Camp Randall Stadium is seen during an NCAA college football game between Wisconsin and Miami of Ohio, Sept. 12, 2015, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)

The new agency in charge of regulating name, image, likeness deals in college sports sent a letter to schools Thursday saying it had rejected deals between players and donor-backed collectives formed over the past several years to funnel money to athletes or their schools.

Those arrangements hold no “valid business purpose,” the memo said, and don’t adhere to rules that call for outside NIL deals to be between players and companies that provide goods or services to the general public for profit.

The letter to Division I athletic directors could be the next step in shuttering today’s version of the collective, groups that are closely affiliated with schools and that, in the early days of NIL after July 2021, proved the most efficient way for schools to indirectly cut deals with players.

Since then, the landscape has changed yet again with the $2.8 billion House settlement that allows schools to pay the players directly as of July 1.

Already, collectives affiliated with Colorado, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia and others have announced they’re shutting down. Georgia, Ohio State and Illinois are among those that have announced plans with Learfield, a media and technology company with decades of licensing and other experience across college athletics, to help arrange NIL deals.

Outside deals between athlete and sponsor are still permitted, but any worth $600 or more have to be vetted by a clearinghouse called NIL Go that was established by the new College Sports Commission and is being run by the auditing group Deloitte.

In its letter to the ADs, the CSC said more than 1,500 deals have been cleared since NIL Go launched on June 11, “ranging in value from three figures to seven figures.” More than 12,000 athletes and 1,100 institutional users have registered to use the system.

But the bulk of the letter explained that many deals could not be cleared because they did not conform to an NCAA rule that sets a “valid business purpose” standard for deals to be approved.

The letter explained that if a collective reaches a deal with an athlete to appear on behalf of the collective, which charges an admission fee, the standard is not met because the purpose of the event is to raise money to pay athletes, not to provide goods or services available to the general public for profit.

The same would apply to a deal an athlete makes to sell merchandise to raise money to pay that player because the purpose of “selling merchandise is to raise money to pay that student-athlete and potentially other student-athletes at a particular school or schools, which is not a valid business purpose” according to the NCAA rule.

Sports attorney Darren Heitner, who deals in NIL, said the guidance “could disproportionately burden collectives that are already committed to spending money on players for multiple years to come.”

“If a pattern of rejections results from collective deals submitted to Deloitte, it may invite legal scrutiny under antitrust principles,” he said.

On a separate track, some college sports leaders, including the NCAA, are seeking a limited form of antitrust protection from Congress.

The letter said a NIL deal could be approved if, for instance, the businesses paying the players had a broader purpose than simply acting as a collective. The letter uses a golf course or apparel company as examples.

“In other words, NIL collectives may act as marketing agencies that match student-athletes with businesses that have a valid business purpose and seek to use the student’s NIL to promote their businesses,” the letter said.

WASHINGTON — A bill to regulate college sports introduced in the House on Thursday would offer limited antitrust protection for the NCAA, while barring schools from using student fees to pay for college athletic programs.

Co-sponsors of the SCORE Act includes seven Republicans and two Democrats, which gives the bill a fair chance of passage in the House. It would need at least seven Democratic votes in the Senate, where its chances are viewed as slim.

The bill includes the three elements the NCAA has lobbied for: antitrust protections, pre-emption of state laws that regulate name, image, likeness payments, and a section that prevents athletes from becoming employees of their schools.

The bill’s main goal is to set national standards for NIL payments that are dominating the industry in the wake of the approval of a $2.78 billion lawsuit settlement that allows schools to pay athletes.

It also includes a section that purports to protect Olympic programs that some see as threatened because of increased funding that will go to football and basketball. That part calls on schools with at least one coach who earns more than $250,000 to offer at least 16 sports programs. That language mirrors a rule already in effect for NCAA’s top-tier FBS schools.

The ban on using fees to offset costs strikes to the core of some schools’ plans to fund athletic programs, which are looking at ways to pay for the up to $20.5 million they’ll share with athletes.

