“I’m all for players making money": Nick Saban reveals his true motives to become CFB commissioner after NCAA settlement gets enforced

The college football world has ushered in a new era of athletics following the passage of the House vs. NCAA settlement during this offseason. Schools will now directly pay for their athletics, and to regulate the transaction, a sports commission will be introduced. Former coaches like Nick Saban welcomed the new regulations and claimed that the new setup would reform college athletics.

Amid rumors about a position for Saban as the college football commissioner and unifying operations, the veteran coach spoke on Pat McAfee's show this week, where he shared his interest in becoming a commissioner if the position is created by any government entity.

“I’m very much committed to [college football] in every way. I would be a part of a commission if it was a real commission created by a government that was actually going to enforce some rules and regulations and guidelines that would help the game and promote the players and the game,” Saban said to McAfee on Friday.

“I’m all for players making money, but you need some guidelines relative to competition and creating some parity in the league. Every competitive venue has it. I’m all for players, but I’m really all for college football.

"There’s so much enthusiasm and so much interest in college football. It’s still pure in a way and sometimes we can’t let that purity sort of leave what it’s always been,” he added.

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College football teams will get 75% of allotted funds after House vs. NCAA settlement

As per the final verdict of the House vs. NCAA settlement, each participating program will get almost $20.5 million starting in the 2025 season. These funds can be distributed among different programs in the university.

Per reports, football programs will be allowed to take a major chunk, as much as 75% of the total money. Football coaches will have access to roughly $13 million to $16 million in excess money. This paycheck can be used to recruit players via the transfer portal and high school. For teams like Texas and Ohio State, this will boost their roster expenses and bring in more talent during the recruiting cycle.

Another key component of the House vs. NCAA settlement will see a payment of $2.8 billion in damages to former Division 1 athletes to compensate them for the loss of Name, Images and Likeness (NIL) opportunities between 2016 and 2024.