"It's Got to be an NFL Minor League" - Coach Whittingham on the Future of CFB

For many programs, the hope is that with hiring a new Head Football Coach, you'll make a huge splash in the water. But for Michigan and Kyle Whittingham, it appears they're also going to ruffle some feathers.

In an interview with Rich Eisen, Head Football Coach Kyle Whittingham made it clear what he's seeing with high school football recruits more and more.

"Yeah, that's what it's all about right now" Whittingham said, regarding the financial aspect of college football. "And not only recruits that you're after, but players on your roster. Everyone wants to be treated fairly. Fortunately, we have a general manager and someone that is a go-between for me. So, I don't deal with that directly anymore. But before that person was in place, you dealt with that all the time."

Whittingham was hitting on an aspect of football that both fans and coaches are becoming tired of. What was once a division simply for the love of the game and the hope that you might one day make it to the NFL, has since become more of an NFL "minor league." For Kyle Whittingham, that's exactly what he thought that CFB has to become.

"I think it's got to be an NFL minor league model where we have a salary cap." the Michigan coach said. "The players are employees. I think, as distasteful as some of that is, I don't think there's any other way that is better than that. And right now it's out of control. I mean, we're going to have probably a dozen teams in the next recruiting cycle with $50 million rosters, and there's such a disparity between the haves and the have-nots. And I think that the only way to get that evened out and level the playing field is to go ahead and pattern it after a minor league NFL model."

When the Supreme Court first ruled on education and opened the gateway for NIL, the exact fear of many was that a minor league was the ultimate destination. But, in a landscape fueled by ever-growing demands and countless players leaving for dollars instead of devotion, perhaps the only way to bring "stability" would be to implement this kind of model.

For Michigan, it's more important now than ever to stay on the top of the game through NIL and other deals. This is one of the premiere programs in all of football and no matter how much money needs to be spent, the athletic department should have a blank check.

This, among other things, has been what has kept Michigan from dominating the sport all together in football. Early on after the decision, the University felt it was best to focus on a "built, not bought" model, but quickly learned they would be left behind if they did not change. While Michigan has adapted in recent years, it is great to see Whittingham openly advocating for Michigan to continue competing in every way possible.

Many things are left to be decided, but it appears that the only constant in college football from here on out will be greed. Whether that be jersey patches, deals with Beats, or $50 million rosters, money in college football is here to stay.