I have to applaud Coach Freeman for being honest, that if you have a tie on the depth chart, that the guy who has more money invested in him, gets the starting nod, and that the fanbase can turn on you in an instant. Also, freshmen have to earn their way onto the field.
I will say this, that the way Notre Dame has handled the NIL situation must be pretty decent, since we're not really hearing about high drama stories among the guys we're paying, whether they be home-grown, or imported in via the portal, or the guys who transferred out to other places.
I'm just glad that we don't have any whacky stories such as the Jaden Rashada case.
Speaking of Rashada, he's working on his 6th school in 4 years. I know he has one year of eligibility left after this year, and may have two, since he could apply for a medical redshirt.
He settled with Napier, et al., for an undisclosed amount a couple months ago.
He then transferred to Mississippi State for 2026, to play for Jeff Lebby where i doubt he'll unseat a proven commodity like AJ Swann (Swann had some good years playing for Clark Lea's Commodores, before injuries cut those seasons short).
Link: https://www.on3.com/nil/news/marcus-freeman-reveals-how-nil-impacts-playing-time-decisions/