Please just figure out a way to pay kids for 3-5 year contracts. The portal, way more than NIL, is sucking all the joy out of this sport, but I can acknowledge that my interests as a fan only coincidentally and partially align with those of the players trading their services and health for my entertainment.
Player allegiance is to their team most of the time, not a school, not a geographical region, not a fan base. If a leader who was a substantial part of what made the team “the team”, then players should be able to go search out a new team.
Coaches contracts have managed to work this out. They stick out their contract or they pay (or get their next school to pay). Schools keep coaches to end of contract or they pay.
I don’t want to see players limited in ways coaches aren’t. They only get a few years to play college ball, while coaches get decades. Let the players take their best shots. It’s crazy now because it’s new, things will settle down after a couple seasons. Maybe NIL contracts start looking different to encourage players to stick around 3+ years.