Clemson football: 3 disturbing things we will see as a result of NIL

Locker room issues are sure to arise

It’s the free market and players are going to have to learn that, but you can’t say that there won’t be issues in locker rooms across the nation when the star quarterback is making say $150,000 off his NIL and the star wide receiver- who believes he is just as valuable and makes the quarterback look good- is making $20,000.

Those are just arbitrary numbers, but you get the point.

It’s not just about the potential jealousy or hard feelings that can develop between players as a result of their payments, but it’s also the potential divide that can come about between players and coaches.

A 5-star who sat the bench as a freshman and is coming into his sophomore year as a second-stringer could develop hard feelings with his coach. If he did decide to stick around instead of entering the portal, even though he may not be the best option he believes in his head that he is and that can cause locker room strife.

When there’s money involved- especially among young guys who are still figuring out the system and who have been told they’re NFL bound since middle school- things are going to get sticky.

Egos and jealousy have always been a part of College Football, but NIL will amplify those potential locker room divides in a big way.