The debate over NIL’s impact on college football isn’t slowing down, and now one of the sport’s most experienced administrators has weighed in. Former Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White, who spent nearly four decades overseeing college athletics, is the latest to share his perspective on the evolving landscape.

“Over my almost four decades as a director of athletics, college athletics has never been at the current level of disarray, a condition of utter helplessness, or despair,” White said. “The ecosystem is terribly broken, not sustainable, and largely fueled by funny money, which is activating an artificial market! The pay-for-play system, known as NIL, has served to deregulate the larger enterprise, wherein no rules, regulations, and/or guardrails exist.”

White’s comments arrive just days before the transfer portal opens on January 2, a period that has increasingly become synonymous with aggressive NIL-driven movement. While NIL has undeniably expanded financial opportunities for athletes, it has also intensified competition in recruiting and retention, often favoring programs with the deepest pockets.

Recent examples illustrate that imbalance. Quarterback Carson Beck’s reported $4 million move to Miami and Michigan’s $10.5 million deal to flip five-star recruit Bryce Underwood from LSU have become reference points in the ongoing debate. These moves don’t invalidate NIL’s purpose, but they do highlight how the market can operate without meaningful structure, which White never encountered during most of his career. Even programs outside the traditional power tier have leaned into NIL.

Even Smith’s former team secured transfer quarterback Darian Mensah from Tulane with a hefty NIL amount, reportedly valued at around $8 million for two years. The result was that they won their first ACC title since 1962 as they beat Virginia. But that was not the case before NIL took over the market. White’s frustration isn’t with NIL itself, but with the absence of centralized regulation.

Even Nick Saban thinks along the same lines. The modern era of college football has shifted the balance of power, as revenue sharing, NIL deals, and the transfer portal have shortened the difference between conferences. This season, the two G5 teams entered the playoffs, whereas an SEC team like Texas struggled. And Saban pointed it out clearly on The Pat McAfee Show.

“Kids are not growing up wanting to go to Alabama, wanting to go to Georgia, wanting to go to Florida, or wanting to go to Texas. They want to go wherever whoever is going to pay them the most money,” Saban said. “So I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that; I’m just saying that culture (of college football) has changed, which I think has made the regional advantage that the Southeastern Conference has had for years no longer an advantage.”

Programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, and Texas Tech are getting benefited by NIL donors and boosters and grabbing top recruits from the portal, but other programs are just waiting in line with no better financial support. The concern is even the same with the revenue-sharing rule; now teams have to share around $20.5 million with the students. But most of the programs don’t generate revenue.

Teams like Syracuse and Wisconsin face major trouble because of revenue sharing. Whereas teams with better funding, like Michigan and Oregon, find it a boon. So, when White said the ecosystem is terribly broken, he wasn’t wrong.

With portal concerns looming, White’s former team faces a major shakeup.

Notre Dame loses a team captain before the 2026 season

Notre Dame begins a new chapter after Marcus Freeman recommits to the program, but that good news came with a major setback. As a defensive lineman and team captain, Donovan Hinish has retired from football. The Irish entered the 2025 season with six captains: Drayk Bowen, Donovan Hinish, Will Pauling, Billy Schrauth, Adon Shuler, and Aamil Wagner

Now, the team was already prepared for Bowen, Pauling, Schrauth, and Warner’s move to the NFL, but Hinish’s retirement after facing shoulder issues came as a shock. Despite dealing with an injury, he showed toughness on the field. During Notre Dame’s game against Syracuse, he added on a tackle and a sack. He appeared in 37 games during his tenure, recording 57 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and one pass defended.

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One of his most remarkable moments came in last season’s CFP quarterfinals when he sacked Georgia’s QB Gunner Stockton to help Notre Dame secure a 23-10 win over them. With the portal opening on 2nd January, Notre Dame has to make a definite addition to the team.