CSC overwhelmed by flood of third-party NIL deals, review times lengthen

The College Sports Commission says its NIL approval system is being overwhelmed by a surge of deals from associated entities (school collectives, multimedia partners, and apparel sponsors), with many guaranteed sums that bypass NIL Go review. Through February, NIL Go cleared over 21,000 deals worth $166.5M but left 711 deals worth $29.3M unapproved, and January–February 2026 saw 3,700 cleared deals worth $39.3M versus 187 not cleared totaling $14.4M. Review times have risen, and associated-entity deals now face extra scrutiny. The CSC, which lacks the enforcement power without the participant agreement, notes the system wasn’t designed for this volume and is seeking changes. Staff total 15, and with portal windows for men’s and women’s basketball opening in April, the push to enforce rules continues amid ongoing debates about third-party, over-the-cap NIL spending in college sports.