Kalen DeBoer on Revenue Sharing: “A Balanced Playing Field Puts Alabama Back on Top”

Since taking over as Alabama’s head coach, Kalen DeBoer has been vocal about the challenges of modern college football, particularly regarding recruiting and financial disparities in the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) era. In a recent interview with @PeteNakos_, DeBoer emphasized how revenue sharing could restore balance to the sport and help Alabama regain its competitive edge in recruiting.

“Having a more balanced playing field helps our situation. 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.”

DeBoer’s comments come at a time when college football is undergoing rapid transformation, with NIL deals, transfer portal movement, and financial power shifts influencing the sport like never before. While Alabama remains one of the most successful programs in college football history, the game has changed significantly since Nick Saban’s dominance, and DeBoer is looking for ways to level the playing field in the new era.

Revenue Sharing: A Solution for College Football’s Growing Divide?

Revenue sharing—the idea that college programs should distribute revenue directly to players—has been a hot topic in recent years. With television contracts and media rights deals generating billions of dollars annually, many believe players deserve a cut of the profits.

While NIL has allowed athletes to monetize their personal brand, it has also led to uneven recruiting battles, where some schools with wealthier booster collectives gain an advantage in signing top talent. DeBoer sees revenue sharing as a way to create more structure, ensuring that money doesn’t become the sole determining factor in recruiting.

“Where recruiting is real recruiting, not just someone who’s gonna put in the highest bid,” DeBoer said.

This statement reflects the growing concern that some schools are operating more like professional franchises, using massive NIL deals to lure recruits, rather than focusing on traditional recruiting methods such as player development, coaching, and program culture.

How Alabama Has Been Affected by NIL and Recruiting Shifts

For years, Alabama dominated recruiting by selling a winning culture, NFL development, and Saban’s unmatched track record. However, in the new era of NIL-driven recruiting, the Tide have lost out on some major prospects to schools offering larger financial incentives.

While Alabama remains a powerhouse, the dynamics of recruiting have shifted:

• The Rise of NIL Collectives: Programs with wealthy boosters and aggressive collectives have created a more transactional recruiting landscape. Some five-star recruits now prioritize NIL guarantees over program fit, making it harder for even blue-blood programs like Alabama to compete without significant financial backing.
• Retention Challenges: The transfer portal has added another layer of difficulty, as players are often lured away by better NIL deals elsewhere. Schools with structured revenue-sharing models could offer stability, reducing the incentive for players to leave.
• Competitive Imbalance: While Alabama still secures top recruits, programs with deeper NIL pockets have closed the gap. DeBoer’s comments suggest that a structured revenue-sharing system could restore balance, allowing top programs to recruit based on fit and development rather than just financial promises.

What Revenue Sharing Could Look Like in College Football

If revenue sharing were implemented, it could change the landscape of college football in several key ways:

1. Standardized Payments for Athletes

Instead of leaving NIL earnings solely to booster collectives, a revenue-sharing model would ensure all players receive a baseline payment based on TV contracts and other revenue streams. This would prevent wild discrepancies in earnings and reduce the influence of the highest bidder.

2. Increased Player Retention

By providing guaranteed payments, players may be less inclined to transfer for better NIL deals. This could restore stability to rosters, allowing teams to develop talent over multiple years rather than losing players to the portal.

3. Fairer Recruiting Battles

Revenue sharing could level the playing field by ensuring that all schools operate under the same financial guidelines, preventing wealthier programs from outbidding others for top talent.

4. NCAA and Conference Regulation

A structured system would likely require NCAA or conference oversight, ensuring schools adhere to set financial guidelines rather than allowing unchecked bidding wars for recruits.

Will the NCAA Move Toward Revenue Sharing?

While revenue sharing is gaining traction as a potential solution, implementing it will be complicated. Schools and conferences will need to agree on financial structures, and legal challenges could arise from those who benefit from the current NIL system.

Additionally, there are concerns about:

• Title IX compliance – Ensuring fair compensation across all sports, including women’s athletics.
• Tax implications – Whether players receiving shared revenue would be classified as employees.
• The role of NIL collectives – Whether revenue sharing would replace or coexist with current NIL systems.

Despite these challenges, the conversation is moving forward. The Big Ten and SEC are reportedly exploring revenue-sharing models, and Alabama—under DeBoer’s leadership—will likely play a major role in shaping the future of college football economics.

Final Thoughts: Alabama’s Future Under DeBoer

Kalen DeBoer’s comments reflect a growing sentiment in college football: the current system is flawed, and without regulation, the sport risks turning into an unregulated bidding war. Revenue sharing could provide much-needed structure, restoring fairness in recruiting and helping programs like Alabama compete without solely relying on NIL deals.

Alabama has thrived under DeBoer’s leadership so far, and if revenue sharing becomes a reality, it could help the Crimson Tide reassert themselves as the nation’s premier program. Whether or not the NCAA acts on these ideas remains to be seen, but one thing is clear—DeBoer is committed to finding a way to bring Alabama back to the top, by any means necessary.