In a recent episode of the *New Heights* podcast with Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman opened up about Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals in college sports.
Aikman supports student-athletes getting paid, but he’s not thrilled about the lack of structure or accountability in the current system.
He thinks the NCAA missed a real chance to put some guardrails in place, and now, it’s just a “Wild West” free-for-all.
Aikman also worries that the growing focus on money is pulling attention away from education and graduation rates.
The Rise of NIL in College Sports
NIL deals have totally changed college athletics.
For years, people argued about whether student-athletes should get more than just scholarships, especially since college sports rake in billions while athletes saw almost none of it.
Aikman’s Perspective on NIL
On the podcast, Aikman made it clear he’s not against NIL itself—he just thinks the system is a mess.
He pointed out that, unlike pro sports, there aren’t any real contracts or obligations, so things get inconsistent fast.
*At least in the NFL, you’ve got a contract that if you take money, you know you’re obligated,* Aikman said.
*You can’t collect a check and then the very next year, go back in the portal and then go collect another check.*
He summed it up bluntly: *And now it’s the Wild West out there.*
The NCAA’s Missed Opportunity
Aikman thinks the NCAA really dropped the ball.
If they’d acted sooner, maybe we wouldn’t have this chaos.
*The NCAA, I think, just really dropped the ball,* he said.
*If they’d gotten out ahead of this and said, okay, here’s what we’re going to do… and they didn’t do it.*
Financial Struggles of Student-Athletes
Aikman also talked about how tough it can be for student-athletes financially.
He gets it—he didn’t come from money, and some of his teammates had it even worse.
*I didn’t come from a wealthy family at all… but there were a lot of teammates of mine who came from less money than even I did, and they were really struggling,* he shared.
Back then, athletes couldn’t work during the school year, so making ends meet was rough.
This context makes the current NIL debate even more complicated, doesn’t it?
The Impact on Education
Another thing that bugs Aikman is how nobody seems to care about the quality of education anymore.
*What also what you don’t hear about anymore is, is the quality of the education,* he said.
*It’s not even discussed – graduation rates, none of it.*
With NIL deals and the transfer portal taking center stage, academics feel like an afterthought.
Some former players and alumni are genuinely worried the educational side of college sports is slipping away.
Conclusion
Troy Aikman’s thoughts on the *New Heights* podcast bring a fresh, maybe even overdue, perspective on NIL in college sports. He’s all for student-athletes getting paid, but he doesn’t shy away from calling out the messiness and lack of real rules right now.
Aikman’s not wrong—there’s a lot of talk about reform, but not much actual change. The balance between money and education? Feels like it’s getting harder to find.
If you want to dig deeper into what Aikman had to say, check out the full article here.
- Schools Covered
- College Football Articles
- Men's College Basketball Articles
- Men's College Soccer Articles
- Women's College Basketball Articles
- Olympic Athlete Articles
- Men's College Baseball Articles
- College Sports Media Professionals Articles
- Hall of Fame Member Articles
- Former College Player Articles
- Game Previews
