Jeff Traylor 'for NIL,' but expresses concerns over process

Jeff Traylor had some fascinating comments on NIL, as the UTSA leader provided a unique perspective on the topic.

Speaking with the media during the Bear Bryant Awards, Traylor first made sure to point out that he’s 100% for NIL.

“First I want to say that I am for NIL. You know, a lot of times when coaches make comments like that, it gets, you know, a snippet taken out of that and it paints a picture that I’m not for players. I think it’s a great rule, if we’ll just do what the rule is intended for. Let the young man use his name, his image and his likeness to benefit,” started Traylor. “Frank Harris deserves to make money. Zakhari Franklin, those kids have done a lot for that university. They deserve to make money. I’m for that, right?

“What’s happening, man, is the third parties getting involved. It’s just common sense. You’ve got agents talking to your kids, communicate with another school — can’t prove any of this — and they’re charging those kids a percentage and they’re getting paid. It’s not good for those kids when you’re in the middle of the season and, you know, that can get cloudy for a young man. I feel for them. And all of those kids that are walking into my office, they’re good kids. They’re being put in a bad position and I want them to get paid.”

However, while Traylor is all for players making money off their brand, he believes it’s time for someone to clean the process up.

“I’ve made some silly comments but like it’s almost like we need to hire, like, you know, like back in the old days when you watch those westerns, sometimes those towns get out of hand a little bit. You know, you bring in, you know, six or eight bad hombres and you just tell them to come in there and clean the city up,” added the UTSA leader. “Well, we need to hire you know, a force. If nothing else, just put on some marshal deputy badges because the NCAA’s in trouble because I don’t think they have enough people to really enforce it.

“So the guys that are following the rules are being punished and the guys that are not following the rules are benefiting. And that’s never good.”

Alas, NIL coupled with the transfer portal has been described by many as the Wild West, so Traylor may not be too far off with his potential solutions. Time will tell what changes are made moving forward, but it’s evident that the process will go through some amending.