NIL, transfer portal reshape college football as Colorado serves as early test case

BOULDER, Colo. – Ryan Staub arrived at Colorado as an early enrollee, joining a program undergoing immediate change and entering a new era of NIL compensation and transfer portal movement. Over the next three years, he developed as a quarterback, earned NIL opportunities and stability at a Power Four program. But when the time came, Staub chose playing time over money.

Colorado entered the NIL era during a period of great instability, following a 1-11 season and a complete coaching overhaul with the addition of Deion Sanders. For players like Staub who arrived during that transition, the combination of expanded player movement and new financial opportunities created an environment defined by turnover, short timelines and constant evaluation.

Former Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub experienced that shift firsthand. Staub early enrolled at Colorado as a high school senior, joining a program undergoing immediate change.

“A lot of growing up that I had to do,” Staub said. “But it was cool. I got to experience what it’s like to be a college football player before most kids did.”

Staub arrived as NIL compensation was beginning to take hold nationally. He said the change reshaped how players viewed their roles within programs.

“It pushed athletes from just being student athletes to realizing ‘I can really make some money off this before I even get to the pro level,’” Staub noted.

Colorado’s roster turnover intensified as the program rebuilt. Staub said he expected change but not the scale of it.

“I came right after that 1–11 season, so I knew there would be a lot of turnover,” he said. “Coach Prime came in and wanted to bring in the Louis luggage.”

As NIL compensation began to expand, so did the pace of roster realignment. Players could now combine financial opportunity with immediate eligibility through the transfer portal, shifting the way programs and athletes approached development.

Staub said Colorado invested time and resources in him during his two seasons serving as the backup to Shedeur Sanders.

“I didn’t feel like it was just evaluation,” Staub said. “There was real investment in me, time, effort and development.”

Still, he described a shortened window to prove value in an environment where rosters reset annually.

“You have to show up every day and bring your best,” Staub said. “You don’t get much time.”

That pressure extended beyond on-field competition. Staub said NIL compensation affected locker room dynamics, particularly motivation and leadership.

“When you’re getting compensated really well, it’s easy to become complacent, regardless of how you look at it,” he said.

With players often operating on what Staub described as “a one-year lease,” leadership became critical to maintaining stability.

“When everyone’s basically on a one-year lease, you need leaders,” Staub said. “Without them, it can get really bad really fast.”

After three years at Colorado, Staub entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Tennessee. He said that the decision was driven by playing opportunity rather than finances.

“I wanted more than what I had, not simply just money,” Staub said. “I sat for two years, and it was just time to go play.”

Staub also said portal movement can create a cascading effect within programs.INSERT TEXT

“Once the top guys start to leave, it can fall quicker,” he said.

While fans often focus on NIL deals and portal announcements, Staub said much of the process remains unseen.

“Fans don’t see 97% of what’s actually going on,” he said.

From an economic standpoint, NIL has reframed college football as a labor market, according to a financial analyst based in Utah.

“Student athletes nowadays are basically workers for the school,” He said. “They are being paid to do a job that promotes and brings revenue into the university. That is practically the definition of a labor market.”

He said combining NIL with the transfer portal has created incentives for short-term decision-making by both players and programs.

“You no longer see development year over year,” He said. “Schools are just looking for the best athlete they can find one year at a time.”

That dynamic, he said, differs from traditional markets where competition stabilizes prices over time.

“In a normal market, competition drives prices down,” He said. “That’s not what’s happening here. It’s the opposite, it’s who has the most to pay.”

According to the analyst, leverage has shifted away from schools and toward players and NIL collectives.

“The reality is it’s the players and the collectives,” he said. “Players can say, ‘This school is paying me this much. Match it or I’m gone.’”

Colorado’s experience reflects those pressures. After an initial influx of transfers under Sanders, the Buffaloes are now one of the leaders in outgoing portal entries in Power Four football, highlighting the volatility of roster construction in the NIL era. Furse said Colorado should not be viewed as an outlier.

“Colorado isn’t a cautionary tale,” he said. “It’s an early example of where college football is headed.”

For players navigating the system, Staub said the reality often differs from public perception.

“It’s around-the-clock work,” he said. “It’s a grind, but it’s a special one.”

As NIL and the transfer portal continue to evolve, Staub’s experience at Colorado offers a window into how financial incentives, mobility and playing opportunity are reshaping college football, not as a future possibility, but as a present reality.

-HB