Clemson earlier this year announced it would implement a $150 “athletic fee” each semester for students starting this fall. Fresno State approved fees of an additional $495 a year, about half of which is to be directed toward athletics.

Other schools, like Tennessee, have announced a “talent fee” to be added to season-ticket renewals. Arkansas is increasing concession prices and many more schools are informing boosters about the increasing price tag for the sports programs they support.

• If approved it will feel like college basketball is becoming college football, where mediocrity is rewarded with bowl trips.
• It’s not just the men’s game that will change, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament would also expand.

Tournament expansion sits squarely as the biggest item on the agenda as the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee meets in Savannah, Georgia. Any hour now, there could be an announcement that the nation’s best championship sporting event, the NCAA Tournament, will be adding an additional four or eight teams.

EA Sports College Football 26 officially dropped on Thursday, marking the second consecutive year of the game’s release. The video game made its return last summer for the first time in over a decade. 

While EA did not release a full official list, On3 went looking through the video game’s rosters to compile the top-50 freshmen in this year’s edition. It’s worth noting that not every top-ranked high school recruit entering the 2025 season opted in to the game in time to make the intial release date. For example, Ohio State cornerback and No. 6 overall recruit Devin Sanchez is not featured in the game.

For the second time in EA Sports College Football’s history, athletes are being compensated for having their name, image and likeness. That also means on-field performances are being factored into the players’ ratings. Here’s the full breakdown of the top-50 freshmen in EA Sports College Football 26:

1. Oregon WR Dakorien Moore – 84 Overall
The top-ranked freshman in the game, Dakorien Moore, enters the 2025 season with high expectations. Previously committed to LSU and Texas, the Ducks were able to pull the wide receiver from Texas. With Evan Stewart expected to miss time this season, Moore is thrust into a big-time role in Year 1 at Oregon. Over his four-year high school career at Duncanville (Texas), he caught 204 passes, amassing 4,113 yards and 48 touchdowns while averaging better than 20 yards per catch.

2. Clemson RB Gideon Davidson – 83 Overall
Already being tabbed as one of the top running backs in the ACC, Gideon Davidson is expected to contribute immediately this fall at Clemson. Quarterback Cade Klubnik compared Davidson to Clemson great Travis Etienne in fall camp. A four-star recruit in the Class of 2025, the running back finished his high school career with 7,438 rushing yards on 701 career carries with a 10.53-yard average and 118 rushing touchdowns.

3. LSU RB Harlem Berry – 83 overall
The most electric running back in the 2025 cycle, Harlem Berry, has flashed the ability to be a game-changer in the passing game, too. The 5-foot-10, 182-pound running back was heavily utilized in the spring as returners Caden Durham and Kaleb Jackson were the only players getting as many reps as him. He is expected to immediately be a factor in LSU’s passing game. He topped the 2,000-yard mark for rushing yards all four years of high school.

4. Clemson DL Amare Adams – 82 overall
At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Amare Adams was as a top-five defensive linemen in the 2025 cycle. The top-ranked recruit in the state of South Carolina, Adams collected 250 career tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 14 sacks in his high school career. The Tigers have a deep defensive line with Peter Woods and T.J. Parker returning, but Adams will be a contributor as a true freshman.

5. Georgia DL Elijah Griffin – 82 overall
Ranked by On3 as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the class of 2025, Elijah Griffin has turned heads since the minute he arrived at Georgia. He posted 53 tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a senior in 2024 at Savannah Christian Preparatory School.

“[Defensive lineman] Elijah Griffin is a bulletproof prospect. Really talented, really driven, one of the best I’ve been around. Maturity, habits — this guy is a pro,” a source told On3 in the winter.

6. Texas RB James Simon – 81 overall
Ranked as the No. 10 running back in the 2025 class in the On3 Industry Ranking, James Simon left Louisiana for the state of Texas as a recruit. As a senior at Calvary Baptist Academy, he rushed for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns on 149 carries. He averaged 8.6 yards per carry and logged six 100-yard rushing performances.

