Alabama Head Coach Kalen DeBoer Advocates for Revenue Sharing in College Football
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has expressed his support for revenue sharing in college football, believing it could help restore balance to the sport and level the playing field for programs like Alabama. Speaking with On3’s Pete Nakos, DeBoer emphasized how financial equity could bring recruiting back to a more traditional model.
DeBoer on a ‘Balanced Playing Field’
“Having a more balanced playing field helps our situation,” DeBoer stated. “It allows us to get where it was at one point just a few years back—where recruiting is real recruiting, not just someone who’s gonna put in the highest bid.”
His comments reflect growing concerns among college coaches about the current landscape of player compensation and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. With programs competing financially as much as they are on the field, DeBoer sees revenue sharing as a way to regulate the system and prevent recruiting from being dictated solely by monetary incentives.
The Changing Landscape of College Football
Since NIL regulations changed in 2021, college football recruiting has seen a significant shift. Instead of purely focusing on coaching, facilities, and development, programs now compete to offer the most lucrative financial packages through NIL collectives. While powerhouse programs like Alabama continue to recruit at a high level, the financial disparity across schools has introduced new challenges.
Revenue sharing—a system where universities distribute a portion of their athletic revenue to players—has been widely discussed as a potential solution. Advocates argue it could provide a structured, fair compensation model while reducing the influence of unregulated NIL bidding wars.
Can Revenue Sharing Help Alabama?
For a program like Alabama, which has historically dominated recruiting, the rapid evolution of NIL deals has introduced new dynamics. Under Nick Saban, Alabama was the gold standard in talent acquisition, but with other schools aggressively leveraging NIL deals, maintaining that dominance has become more complex.
DeBoer believes that by creating a more structured financial system through revenue sharing, Alabama can regain its recruiting edge. It would ensure that talent acquisition remains based on development, coaching, and program prestige rather than purely financial incentives.
What’s Next?
The debate over revenue sharing is expected to intensify as college football continues to navigate the NIL era. With major conferences and programs seeking solutions to maintain fairness and competitive balance, DeBoer’s stance reflects a broader conversation about the future of recruiting and financial regulations in the sport.
