NIL market explodes with $80 million in approved deals since June

The association says feedback from members across conferences, including the SEC, Big Ten and ACC, has been unanimous: the system lacks speed, transparency and reliable support.

Concerns include how fair market value is determined, uncertainty over international athletes, and confusion about how to handle opportunities that can arise suddenly from in-game performance. Collectives argue that slow or unclear rulings threaten the very opportunities NIL was intended to unlock.

Growing Pains Of A New Enforcement Era

The CSC, launched in June following final approval of the House settlement, was created by power conferences to enforce revenue-sharing limits and regulate NIL deals. Its NIL Go platform, managed by Deloitte, is the central clearinghouse for contracts above $600 in value.

Guidance has already shifted since the commission’s launch. Initial rules that barred collective-backed deals as invalid business purposes were walked back after pushback from operators and attorneys. Now, deals involving collectives are considered valid if they promote for-profit goods or services, creating a case-by-case review process.

To improve the system, the Collective Association has recommended adding a help desk, creating deal-tracking tools, clarifying fair market value standards and addressing issues for international athletes. They also proposed an oversight task force that includes athletes and collective representatives.

The CSC is still building staff to handle the heavy volume of submissions. With more than 8,000 approvals in less than three months, the system has moved quickly by scale, but the disputes over speed and clarity show the next stage of reform is far from settled.

How these early tensions are resolved will help define the future balance of power between athletes, schools and collectives in the post-settlement era of college sports.

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