SEC head coach makes statement about NIL and transfer portal that could doom his time in college football

There's nothing wrong with what Kelly said. His philosophy about developing players while the Baton Rouge area provides legit NIL opportunities is the way it should be in college football across the country. 

But that's not the reality of college football right now. Ultimately, it's still all about winning games. No one in Louisiana is going to care how many players Kelly sent to the NFL if LSU isn't competing in the 12-team College Football Playoff on a regular basis. 

And that's why Kelly should probably be a little more reserved when it comes to the talk about "buying players". 

Look, it's what every program in the nation is facing right now. I don't think any head coach out there enjoys the aspect of having to be the highest bidder for a transfer player. But it's just part of the gig, at least for the foreseeable future. 

If a defensive lineman from a small school has a few options in front of him that he views as equal and several of those options have a reputation for paying players more (via NIL), then that player is probably going to go with the option where he can make a little more cash. 

I think Kelly forgets that being a college football player is essentially a job at this point. It requires a huge time commitment and incredible dedication. It's no different than someone looking for a job and making their final decision based on which job is offering the highest salary. Some of these players are looking to take care of family members, while also pursuing their dream of playing in the NFL. It's hard to blame any player for trying to maximize their earning opportunities. Nothing in football is promised, after all. The NFL isn't the next step for the majority of college football players. 

Sure, there will be players who want to play for LSU that turn down bigger offers to play for the Tigers. 

But will there be enough of those players to field a championship-level football team in this era? 

I guess Kelly is going to find out. 

But the thing is, he doesn't have to "find out". And he doesn't have to get involved in wild bidding wars like some programs, either. Kelly can look north to Knoxville and see the way Josh Heupel is leading the Tennessee Vols' transfer portal efforts and see that you can have transfer success without getting in bidding wars. 

Heupel and the Vols pick their spots to spend and they don't disparage players that are just "looking to get paid". Instead, they are cautious in their pursuit of those players (and ultimately they may or may not be a fit for the Vols). 

Tennessee will pony up when they need to pony up (when they needed a left tackle this offseason, they went out and got one of the best available offensive linemen on the market....oddly enough, he came from LSU), but that's only when it's absolutely necessary. Otherwise, Tennessee focuses on taking care of the players already on their roster. 

Kelly might think he's making a grand statement about NIL deals and the transfer portal, but all he's doing is sending a message that sounds a lot like "don't come here if you want to get paid". Even though LSU is more than capable of taking care of players from an NIL aspect, I think we all know that Kelly's message is going to be shaped by opposing coaches to make LSU's NIL efforts look subpar. 

The comments from Kelly might play well in front of LSU fans in May, but if the Tigers start losing games in the fall because of poor defensive line play, it won't take long for fans in The Boot to start questioning why LSU didn't spend some more cash on players in the offseason. 

Everyone is looking to change the course of college football because the path the sport is on currently isn't sustainable. But until there are some rules and regulations put in place when it comes to NIL deals and the transfer portal, any grand statements are nothing more than an exercise in futility.