee Show" Friday, seven-time college football national champion coach Nick Saban weighed in on Sluka's situation and the implications of it potentially spreading across the NCAA.

"What is the path to have a manageable [NIL] system in College Football, which I think is very possible," he said. "Name, image, likeness has kind of turned into 'pay-for-play' so if we're going to do that why don't we just revenue share with the players, and they can still have name, image and likeness."

Saban was optimistic about the future of college football in the NIL era but felt the current environment was not sustainable.

"Everyone's a consistent free agent, you don't have any contract, you don't have any responsibility or obligation to your team," Saban said.

Specifically speaking on Sluka's case, Saban questioned whether he was making the right decision for his future.

"I don't know, like, the player at UNLV that's opting out, what kind of value is really creating for his future based on what he's doing," Saban lamented. "I don't know that he really is, but how does it affect his teammates and what does everybody else in the country's team going to think of what he's doing."

Saban was concerned that Sluka's decision could snowball across other programs and, if not properly managed, the consequences could permanently alter college sports for the worse.

"There's a lot of consequences, you know, out there, of this behavior and the culture we've created in college athletics," he continued. "We're really not creating value for people's futures, we're trying to see how much money we can make right now while we're going to college and that's a huge shift in the dynamic of development of college players."

A solution Saban thought was "worth fixing" was to establish standards for player agents just like they have in the NFL.

"I think the players need to be protected," he said.

"None of the players in college have any protection from anyone," he said. "Anyone can be an agent, anybody can be that third party on the street telling a guy what to do."

Coach Saban has a point. If players want to be paid and treated like professionals, they ought to have professional representation and be properly educated on the important business decisions they so covet nowadays.