7. Maryland ATH Zymear Smith – 81 overall
Zymear Smith was ranked as a top-10 athlete nationally as a recruit, picking Maryland over Penn State and South Carolina. A one-time Alabama commit, Smith carried the ball 71 times for 609 yards and 7 touchdowns while also catching nine passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns as a senior at Denton (Md.) North Caroline. He’s listed as a wide receiver on Maryland’s roster and a running back in EA Sports College Football 26.

8. Texas WR Kaliq Lockett – 81 overall
Kaliq Lockett ranked as the No. 20 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking. The five-star recruit is the highest-ranked wide receiver commit of the Steve Sarkisian era. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver gives the Longhorns a big-body wideout on the outside. He caught 47 passes for 625 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at Sachse (Texas).

9. Kansas State TE Linkon Cure – 81 overall
The biggest win for Kansas State in the 2025 recruiting cycle, Linkon Cure, will immediately be a top target for quarterback Avery Johnson. Cure picked the Wildcats at the end, even with Oregon making a big-time push. The 6-foot-4.5, 225-pound tight end with a 32-inch arm and 10-inch hand finished his senior season with 1,049 yards and 17 touchdowns on 57 catches in just nine games.

10. Michigan QB Bryce Underwood – 81 overall
On3’s No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, Bryce Underwood, stunned the nation last November when he flipped his commitment from LSU to Michigan. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound quarterback finished his high school career with a 50-4 record, winning state championships as a freshman and sophomore. He broke the Michigan high school football records for career passing and total touchdowns.

11. Auburn DL Malik Autry – 81 overall
12. Miami RB Girard Pringle Jr. – 81 overall
13. Florida WR Vernell Brown – 80 overall
14. Texas WR Jaime Ffrench – 80 overall
15. Alabama RB AK Dear – 80 overall
16. Texas DL Justus Terry – 80 overall
17. Alabama OL Michael Carroll – 80 overall
18. Texas A&M OL Lamont Rogers – 80 overall
19. Georgia OL Juan Gaston – 80 overall
20. LSU CB DJ Pickett – 80 overall

21. Georgia Tech RB JP Powell – 80 overall
22. Florida WR Dallas Wilson – 80 overall
23. Ohio State QB Tavien St. Clair – 80 overall
24. Alabama QB Keelon Russell – 80 overall
25. Ohio State RB Bo Jackson – 80 overall
26. Tennessee OL David Sanders – 80 overall
27. Georgia EDGE Isaiah Gibson – 80 overall
28. Oregon RB Dierre Hill – 80 overall
29. Texas CB Kade Phillips – 80 overall
30. Alabama CB Dijon Lee – 79 overall

31. Texas A&M TE Kiotti Armstrong – 79 overall
32. Florida State DL Kevin Wynn – 79 overall
33. Miami EDGE Hayden Lowe – 79 overall
34. Oklahoma OL Michael Fasusi – 79 overall
35. UCLA RB Karson Cox – 79 overall
36. Penn State RB Tikey Hayes – 79 overall
37. Colorado QB Julian Lewis – 79 overall
38. Texas EDGE Lance Jackson – 79 overall
39. Texas WR Daylan McCutcheon – 79 overall
40. UCF RB Taevion Swint – 79 overall

41. Utah RB Daniel Bray – 79 overall
42. Missouri RB Marquise Davis – 79 overall
43. Miami OL SJ Alofaituli – 78 overall
44. Syracuse S Demetres Samuel – 78 overall
45. USC CB Trestin Castro – 78 overall
46. Washington OL Champ Taulealea – 78 overall
47. Penn State TE Andrew Olesh – 78 overall
48. Cincinnati RB Zion Johnson – 78 overall
49. Georgia LB Zayden Walker – 78 overall
50. Florida EDGE Jalen Wiggins – 78 overall