Man, I'm been saying this for years. The best thing that could happen to level the playing field is to let these young men go pro right out of high school. The young men that want an instant pay day will get it legally. The ones that want to actually further their education will go to college, and up their value as a player. Before people jump in and say this would kill college football, ask yourselves, what is letting a handful of schools pay for their players, but others not doing to college football? These "schools", most of them, aren't doing a **** thing for these young men. Free education? Yeah, that's something most of these kids couldn't care less about. They are football players, period, and are being used by the schools as such.
Now, I say some safeguards can be put in place so the young men that go pro right away and flop have an education paid for them after their football days are over. Heck, I'd bet they'd get a better education when they aren't simply being passed through due to their football skills.
I don't think anyone would say that letting kids go pro right out of high school would kill college football. It wouldn't hurt college football even in the slightest. People are rabid about college football because of the university brands, not because of the players wearing the jerseys.
The NFL should absolutely allow players to go pro right out of high school, or set up a minor league. They never will though, because the NFL benefits tremendously from the free farm system they have with the NCAA system. In fact, the NFL could not survive without the NCAA system.
That's where people have got it all wrong. The universities and the NCAA aren't the ones taking advantage of these kids. The revenues earned by the universities are fully reinvested into the athletic programs. It's the NFL that is taking advantage of these kids. The NFL is getting a free ride.