Nick Saban Claims College Football Teams Have Nearly $40 Million Rosters In Testimony

Nick Saban is comparing the state of college sports to a Ferrari heading for the Grand Canyon at 150 miles per hour ... and he's begging Congress to step in and pump the brakes before it crashes.

The coaching legend spoke at a Senate hearing in support of the "Protect College Sports Act of 2026" on Wednesday ... and in his 11-minute opening statement, he said he loves how players can now profit off their name, image and likeness -- but hates how it has become "pay for play."

In his testimony, Saban brought up the real issues in college sports now that players get paid ... saying it's all about money instead of development, and competition has resorted to who has the biggest wallet, which he thinks is a race to the bottom.

Saban went on to say when student athletes were first allowed to get compensated, programs launched collectives where alumni put their dough together to fund "marketing opportunities" for players ... and the accounts have snowballed further out of control each year.

He used his old school, Alabama, as an example -- Saban claimed what started as a $2.7 million N.I.L. fund reached $10 million by the time he retired three years later ... and stated it is now $24 million -- with other schools approaching $40 million.

Saban warned if this continues, Olympic sports, non-revenue sports, and scholarships will disappear ... and schools will be left with football, basketball and club sports.

Saban also mentioned (without naming names) a recent tampering accusation Clemson coach Dabo Swinney made against Ole Miss ... when linebacker Luke Ferrelli transferred to Ole Miss a week after getting to campus.

Swinney claimed Ole Miss' Pete Golding texted Ferrelli a picture of a million-dollar check and asked what it would cost to buy him out of his commitment to Clemson.

Saban believes the bill he's supporting will implement some much-needed guidelines ... like creating a revenue share cap, athlete protections, and limiting transfers.