The College Sports Commission has rejected nearly $15 million in name, image and likeness agreements since it started evaluating them over the summer, representing more than 10% of the value of all the deals it has analyzed and closed.

The CSC released its latest statistics Monday, saying it did not clear 524 deals worth $14.94 million, while clearing 17,321 worth $127.21 million. All the data was current as of Jan. 1.

The numbers came against the backdrop of a “reminder” memo the commission sent to athletic directors last week, citing “serious concerns” about contracts being offered to athletes before they had been cleared through the commission’s NIL Go platform.

The CSC is in charge of evaluating all deals worth more than $600 that are offered by third-party businesses that are often affiliated with the schools recruiting the players.

“Without prejudging any particular deal, the CSC has serious concerns about some of the deal terms being contemplated and the consequences of those deals for the parties involved,” the Friday night memo said.

The CSC said primary reasons for deals not being cleared were that they lacked a valid business purpose; they didn’t directly activate a player’s NIL rights, instead “warehousing” them for future use; and that players were being paid at levels that weren’t “commensurate with similarly situated individuals.”

The memo reminded ADs that signing players to deals that hadn’t been cleared by the CSC left the players “vulnerable to deals not being cleared, promises not being able to be kept, and eligibility being placed at risk.”

Other statistics from the latest report:

There were 10 deals in arbitration as of Dec. 31, eight of which have since been withdrawn. All involved a resolved administrative issue at one school not named by the CSC.

• 52% of deals submitted to NIL Go were resolved within 24 hours.

• 73% of deals reached resolution within seven days following submission of all required information.

• 56% of the 10,848 athletes who have at least one cleared deal play football or men’s basketball.

As the 2025 college football season comes to a close, programs across the country are in an all-out arms race to prepare to make title runs for next season.

While just about every program in college football is spending money on its roster, there are only a select few programs that are able to outspend anyone in their path. One of those programs is the Texas Longhorns, who, according to On3’s Rusty Mansell, are set to spend an unheard-of amount for next season.

Mansell, who runs On3’s DawgsHQ, revealed in a social media post on X that just one season after starting the year as the No. 1 team in college football and finishing with a 10-4 record, the Longhorns are expected to field a roster worth $40 million.

“Texas will have the first 40 million dollar roster, no doubt in my mind they are close to that in real salary,” wrote Mansell. “This is an ALL IN season for Sark, literally.”

The Longhorns have made notable transfer portal additions, such as the No. 1 wide receiver in Cam Coleman, No. 3 running back Hollywood Smothers and No. 1 linebacker Rasheem Biles. In addition to the top transfers joining the fold, the Longhorns also brought in the No. 10 recruiting class, which features three five-star recruits.

The roster, which is centered on former No. 1 overall recruit and nephew of NFL greats Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch Manning, is built to contend for a title. As Mansell alluded to, the Longhorns are fully equipped to contend for a championship, which means anything short of that would be a disappointment.

While Texas is reportedly set to become the first $40 million roster in college football, it isn’t the only program in college football spending the big bucks. It’s worth noting that there is a revenue-sharing cap of $20.5 million, but there isn’t necessarily a way to enforce it yet.

Other major NIL spenders in the college football transfer portal

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Thanks to the financial backing of a former player-turned-oil tycoon in Cody Campbell, the Red Raiders assembled a roster that led to their first-ever Big 12 Championship in program history. They were also able to make the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. In a report by ESPN, it was revealed that Texas Tech spent $7 million alone on the defensive line, which led by David Bailey’s 14.5 sacks, was one of the most feared in the country.

The Red Raiders lost in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff to Oregon in a lopsided 23-0 loss, prompting many to say the Red Raiders need to spend big at quarterback to take the next step. Well, they did just that. Headlining their transfer class, which On3 ranks as its No. 2 portal class, is Cincinnati quarterback transfer, Brendan Sorsby, who reportedly cost them $5 million.

On3 reported that they spent around $28 million for this past season, and it appears they will spend as much, if not more, in 2026.

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes spent a reported $20 million to win their 2024 title, and while they aren’t going crazy this transfer portal cycle, they very well could be spending most of their money on roster retention and high school recruits. The Buckeyes have brought in just six transfers, but they did land the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in Chris Henry Jr.

