Bo Nix, Michael Penix, Jr. And Why NIL Needs a Cap

BY STEVEN VAUGHAN | 750 The Game

College sports is changing and NIL is a big part of it.

Portland State football coach, Bruce Barnum, joined the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano on Tuesday, and had some ideas for how NIL should be regulated.

“They’ve got to cap it,” Barnum said. “I don’t know who does that. And they’re gonna open up Pandora’s box. I understand they are afraid to get sued by the players. Somebody, has to put a cap on it. Like a salary cap because it’s getting out of hand.”

NIL has made it so a different caliber athlete is playing a lower level. If they don’t get the deal they want. Players are willing to play at a lower level for a season just to leave in one year.

Barnum says some coaches are very open about it.

“Some of my opponents are saying, hey come out here and play for a year, play and put up numbers,” he said. “I’m not going to address unless they do.”

Barnum added: “You know when it comes down to D-Day. What are you gonna want to do? Be a backup and fight again or you want to be the big fish in a little pond.”

Canzano says that there has to be some transparency when it comes to NIL.

“You’ve got to have some transparency,” he said on Tuesday. “We need to know what’s happening at Miami, what’s happening at Ohio State, what’s happening at Oregon. What did Bo Nix get? What did Michael Penix Jr. get? First thing is I think the curtain needs to be lifted. There needs to some transparency. Second thing, I think you need to explore whether or not there should be limits to go with the transparency.”

Listen to the full interview with Portland State football coach, Bruce Barnum here, and catch John Canzano deliver the Bald Faced Truth weekdays 3-6 p.m. exclusively in Portland on 750 The Game.