The College Sports Commission costs *how much*?!

Hey there,

It was a busy week at NIL Wire, with the all-access announcement, Office Hours with Extra Points’ Matt Brown and a fun story about NIL and mascots. I hope you’re enjoying the commitment to quality coverage of money in college sports.

And speaking of the all-access announcement, we’re still running a promotion for 20% off subscriptions. Get your discount here so you can keep up with everything we have to offer!

Enjoy your Saturday. If you have YouTube TV like me, it’ll mean watching less football than usual 😭.

— Kyle

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Did you miss the Extra Points/NIL Wire Office Hours? Catch up here!

It was a blast to host readers Thursday evening, and there was tons of great conversation throughout Office Hours. If you weren’t able to log on, you can still check out the recording of the full session. And over on Extra Points, Matt Brown wrote a great post summing up the conversation.

We talked about all kinds of recent college sports news, and I wanted to flag a few shorter videos from the session, including this one on mascot NIL deals, based off Thursday’s NIL Wire story:

… and this one on finding good agents in college sports:

THE BIG 3

The College Sports Commission costs how much to implement?

The much-discussed College Sports Commission had a busy week in the news. 

The newly formed organization finalized the rules from the House settlement. At the top of the list were new bylaws requiring high school recruits and junior college transfers to comply with rules regarding the disclosure of third-party NIL deals. Among them is the disclosure to the CSC of all NIL deals worth $600 or more upon enrollment at a Division I school. Failure to do so could result in penalties, including eligibility consequences, according to the CSC. 

The five-page document defines the term “valid business purposes” and includes rules about non-institutional NIL activities, pay-for-play, agents, benefits cap, institutions as marketing agents and enforcement. It’s an intriguing glimpse into the new-age NCAA’s rules and enforcement. 

The CSC also announced it had hired a federal prosecutor and former associate deputy attorney general in the Department of Justice to lead investigations. Katie Medearis, previously the criminal division chief at the US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Virginia, will take over as the CSC’s head of investigations and deputy general counsel on Nov. 10.

The CSC has been criticized for its ineffectiveness and slow decision-making regarding NIL Go. 

Ross Dellenger reported that NIL Go and the College Athlete Payment System are expected to cost at least $15 million annually. Both platforms also cost $10 million to implement, and operational costs for the CSC will reach seven figures annually. 

So, who will foot the bill? It will be split between the power conferences, non-power Division I schools and the NCAA, according to Dellenger, who reported that the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC covered the $10 million implementation fees. 

Another note: The revenue-sharing cap could increase by $2.5 million, acting as an offset for additional scholarships.

Boise State football says no to NIL bidding wars

Shaun Goodwin of the Idaho Statesman had an interesting look inside Boise State’s NIL roster strategy. 

The Broncos have lost three 2026 commitments this season, with one flipping to Oregon. Another visited Iowa last week. Coach Spencer Danielson said he will not get into a bidding war. 

“I’m not going to use money to try to make a kid come here,” he said. “That’s not what I believe. I want kids that want to be here. I want kids that want to be part of this team, and if they don’t, this ain’t the right fit for them.”

In January, former offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said the Broncos had a $2 million NIL budget last season. It’s a modest amount, even among the top Group of Five schools. Sources told NIL Wire that $2 million wouldn’t even cover the highest-paid roster in the MAC. 

Danielson pointed to talent retention as the No. 1 objective at Boise State, a goal shared by every G5 coach. There’s constant worry about keeping your best players and preventing them from leaving in the current marketplace. 

“We’ve got really good football players on this team, and when they do what they’re supposed to here, I want to take care of them and pay them everything we’ve got,” Danielson said. 

An area where Boise State needs to improve is compensating freshmen. To retain talent, you must first acquire it. Coaches are hesitant to open wallets for freshmen, with fears of ruining locker room dynamics and general misgivings about paying players who haven’t proven themselves.  

“We haven’t been able to put a lot of resources into it in regards to our freshmen, just because of the reality of what we have,” Danielson said.

Michigan State athletics forms two corporations with revenue generation and NIL in mind

Michigan State athletic director J Batt announced the first big move of his tenure. 

The Spartans have formed a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation called Spartan Ventures, which aims to maximize revenue generation, support NIL opportunities and enhance the overall experience for athletes and donors. 

A subsidiary, the Spartan Athletics Foundation, will also be created, with both corporations launching in the summer of 2026.

This is long overdue for Michigan State’s athletic department, and it fits Batt’s profile. He was a prolific fundraiser as a deputy AD at Alabama and then as Georgia Tech’s AD. 

Spartan Ventures will have a board of directors, and none of those individuals will be current MSU administration.

According to an executive action summary from the MSU Board, Spartan Ventures will “serve as a recognized administrator for the commercialization of certain broadcast media rights, licenses, and related intellectual property of Michigan State University and its department of athletics.”

NIL BLITZ

♦️ In college football’s big-money era, one group can’t afford to fail: coaches.

♦️ Another college football coach called out Oregon’s NIL program. This time, it was Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker.

♦️ The NCAA will have availability reports for the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

♦️ The University of New Hampshire announced a collaboration between the Granite State Collective and the On to Victory Funds, with tax-deductible contributions going directly to athletes. 

♦️ TCU launched the LEAP Agency to manage, direct and enhance NIL opportunities.

♦️ Here’s how TCU and a famed Fort Worth football family broke up over NIL money.

♦️ Sportico’s Daniel Libit covered the wild year for NIL firm Blueprint Sports.

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Should former G League players be eligible to play college basketball?

• Yes - 7%

• No - 93%