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James Franklin comments on current state of NIL in college football: ‘It’s a little bit of a wild, wild west’
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James Franklin might support his players, but he isn’t completely sold on the future of college football due to the current status of name, image, and likeness.
Franklin told reporters that the current status of college football is at an influx due to the “limited boundaries” surrounding NIL deals.
“I think there’s major concerns with what’s going on in college football right now,” said Franklin. “There’s just really no guardrails. There’s not a whole lot of guidance, and there’s not a whole lot of governance.”
In years past, coaches would often convince players to join a program based on the upside a prospect could bring. Nowadays, coaches must sell prospects on what deal could bring them the most revenue before they elect to go pro.
Because NIL is so new, there are no parameters on how much a program can spend to bring in talent. Franklin said that without guardrails, it’s a free for all based on money instead of status.
Franklin compared NIL to the “wild wild west,” stating that some of the conversations he’s had were “crazy” involving NIL. deals. Currently, the Nittany Lions have the No. 13 class in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.
"You know, I hate to use the expressions "the Wild Wild West," but it's a little bit of a wild wild west. And some of the conversations that are happening are crazy."
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) December 21, 2022
Penn State finished 10-2 under Franklin in 2022. The Nittany Lions will face Pac-12 winner No. 8 Utah in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Cole Thompson is a freelance writer for Saturday Tradition who has covered college football and the NFL for multiple websites. Thompson is currently based in Houston, Texas, and also can be heard daily on SportsMap National Radio's 'Just Sayin It' from 3am-6am.