The landscape of college football is shifting-and fast. Between the rise of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals and the ever-active transfer portal, the sport is seeing a level of parity that would’ve been hard to imagine just a few years ago. And if you ask USC head coach Lincoln Riley, that’s not just a welcome change-it’s a necessary one.
Speaking on The Herd earlier this week, Riley didn’t hold back when discussing how the playing field has leveled out across the country. “Now there’s not just one part of the country paying players,” he said, in what many interpreted as a subtle jab at the SEC’s long-standing recruiting dominance. “Everybody’s able to do it, and it’s a great thing because I think it’s been able to create a more level playing field.”
And he’s not wrong. While NIL has certainly introduced its share of chaos-lawsuits over eligibility, shifting recruiting priorities, and a new era of player empowerment-it’s also opened the door for programs that previously couldn’t compete financially with the sport’s blue bloods.
Take Indiana, for example. Under Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers just pulled off a national championship run that would’ve been unthinkable a decade ago.
That kind of Cinderella story used to be reserved for March Madness, not the College Football Playoff. But with NIL and the transfer portal reshaping how talent is distributed, programs outside the traditional power structure are finding new ways to win-and win big.
“It’s obviously not a finished product,” Riley said, acknowledging the growing pains that come with such a dramatic overhaul. “But it has gotten better, there have been a lot of positives, and you’re going to continue to see a lot of great stories and new opportunities for different types of programs.”
That’s the heart of the matter. NIL and the transfer portal haven’t just changed the rules-they’ve changed who gets to play the game at the highest level.
For years, the recruiting arms race was dominated by a handful of schools with deep pockets and deep-rooted pipelines. Now, the talent pool is more fluid, and the potential for upward mobility is real.
Of course, USC isn’t exactly an underdog. The Trojans have history, tradition, and a Hollywood backdrop that’s always been a draw.
But they also haven’t been at the top of the college football mountain in quite some time. Riley was brought in to change that, and he’s building a program that’s trying to blend the old-school prestige with a new-school approach to roster building.
Whether USC becomes one of those “great stories” Riley mentioned remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the days of a handful of programs hoarding all the talent are over. And in this new era of college football, the door is wide open-for anyone willing to walk through it with the right plan, the right culture, and yes, the right NIL strategy.