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The college sports market brief · No. 12 · November 10, 2026

Mostly people and companies tied to the schools

The College Sports Commission published its latest NIL Go report on Monday. From Sep 1 to Oct 31, NIL Go cleared 10,092 third-party deals worth $192.62 million and did not clear 581 worth $20.21 million. The cleared total is the second-largest for any two-month period since NIL Go opened in June 2025, behind July and August's $227.25 million.

The CSC's notes say more than the totals. Associated entities are the boosters, collectives and companies with ties to a school, and the CSC says 12% more deals with them were submitted in September and October than in any earlier two-month period. It also says deals keep getting more complex, citing obscured funding sources and school money passed through a so-called sponsor that isn't otherwise trying to make a profit. In October, the CSC was reported to be looking into possible violations of the $21.58 million revenue-sharing cap at five to 10 Power 4 schools, including third-party payments that get around it.

The Protect College Sports Act would make it federal law that associated entities can't arrange pay that gets around the cap. It passed the Senate 77-22 on Sep 28, and the House came back Monday for about five weeks of lame-duck votes before the new Congress takes over in January. The number below shows how much of the cleared deal value came from associated entities. All figures as of Nov 10, 2026.


One number

73%

Share of the deal value NIL Go cleared in September and October that came from associated entities

Of the $192.62 million NIL Go cleared, $140.53 million came from associated entities and $52.09 million from non-associated ones. The CSC says many deals filed as non-associated bear the hallmarks of associated ones, and it often clears a deal without deciding which it is when the deal would pass either way, so the real share is likely higher. These are third-party deals across Division I, not revenue sharing. CSC figures through Oct 31, 2026.

Bar chart of NIL Go deal value from Sep 1 to Oct 31, 2026. Deals with associated entities cleared $140.53 million, non-associated deals cleared $52.09 million, and $20.21 million did not clear. CSC figures through Oct 31, 2026.

From the site

How we estimate team roster spend

Our team figures estimate what each program spent on its 2026 football roster. We estimate them separately, so the player values on a roster aren't designed to add up to them.


If you've put a deal through NIL Go this fall, is the review catching deals built to get around the cap, or just slowing down the rest? Reply to this email — we read everything.


Valuations are The NIL Standard's independent estimates.