Name, Image and Likeness deals have been the talk of the college football landscape since they came into the picture in 2021. Now, NIL is once again in the news with the football spring transfer window coming to a close and the recruiting cycle heating up.
Georgia legend and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker David Pollack might just have the solution to fix it.
Georgia Legend David Pollack Calls for NIL Rookie Cap
Pollack shared an idea to help curb NIL concerns on his “See Ball Get Ball” podcast, calling for less money going to incoming freshmen, and suggesting a cap on how much they can make in NIL before even touching the field.
“I have a proposal to start round one. Like, again, I’m seeing all this stuff and you see all these topics, like, how do I really fix NIL? I know the number one thing that needs to be changed,” Pollack said.
“Like, if you want to start with something and change college football, and make it better and make it better for the athlete, the athlete’s future and everything about it? We need a rookie salary cap. A coming into a university salary cap. It cannot exceed X.”
The conversation arose after five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell — the No. 1 overall recruit in 2026, according to On3 — committed to Miami on $2-$2.5 million deal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Pollack thinks it should be about more than just the dollar signs.
“NIL — name, image, and likeness. What you did on the field should dictate how much money you get paid. It should not be what you did in high school. Like, it should’t be,” Pollack said. “Not everybody comes from the same background, same stuff. I mean, there’s a lot of factors that go into that.
“Have a rookie cap. Now, you can choose the spot that’s best for you and it’s not just based on money. Here’s the thing. When you make a decision based on money and not looking towards the future, how many of those decisions have you made and you regretted? Like, a lot for me. If I’m making them just on money, I’m blinded, it’s harder. I can’t make a decision based on what’s really best for me.”
But given the precedent set over the past few years with NIL, getting change enacted will be difficult.
“You want to do something that’s really better for the players? Institute that and it immediately will get better,” Pollack said.
Pollack isn’t the only person against the current state of NIL, with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart recently voicing his concerns on how the system works.
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“I just want to be able to have a freshman come in and not make more than a senior and I’d like for other sports to be able to still survive. You know, we’re on the brink of probably one to two years away from a lot of schools cutting sports,” Smart said.
Fans are split on the concerns, with some believing the inability to exploit the system works against large programs — who they think have been paying players under the table for years.
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