Deion Sanders is just full of ideas on how to transform the college football landscape. This time, he wants to talk about uplifting the smaller college programs.
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In a chat with Rich Eisen on his show, Coach Prime proposed a reform to boost smaller college programs. He articulated his belief that when a player transfers from an FCS school or an HBCU to a more prominent program, the originating institution should also receive compensation:
“If you take a kid from a FCS school or an HBCU school, you should compensate the school as well. Not just the kid, you should compensate the school too. Because its almost like they’re now a farm system for you and it’s not fair because if the kid is halfway decent, they just assume someone’s gonna take them.”
He highlighted his concern that the current system doesn’t adequately compensate smaller programs.
According to him, smaller institutions are becoming mere “farm systems” for larger schools, which benefit from their investment in player development without any financial return to those schools.
This proposal comes in light of the increasing mobility within college football due to the transfer portal and changes in NCAA regulations that allow athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
Interestingly, Sanders has been pivotal in popularizing the use of the transfer portal to “poach” talent.
Sanders argues that while players deserve to be compensated for their talents, the schools that nurture these athletes should not be overlooked.
Coach Prime has been vocal about changing perceptions around HBCUs and their ability to produce NFL-caliber talent. By advocating for compensation for these institutions, he is not only supporting current players but also challenging the narrative that these schools cannot compete with larger programs.
