Houston Sports Today

Houston Sports News Continuously Updated

Crimson Tide’s Struggles Brought on by More Parity With NIL and Transfer Portal

by

Alabama Crimson Tide

The lion’s share of this century has seen the Alabama Crimson Tide as the dominant force in college football. Nick Saban has been a huge part of that success. But, even in the latter stages of his tenure, ever-increasing parity has seen the Crimson Tide’s dominance begin to wane.

Now, the first year of Kalen DeBoer as head coach saw even more regression. That could change moving forward, as one year is far too small of a sample size. It will take the head coach utilizing the two biggest methods of recruitment to his advantage: NIL and the Transfer Portal.

Alabama Crimson Tide Buried by Parity with NIL and Transfers

NIL Is a Good Thing

While the inception of Name, Image, and Likeness has been widely divisive, it is still a good thing for the players. It gives student-athletes a (legal) source of income where they otherwise may not have one. Most college students have part-time or even full-time jobs to help cover their expenses. Student-athletes have to balance practice, games, and studying for tests, which often leaves out any time for even a part-time job.

Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams knows NIL all too well. On3 lists his NIL value at $2.7 million and ranks the star inside the top 20 in all of college football. Williams most recently partnered with nail polish brand Sally Hansen. They have joined Hollister, Uber Eats, and EA Sports as his major NIL contributors.

While NIL has been a boon for the student-athlete, it has played a part in the Crimson Tide’s waning dominance. Its implementation has seen other schools have a better chance at recruiting top-tier talent, as million-dollar deals often prove more paramount than winning in college.

Transfer Portal? More Like Run for the Hills

The increase in playing eligibility after transferring has played a major role, too. While Nick Saban was at the helm, serving as one of the best recruiters in the history of college football, it became fairly common that a five-star recruit would not play in his freshman year. The lax transfer portal rules have made it so that those players can move on to other teams if they are not getting the playing time they think they deserve. Former Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts transferred after losing the starting role to Tua Tagovailoa.

Even Group of Five teams have benefitted from this. College football has seen a drastic increase in G5 teams remaining competitive against Power Four opponents, with even more parity.

Parity is Entertaining but Not Good for Those at the Top

College football has wanted to make the product more entertaining. Their goal with NIL and the Transfer Portal was to increase parity in the sport so it would not be the Alabama Crimson Tide and other Blue Blood programs serving as guaranteed locks for the National Championship every year. The powers that be even expanded the College Football Playoffs to 12 teams to give more schools a chance. There is even more expansion to the playoffs to come.

Parity certainly makes for a more entertaining product. It is far more enjoyable to watch a game without knowing for a fact who will win. However, the schools at the top of the mountain suffer from an increase in parity. The Alabama Crimson Tide has been a prime example of such suffering. While the Ohio State Buckeyes won it all this year, it is highly unlikely they repeat next season.

Parity is here to stay. The Crimson Tide has been its first victim. It will take a Herculean effort from DeBoer to right the ship and climb back on top. He has far more teams to contend with than the program did in years past.

 

Main Image: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The post Crimson Tide’s Struggles Brought on by More Parity With NIL and Transfer Portal appeared first on Last Word on College Football.