Nick Saban saw this coming a mile away. Since the NIL revolution in 2021, student-athletes have been able to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness without their school’s involvement. But with this newfound freedom came chaos, as the lack of uniform regulation sparked concerns. Now, a high school athlete is lifting the veil on just how wild the NIL landscape has become. 

Baylor 4-star WR commit Taz Williams Jr. Notice the $ in William$ in his X username. That’s not just aesthetics. This high school player already has inked several NIL deals as an HS senior. He has a whopping 19.4K followers on X and close to a half million followers across all his social media platforms. Sharing a video report by Central Texas Sports reported Chad Vautherine on February 14, he captioned, “Ty 🤞🏾🖤 @chadvautherine. Please Help me get to 500k 🙏🏻” But the video exposed the darker side of NIL and it’s what Nick Saban always feared.

In the video, his father, Taz Williams Sr. pulled back the curtain on the NIL hustle. He first mentioned that it’s not about the follower count. “You can dictate your value by what people want to invest in you,” Williams said. “So it’s not really what you’re worth, it’s kind of about what you can negotiate.” But as his son’s brand grew, so did the number of so-called NIL agents attempting a connection. “We can help you with the NIL process,” they’d say. “We’re not agents for pros, but we’re kind of like the liaison between you and the school.” And then, that NIL danger popped its head. 

Taz Williams Jr. and his family soon realized that not all NIL agents have good motives. “Anytime there’s money involved, the sharks are gonna come out,” his dad confessed. “You know, they smell blood. And this is such an untapped market, it’s kind of like the Wild West.” But how to pick the right agents? That’s where sports agent and community leader Patrick Arryn stepped in saying that the first thing parents should look out for is that they’re being approached by a “certified and legit NIL agent.” Both Arryn and Williams Sr. emphasized seeking agents through the NFL Player’s Association or another certified agency. “Do your research, Google them,” Arryn warned. “See if they’re on LinkedIn, see if they’re affiliated or associated with an agency.” The problem is already spreading but thankfully, Nick Saban is in the center of it. 

Nick Saban fears the dangers of NIL 

Last March, Nick Saban, and Alabama AD Greg Byrne joined US lawmakers — Senator Joe Manchin, Tommy Tuberville, and Ted Cruz — to discuss the NIL scenario which former Auburn HC Tuberville compared to the “Wild West.” Saban feels the unregulated NIL scene is worse than free agency. “The whole idea of boosters being able to contribute money to collective established a sort of play-for-play model, which I don’t think is in the best interest of college athletics in the future,” he stated. 

During the discussion, Saban also came up with a possible solution. “I think the number one solution to all this is if we can have some kind of a revenue-sharing proposition that does not make student-athletes employees” he proposed. “I don’t want them to be employees, but I want them to share in the revenue in some kind of way.” This has led to the emergence of the House v NCAA settlement to compensate student-athletes through a revenue-sharing model starting in 2025. And for those seeking further NIL advice, Williams’ father has a solid one — “Create a circle. You got to have your trust circle. Whether it’s trainers, coaches, advisors, mentors, you got a team and you kind of got to stick with that team.”

Nick Saban warned us. Now, with even high school stars knee-deep in NIL negotiations, it’s clear his worst fears weren’t just speculation. They were a glimpse into college football’s new reality.