Mack Brown Predicts Salary Cap In College Sports

North Carolina's head football coach Mack Brown has some predictions for the future of the college football landscape.

And if you're not a fan of the NIL impact on college sports, you're not going to like them.

Brown appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show and explained his thoughts on the near future in collegiate athletics.

"I think we're going to see major changes over the next two years," Brown said. "I think we'll see student athletes becoming employees of universities."

He continued, "I think we'll see more of a salary cap. Athletes will start getting the same amount of money, whether the collective goes back into the university...or stays out, who knows?"

His explanation for believing athletes will be paid directly by schools stems from the pressure being put on outside donors.

"Right now we're not being fair to our alums," he said. "Because our biggest boosters are getting asked for season tickets, they're getting asked to buy facilities, they're getting asked to pay more for coaches."

"We're asking them for money for all 28 sports to be in a collective, so we're just unfair," Brown concluded.

SAN DIEGO, CA - DECEMBER 28: North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown during the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl football game between the Oregon Ducks and the North Carolina Tar Heels on December 28, 2022, at Petco Park in San Diego, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

College Football To Become The NFL?

NIL and the injection of new money into the game has significantly changed college football.

Players are more likely to transfer or commit to big schools or those in major cities that have increased off-field opportunities.

Or even to schools like Texas A&M, with massive piles of NIL money available.

READ: TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL PLAYERS RAKE IN WAY MORE NIL MONEY COMPARED TO OTHER ATHLETES IN COLLEGE STATION

While this has been a tremendous boon for the athletes themselves, it's also created some difficulties. As Brown says, the pressure on donors is ever increasing, as is fan frustration as players leave for greener pastures.

If there is an eventual salary cap, that could level the compensation playing field a bit more.

Salary caps have often been used, like in the NFL, to increase parity and stop owners from runaway spending.

Such a system could benefit some schools while hurting others.

That said, salary caps also limit the amount that players can earn. And with the influx of NIL money, players are finding out just how much they're actually worth.

If a salary cap does materialize, it could be met with fierce resistance from the players.

Plus, just imagine how much extra work it would be to manage in the upcoming college football video game.