Kirk Herbstreit is far too often labeled as a man with too many agendas. Strangely enough, nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, the ESPN analyst has just one agenda: to promote college football, which he would like to be as healthy as possible. That’s why Herbstreit shared his NIL thoughts with the L.A. Times. He’s concerned. Tennessee, unfortunately, got caught up in the wake.

Herbstreit said recently that NIL deals with prospects is “terrible” for the sport. He’s right, especially long term. The Vols got caught up in this when Herbstreit, to illustrate his point, mentioned the alleged agreement between Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava. That didn’t sit well with UT fans – and understandably so.

Tennessee is pinning its hopes and dreams on Iamaleava and the millions of dollars that it may have taken to get him to be a Vol. He’s the future amidst a very dark past. He’s the recruiter that befriends fellow prospects and sells them on the Vols. He’s the highest rated prospect Tennessee has signed since recruiting reporters started keeping rankings. He is, however, an anomaly.

Let’s work under the assumption that Iamaleava has been promised $8-million for three years of college football. If that’s the case, then the pressure on Iamaleava will be intense from a whole different set of people. Fans, especially recruiting fans, have already anointed Iamaleava as the next great Vol. However, corporations will now be depending on Iamaleava to promote their products. That’s a different kind of pressure.

As painful as it might be to consider, Iamaleava might be a bust. The transition from high school to college football isn’t easy. Many have failed along the way. However, even if Iamaleava is successful, the current NIL model that is being played won’t be sustainable.

For every successful Iamaleava, there will be an unsuccessful NIL signee that will make big-time businesses rethink their decision to sign a 17-year-old to a mega endorsement deal. Businesses aren’t going to keep spending that money without a strong return.

Iamaleava might lead the Vols to a national championship, but the current NIL arrangement isn’t going to work longterm. That’s actually a good thing for Tennessee.

Once proper legislation is in place and will, hopefully, be enforced, NIL will be about getting players what they’re worth as opposed to  what they might be worth one day. That’s a much more solid plan.

Aside from it being simply the right thing to do, paying proven players legally with NIL money makes much more sense. Instead of some sort of prearranged deal with a prospect, Tennessee can benefit off of prospects simply seeing how current players are taken care of. That’s where the Vols will benefit most from NIL – having the financial support to pay CURRENT players.

We all know that players can transfer, so that’s one reason to pay them. However, having a little extra cash in a player’s pocket does more than allow him Ruth’s Chris over Taco Bell. It also makes him happier on a day-to-day basis. Some of those days will be spent hosting highly touted prospects that are considering the Vols.

Tennessee, UT’s fan base and Knoxville can provide all that. Teams that play in Starkville cannot. Herbstreit’s notion of NIL is what was supposed to happen all along. The Vols will benefit from that because they have more financial support that 90-percent of the college football programs in the NCAA.

Perhaps Herbstreit shouldn’t have singled out Iamaleava or any particular player. However, his inner motivation was well grounded. Expansive NIL deals in recruiting is definitely not good for college football. There are all kinds of potential issues for disaster when a player has received more before playing a single snap than a fifth-year senior has during his entire career.

Credit Tennessee for what they’ve been able to take advantage of, which is a big, gaping loophole in the NIL rules. Just like the old days, schools can’t dole out checks to prospects. However, an “agreement” can be reached. The Vols have achieved short-term success with NIL, but Tennessee’s greatest success will be seen over the long term. 

To be honest, no one really knows what NIL will look like in a year or five. However, it might not change much. Speaking with the SEC Commissioner during SEC Media Days, this is a congressional issue, not a sports issue. He told Off The Hook Sports that the mid-term elections will have to come and go, then he hopes to get a fair hearing or ruling. Well, congress is kind of busy with this whole economy thing right now. I doubt college football will trump that anytime soon.

College football needs some sort of help from congress via an exemption that would preclude prospects from entering into NIL agreements before they enroll. Will that rule be broken? Is it legal? Yes and I’m not sure.

That means the NIL isn’t going away for the short term. Tennessee should benefit from that as long as it can. However, wailing on Herbstreit about his NIL stance is absurdly shortsighted.