This is an opinion column.

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Carver Reeves comes from a proud Auburn family. His dad played football for Auburn, his brother played football for Auburn and he played for the Tigers, too.

Ever wonder what former college football players think of the current era of the sport? I hear from players all the time. They wish they could have made life-changing money, too. Carver has some thoughts about NIL payments, and he reached out to me last week with an idea. Would it be possible for a small portion of Auburn’s NIL collective to be set aside for former players?

Seems like a good idea to me.

Unfortunately, Auburn never got back to him about his idea. That’s when he thought about shooting me an email.

Carver played for coach Pat Dye in the 80s. He didn’t enroll at Auburn for the money, but that doesn’t mean a little money for former players wouldn’t be appreciated. College football takes a toll on the body. Carver saw it first-hand when he went back to Auburn two years ago for a reunion. He’s been thinking about that trip ever since.

“I saw a lot of old friends and really enjoyed reliving a great time in my life,” Carver said. “We all had aged, some better than others. There were also several who had health issues from suffering a stroke to substance abuse, etc.

“I’m not saying that our time playing at AU contributed, but it seems to make sense to me that we are raising a lot of money to pay teens who have never even played or sacrificed for the school and yet we have guys who did just that and could use some financial help to improve their quality of life.

“Why don’t we take five to six percent of our total NIL and set it aside for former athletes from all sports who may need help financially? Rehab or walker. Physical therapy could make a difference in these former athletes’ lives.

“I don’t care if the student-athlete coming in can now only afford a regular Mustang instead of a GT because we did the right thing for the athletes who came to AU because we loved it and not because AU was the high bidder.

“I’m sure someone smarter than me could figure out a nomination process and have a board made up of faculty and current and former athletes to review and approve nominees. I know there are quite a few ex-college athletes that a little financial help would go a long way in their quality of life.”

Carver’s message really hit me in the gut. I reached out to him to see how he was doing. He’s not concerned about himself. Carver is living in Orlando, happily married to a former Tigerette and doing fine. He’s worried about his extended Auburn family.

I think a lot about former players, too. Of course I’m happy that current players are finally getting paid what they’re worth — and driving Mustang GTs, of course — but it’s the former players who made that possible. What about them? Should they be entitled to some money, too?

The obvious answer to all this isn’t lost on me or anyone else. Players should still be signing with schools for the opportunity to earn an education for free. No one is that naive, though. The value of an education remains important, but players these days aren’t bouncing around from one school to the next based on curriculum or fields of study. It’s about cash and a lot of it.

College football has always been a business, but the players are finally getting a fair cut of the action. Is it their fault they have to chase the money, or is the system broken?

Another major shift in the landscape is on the horizon. Schools will begin paying players directly beginning as soon as the next academic year (2025-26). How that will affect the game, I have no idea. My guess is that more conference realignment is coming. In this new system, athletic departments will be capped around $20.5 million. Early projections are putting the budgets for football teams between $13 and $15 million per year. The money won’t end there, though. This past season, a handful of football teams surpassed the $15 million mark in NIL payments alone.

Individual teams will use NIL collectives to go over the cap. The big schools will supplement incomes to stay on top of the game and recruit the best players. That means a player will be earning money from a school based on things like ticket sales, but will also have the opportunity to earn money for name, image and likeness (NIL).

The price for some players has tripled since the beginning of the NIL era. Remember when Nick Saban thought it was absurd that quarterback Bryce Young was receiving $1 million a season in NIL payments? Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck recently hit the transfer portal after making the College Football Playoff and is expected to go for $3 million in his final season of collegiate eligibility.

He turned down a shot at the NFL draft to become a free agent at the college level.

Where does it all end? Well, probably back in court.

A third-party clearinghouse is being set up to help regulate the NIL economy of collegiate sports, but most people in the industry expect for any attempt to suppress the value of players to immediately be challenged with lawsuits.

No silver bullet will fix college football if the attorneys can remain part of the game. And maybe that’s for the best. Someone needs to be representing the interest of the players because the end game shouldn’t be guys like Carter Reeves emailing me about his former teammates.

Universities need to find an incentive to keep players around until they earn a degree and graduate. Graduate students should always be able to transfer. For everyone else, staying put at one school needs to make more financial sense.

What about this? If a student-athlete plays at least three years at a school and graduates, then maybe they should qualify for a pension later in life. That should at least be enough to help cover the price for therapy.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”