On Monday’s episode of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman explained why he’s “done with NIL.”
Aikman transferred from Oklahoma to UCLA for the 1987 and 1988 seasons, where he led the Bruins to back-to-back 10-win campaigns and set passing records before being selected No. 1 overall in the 1989 NFL Draft.
He went on to spend 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, winning three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX) and throwing for 32,942 yards and 165 touchdowns, before becoming a longtime TV analyst with FOX and later ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
Yet as one of UCLA’s most recognizable alumni, his involvement with the program may now be in question.
“I gave money to a kid, I won’t mention who. I’ve done it one time at UCLA, never met the young man. He was there a year, he left after the year. I wrote a sizable check, and he went to another school. I didn’t even get so much as a thank-you note. So, it’s one of those deals, to where I’m done with NIL. I want to see UCLA be successful, but I’m done with it,” Aikman said.
While Aikman did not name the player, many have already speculated that he’s referring to Dante Moore, who transferred from UCLA to Oregon in late 2023.
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A generational high-school prospect, Moore arrived at UCLA as a 2023 freshman.
He completed 114-of-213 passes (53.5%) for 1,610 yards, 11 TDs, and nine INTs at UCLA before entering the transfer portal and landing at Oregon in December 2023.
After moving to Eugene, he emerged as Oregon’s starter and completed 227-of-313 passes for 2,733 yards, 24 TDs, and six INTs in the 2025 college football season.
Those numbers have made Moore a top NFL prospect and a marquee NIL asset.
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Moore’s market value rose quickly after the transfer and playing uptick.
Industry trackers list Moore among the higher NIL valuations for quarterbacks in 2025, with a reported value of $2.3 million, which ranks 13th among all college athletes.
This situation highlights the tension between modern donor influence, transfer portal mobility, and NIL commercialization, all of which are reshaping alumni expectations and making donor relationships more transactional.
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