College football as we know it is changing. Players are now being paid and others are transferring at will.
Name Image and Likeness (NIL) has changed the world of college football.
Many top young athletes find themselves with less playing time due to NIL deals.
Programs like LSU, Alabama, Clemson, and Texas have a locker room full of 5 star players.
Some players transfer when they feel like they are not getting what they deserve.
Leaving the program is not the issue; many fans are glad to see players leave that they feel were not dedicated to the school.
The issue is what happens to incoming freshmen.
They were recruited, worked all summer to be ready for the season, and find themselves as second string.
They are second string because are more experienced player transferred schools.
Is NIL destroying college football? Where will this new young talent go?
JUCO College Football, The New Home For Top Young Athletes
As the next great players leave the Friday Night lights, many are finding themselves playing on Thursday night for Powerhouse Junior College (JUCO) programs like East Mississippi Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Hutchinson, and Kilgore.
Currently there are 65 JUCO programs across the country.
With NIL and transfer portal growth, players may look to JUCO for playing time, and as a way to leverage future NIL deals.
Furthermore players who opt to go the JUCO route set themselves up for success by gaining experience, and knocking out academic requirements.
Above all JUCO gives athletes the needed time to develop physically and compete against older, more experienced football players.
The Future of JUCO
Junior College football programs will continue to grow as NIL continues to thrive. We as fans may see in the future where top programs in the country advise young players to go play and compete at the JUCO level.
As the business of college football continues to grow, JUCO football will grow in order to produce quality players for D-1 schools.
Junior college football was once a place for players to raise grades or develop. Eventually we may see in the near future JUCO programs becoming the farm system for D-1 schools across the country.
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