$10k+ to a college-age young adult (whatever that means) is a solid chunk of change. Imagine having room & board paid for along with most meals, workouts, equipment, education, etc., and getting $10k+ on top of that. A decent number of these athletes come from very little and their legal prospects for making money - at least early on - depend solely on football. Whether or not it's worth leaving your current situation for or how the money is spent in the long run isn't ours to judge. The only thing that matters is the individuals making the decisions aren't lied to, scammed, or taken advantage of. The funny part is as they're chasing the money, the taxes they pay go towards the coaches' 6 or 7 figure salaries (such a joke).
The NCAA could have prevented this years ago by simply allowing college athletes to make money on their own. The uproar and Wild West was ushered in by the boards of college athletes turning to their left and right only to see their non student athlete counterparts making money via streaming, social media, or even regular jobs. The suits and donors at these bigger universities do what all crooked elites do and didn't let a good tragedy go to waste. They took advantage of the situation and pushed pay to play, which is why we're here now and what the real problem is.