Troy Aikman is joining a growing list of major voices calling out the direction of college football.
The Hall of Fame quarterback made the comments during Monday’s episode of “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch,” where he said the current landscape has become a “wild west” with very few meaningful rules.
Aikman made the remark during a discussion about Lane Kiffin’s abrupt departure from Ole Miss and vowed never again to contribute under the current name, image, and likeness rules.
Host Richard Deitsch asked whether Ole Miss should have allowed Kiffin to finish the season even though he was leaving for LSU.
The school blocked Kiffin from doing so.
Aikman answered by turning to the larger problems affecting college football.
He said the chaos surrounding coaching moves, player movement, and money all point to a system without any real structure.
He then shared a story of his own experience with NIL.
Aikman revealed that he personally contributed money to help a UCLA football player. He said he had never met the player and had only donated once.
According to Aikman, the player stayed for only a single season before transferring to another school.
Troy Aikman on NIL:
“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note. So, it’s… pic.twitter.com/HqkRIHZUkY
— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) December 9, 2025
Aikman said he never even received a thank you note after writing what he described as a large check.
That experience led Aikman to vow never again to contribute his own cash to his alma mater.
Calls for the NCAA to impose stricter guidelines on transfers and payments have grown throughout this season. Many want limits on NIL, a structured transfer system, and clearer rules about when coaches and players can leave a program.
This year’s coaching carousel intensified those concerns.
Kiffin left a playoff-bound Ole Miss squad for LSU.
Players can also transfer as many times as they want, and they can do so while earning unlimited NIL compensation.
The sudden shift has completely upended norms that defined the sport for more than a century.
For decades, players risked punishment for something as minor as accepting the wrong meal from the wrong person.
Now, the system allows widespread payments to entire rosters with almost no restrictions.
Despite the negatives, the new rules have helped historically bad programs become relevant.
Perennial cellar dweller Indiana ended the 2025 regular season ranked number 1.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