According to Rivals, Ohio State’s 28-man recruiting class has an average NIL Valuation of $136,000. In addition to the costly new faces, they likely also had to restructure deals for notable players such as quarterback Julian Sayin and star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Oregon Ducks

Since players were allowed to profit from their NIL, the Oregon Ducks have been among the biggest players in this category. The program’s connection with Nike co-founder Phil Knight has certainly not gone unnoticed by top recruits, as Rivals reported that their No. 3 recruiting class, which features five five-star recruits, has the highest average NIL at $236,000.

If the Ducks haven’t hit that $40 million threshold yet, they will soon. Front Office Sports reported that their 2024 roster cost $23 million, while former Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy revealed that their 2025 roster cost $40 million before the Ducks beat his Cowboys 69-3.

Other Notable Big-Spending Programs:

The College Sports Commission has rejected nearly $15 million in name, image, likeness agreements since it started evaluating them over the summer, representing more than 10% of the value of all the deals it has analyzed and closed.

The CSC released its latest statistics Monday, saying it did not clear 524 deals worth $14.94 million, while clearing 17,321 worth $127.21 million. All the data was current as of Jan. 1.

The numbers came against the backdrop of a “reminder” memo the commission sent to athletic directors last week, citing “serious concerns” about contracts being offered to athletes before they had been cleared through the commission’s NIL Go platform.

The CSC is in charge of evaluating all deals worth more than $600 that are offered by third-party businesses that are often affiliated with the schools recruiting the players.

“Without prejudging any particular deal, the CSC has serious concerns about some of the deal terms being contemplated and the consequences of those deals for the parties involved,” the Friday night memo said.

The CSC said primary reasons for deals not being cleared were that they lacked a valid business purpose; they didn’t directly activate a player’s NIL rights, instead “warehousing” them for future use; and that players were being paid at levels that weren’t “commensurate with similarly situated individuals.”

The memo reminded ADs that signing players to deals that hadn’t been cleared by the CSC left the players “vulnerable to deals not being cleared, promises not being able to be kept, and eligibility being placed at risk.”

Other statistics from the latest report:

—There were 10 deals in arbitration as of Dec. 31, eight of which have since been withdrawn. All involved a resolved administrative issue at one school not named by the CSC.

—52% of deals submitted to NIL Go were resolved within 24 hours.

– 73% of deals reached resolution within seven days following submission of all required information.

–56% of the 10,848 athletes who have at least one cleared deal play football or men’s basketball.

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The college football head coaching carousel concluded one of its most chaotic cycles one month after the conclusion of the 2025 regular season.

No fewer than 18 different Power Four programs will have a new head coach in the 2026 college football season. Some fired coaches for poor performance, some fired coaches for cause, and others had their head coaches hired away by other Power Four programs.

The question for each school that hired a new coach is how quickly its program can succeed under said coach. Some programs take longer to build, while others make people feel better about themselves after their first season under a coach.

Retired three-time national champion head coach Urban Meyer made predictions for which programs will succeed the quickest under their new head coaches. He listed three different programs forecasted to see quick turnarounds on “The Triple Option Podcast.”

Meyer ranked California’s hire of Tosh Lupoi as the third-best hire in the offseason, citing Lupoi’s ability to recruit and the play of his defenses as rationale for a speedy rise for the Golden Bears as a national power. No. 2 was Florida bringing in Jon Sumrall from Tulane because of how quickly he expects the Gators’ style of play to change.

The No. 1 hire in the 2026 coaching carousel, according to Meyer, was Michigan’s hiring of Kyle Whittingham, the very last hiring of the cycle.

“The impactful ones in this order are, No. 1 is Kyle Whittingham,” Meyer said on the podcast. “And not just (Michigan earning) Ws, but just the way they’re going to go about their business.”

Meyer is very familiar with Michigan, having coached opposite the Wolverines in “The Game.” He was Ohio State’s head coach from 2012-2018, a stretch in which the Buckeyes only missed two Big Ten Championship games and never lost to the Wolverines. In addition to Michigan as a program, Meyer is also very familiar with its new head coach.

Following a two-year tenure at Bowling Green, Meyer took the head coaching vacancy at Utah in 2003. Kyle Whittingham was entering his tenth season on the Utes’ staff when Meyer took over. Whittingham succeeded Meyer as head coach after Meyer’s 22-2 record in two seasons catapulted him into the head coaching vacancy left at Florida by Ron Zook in the 2005 offseason.

Michigan was wrapping up its second season under Sherrone Moore when the Wolverines decided to fire him with cause on Dec. 10, 2025. The Wolverines were 17-9 in the two seasons with Moore at the helm.