The chaos that is the current era of college sports has taken another twist this week with a former Alabama superstar finding his way into the headlines.

As first reported on Tuesday by the California Post, Crimson Tide legend and current Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams — who transferred to Alabama from Ohio State before the 2021 season — has filed a landmark lawsuit against the NCAA, the Big Ten and SEC while claiming all three entities used his Name, Image and Likeness without proper compensation.

Williams arrived at Alabama via the portal right as NIL was really starting to become popular, potentially missing the boat on millions over the course of his career at the two major programs.

“To date, Williams has received no fair compensation from Defendants for the full commercial value of his name, image, and likeness,” Williams’ lawsuit states. “Defendants continuously financially benefit from Jameson Williams’ name, image and likeness rights, while also doing so without providing him with just compensation…Plaintiff received less — zero — than he otherwise would have received for the use of his name, image, and likeness in a competitive marketplace, and was thus damaged, and seeks to recover those damages.”

After two forgettable seasons at Ohio State where he was buried on the depth chart, Williams exploded in Tuscaloosa for more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns to help Bryce Young win the Heisman Trophy and take the Crimson Tide back to the national title game where he was injured in the loss to Georgia.

He would go on to become the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and has posted back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons for the Lions the last two years.

Should Williams prove to gain compensation out of this, it could open the door for every former college athlete who played in the pre-NIL era to financially capitalize on earnings they would have had if they’d played in a different era.