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For the past few decades, former NFL star quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman has shared his thoughts on what he’s seen during whatever game he and his longtime broadcast partner call.
The three-time Super Bowl winner is part of the “Monday Night Football” broadcast team. Aikman has routinely opined on a variety of football-related topics, from NFL officiating to college football.
Some of Aikman’s recent thoughts on the college game centered on the growing number of players who have taken advantage of the transfer portal in today’s polarizing NIL landscape.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and many others have referred to the state of today’s sports at the collegiate level as “the Wild West”.
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Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman before a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants at Acrisure Stadium. (Barry Reeger/Imagn Images)
“College football has turned into the Wild West, as everybody knows. Forget about Lane Kiffin for a second, but starting with the NIL, there’s just been no guardrails. I’m on the National Football Foundation Board, so I hear firsthand from a lot of the commissioners and athletic directors and the people involved in all of that. It needs to be cleaned up.”
When asked about the mobility of student-athletes in today’s world, Aikman reflected on his personal choices during his time competing at the NCAA level.
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“I was a transfer. I went from Oklahoma to UCLA, and I’ve always felt that if a coach is able to pick up and leave, a player should have the same opportunity if a coach leaves,” he continued.
UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman runs the ball against Arizona October 2, 1988 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. (Mike Powell/Allsport/Getty Images)
“What’s clearly happened in the years since I got out of college football is that in recent years with the NIL, there’s been no accountability on the players,” Aikman continued. “So the players pick up, and now they leave all the time, whereas before it was typically the coach. The player used to have to sit out a year. Now the players can get up, regardless of whether they’ve been paid or not. It’s every man for himself.”
Aikman then delved into another hot topic in college football — Lane Kiffin’s decision to leave Ole Miss in favor of LSU. The NFL analyst gave his best guess as to what prompted Kiffin to make the jump.
“Lane Kiffin’s motivation? Is it his thoughts that it’s a better opportunity for him at LSU? Possibly. Is it money? Possibly. Is it lifestyle? Possibly. I can’t answer any of those questions.
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin throws a football before a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
“But whatever his motivation is, he feels like LSU is the right place for him. So I don’t blame him for that at all. I know there’s always hard feelings. Ole Miss didn’t want to lose Lane Kiffin,” he said. “Once he made the decision to leave, he’s now a pariah. Let’s get this guy as far away from us as we can. I get that too. Everyone’s getting a little tired.”
Aikman concluded that those in positions of power should ultimately take charge and focus on getting things right.
“Where I’m at is I think there needs to be some leadership at the very top that kind of cleans all of this up. Starting with players accepting money, there needs to be some accountability and responsibility on their behalf to have to stick with a program,” Aikman said.
“I gave money to a kid. I won’t name who. I did it once at UCLA. Never met the young man. He was there a year. He left after the year. I wrote a sizable check and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank you note.”
Aikman is scheduled to be on call for a Week 15 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 15.
