AROUND NIL | Big Ten caps school-assisted NIL deals at $27.5M
Big Ten sets new limits how much schools can arrange in NIL deals
October 28, 2026—The Big Ten is setting a new limit on how much its schools can help arrange in third-party NIL deals.
Under the rule, each school can be involved in up to $27.5 million in those agreements annually. Athletes can still pursue outside NIL deals on their own.
The conference says the move gives schools a number to work with as they budget, build rosters and prepare for upcoming signing and transfer windows. The $27.5 million figure mirrors the economic structure proposed in the Protect College Sports Act, which passed the Senate in September and is still awaiting action in the House.
Combined with direct revenue sharing, the Big Ten says the total comes to about $49 million per school.
Supporters of the proposed federal proposal have pointed to school-affiliated NIL arrangements as one way schools and associated entities can push athlete compensation beyond the existing revenue-sharing cap. The Big Ten says its new rule is allowed under the House settlement.
Attorneys representing athletes in the House settlement oppose the Big Ten’s restriction. “Any cap that would keep schools from facilitating deals is a step in the wrong direction,” Steve Berman, one of those attorneys, said, according to Associated Press reporting. The Big Ten argues the settlement permits conference-level limits.
The larger question is whether the House settlement allows the Big Ten to limit school-arranged NIL deals. The conference says it does; attorneys representing athletes say the restriction violates the agreement.
Illinois’ Max Herendeen competes at the 2026 U.S. Amateur. Herendeen is among the athletes who could be impacted by the Big Ten’s new limit on school-arranged NIL deals | Ishika Samant/USGA
October 26, 2026—Three current and former Division III athletes sued the NCAA, arguing its ban on athletic scholarships amounts to illegal price-fixing across more than 400 schools.
Pacific Lutheran football player Jackson Hale filed the case with former Claremont McKenna basketball player Connor Printz, and former Lynchburg swimmer and lacrosse player Chris Jennings. The proposed class action, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, seeks damages and an order stopping enforcement of the ban. The three are seeking to represent athletes who have competed in Division III since October 21, 2022.
They argue that competing colleges have collectively agreed not to offer athletic aid that could reduce athletes’ college costs. Division III athletes can receive academic and need-based aid, but schools cannot award it based on athletic ability, participation, or performance.
The case centers on athletic scholarships, but it lands in the same broader debate over athlete compensation and what schools and the NCAA can restrict.
The filing does not change the rule, and no date has been announced for scholarships to begin.
