Tommy Tuberville Blasts Texas Longhorns While Addressing NIL Chaos, Warns College Football Is Becoming ‘Pay-for-Play’ Wild West

Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn head coach and current U.S. Senator from Alabama, took direct aim at the University of Texas Longhorns this week during a spirited conversation about the rapidly evolving landscape of name, image, and likeness (NIL) in college athletics. As one of the few lawmakers with deep ties to the sport, Tuberville’s comments carried added weight as he accused programs like Texas of pushing the bounds of fair competition and warned that college football is teetering on the edge of becoming a free-for-all bidding war.

Speaking at a panel on collegiate athletics and NIL reform, Tuberville did not mince words. “Let’s be honest,” he said. “This isn’t just about giving kids a few bucks for signing autographs or showing up at events. Programs like Texas are buying players. That’s not NIL — that’s pay-for-play, and it’s turning college football into the Wild West.”

The remarks drew immediate attention, especially given Tuberville’s unique position. As a former coach with nearly two decades on the sidelines and now a senator trying to legislate around the very issue, Tuberville is one of the few figures who can speak credibly on both the sports and policy fronts. And according to him, Texas has become the poster child for excess in the NIL era.

“The Texas Longhorns have basically opened up their checkbooks and said, ‘Come on down, we’ll make you rich before you even play a snap,’” Tuberville said. “We used to recruit on tradition, playing time, and development. Now it’s all about who’s going to cut the biggest deal. That’s not what college football was built on.”

Tuberville’s critique reflects growing unease across the sport about the imbalance NIL has introduced, particularly at power programs with deep-pocketed donors and well-organized collectives. Texas, with its alumni network and corporate backing, has been at the center of that conversation since NIL rules changed in 2021. The university has been publicly associated with major NIL collectives like the Texas One Fund and Horns With Heart, the latter of which once offered offensive linemen $50,000 annually for charitable work. Though within current NCAA guidelines, such deals have raised eyebrows — and Tuberville’s voice.

“We have to face reality,” he continued. “The programs with the most money are building minor league football teams disguised as college programs. It’s not just hurting competition — it’s hurting the spirit of amateurism and student-athlete development. Texas is not the only one doing it, but they’re doing it louder and with more swagger than anyone else. And that’s a problem.”

The senator’s remarks come amid ongoing efforts in Congress to create national NIL legislation. Tuberville, along with West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, has been working for over a year on a bipartisan framework to regulate NIL, prevent pay-for-play, and introduce uniform standards across the NCAA. Their proposals aim to bring oversight to the currently chaotic environment, where state laws and university policies vary dramatically, and enforcement from the NCAA has been inconsistent at best.

“We’ve got chaos on our hands,” Tuberville said. “There are 50 different ways NIL is being handled, and the NCAA has lost control. The federal government has to step in because this is no longer about school choice — it’s about who can offer the best deal, who’s got the most boosters, and who can bend the rules without breaking them. That’s not healthy for the sport.”

Though Tuberville’s comments about Texas were the most pointed, he did not limit his criticism to one program. He expressed concern about the broader implications of NIL and the portal era, suggesting that many college athletes are being poorly advised, chasing money over development, and risking long-term growth for short-term gain. Still, his focus remained on what he called “the arms race” in programs like Texas.

“What happens when an 18-year-old signs a $300,000 NIL deal and then doesn’t start?” Tuberville asked rhetorically. “He transfers. And then the next school pays him more. That’s not NIL — that’s professional free agency without a contract. At least in the NFL there are rules. In college football right now, the only rule is: if you’ve got money, you win.”

Despite the backlash his comments might generate in Austin, Tuberville insists he’s not singling out Texas out of rivalry or resentment. “I respect Texas. I coached against them. I know how serious they are about football. But let’s not kid ourselves — they’re doing things now that would’ve gotten programs the death penalty 20 years ago. That’s how far we’ve drifted. We need to get back to center.”

His criticism of NIL echoed sentiments expressed by several current and former coaches, including Alabama’s Nick Saban and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, both of whom have publicly voiced concern about the long-term impact of NIL on the sport. Tuberville, however, is in a position to act, not just comment.

“Our legislation isn’t about taking money away from kids. It’s about putting in guardrails,” he said. “These student-athletes deserve opportunities. But they also deserve protection from bad actors, false promises, and the chaos we’re seeing now. Right now, it’s too easy for a program with cash to turn this into a bidding war. And that’s exactly what’s happening.”

As the NCAA continues to lobby Congress for help, Tuberville’s remarks are likely to intensify debate around what a solution could look like. His partnership with Manchin has resulted in several draft proposals, including standardized contracts, mandatory transparency for NIL collectives, and a national registry to track deals. While such legislation faces steep hurdles in a divided Congress, the urgency of the issue is not lost on those involved.

“I’ve seen what this sport can be at its best,” Tuberville said. “I’ve watched young men come in with nothing and leave with an education, discipline, and the chance to play at the next level. NIL should enhance that — not replace it. If we don’t get a grip on this soon, we’ll lose the things that made college football special in the first place.”

In Texas, Tuberville’s comments are sure to spark rebuttals. The Longhorns have leaned into NIL as both a recruiting tool and a public-relations opportunity, highlighting their players’ financial success as proof of the program’s power and preparation. For many Texas supporters, NIL is just the latest frontier in the program’s constant pursuit of excellence — and they see no shame in leveraging every advantage.

Yet Tuberville’s point is not without support. Some longtime fans, coaches, and administrators fear that college football is losing its identity in a flood of money, where loyalty is fleeting and development takes a backseat to dollar signs. For Tuberville, the fear is personal and professional.

“I got into coaching because I believed in the power of football to change lives,” he said. “We are at a crossroads right now. If we let this become a pay-for-play system without rules, the soul of college sports is gone. It’ll just be a market — cold, transactional, and cutthroat. That’s not what I want to leave behind for the next generation.”

As the 2025 college football season approaches, NIL remains perhaps the most divisive and defining issue facing the sport. Whether Tuberville’s comments about Texas and other powerhouse programs serve as a catalyst for change or merely add fuel to the fire remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the conversation isn’t going away anytime soon.

With rising television deals, playoff expansion, and billions of dollars at stake, the battle over the future of college football is being waged on the field, in boardrooms, and now, in the halls of Congress. And Tommy Tuberville — coach, senator, and now outspoken critic — is determined to play a leading role in shaping what comes next.