From Copilot:
"NIL and the Proposed Salary Cap in College Sports
A new bipartisan Protect College Sports Act introduced in 2026 would impose a hard, enforceable salary cap on college athletes, alongside other reforms like transfer limits and antitrust protections CBS Sports+1. Under the bill, schools would be restricted to paying athletes a set amount — currently around $20.5 million per school annually — which is the cap from the House v. NCAA settlement CBS Sports. This cap applies to direct school payments, but the legislation would make it a strict legal limit, not just a guideline.
Current NIL and Revenue-Sharing Landscape
Since the 2025 settlement, schools can directly pay athletes, with revenue sharing capped at about $20.5 million per school CBS Sports. However, NIL deals — including those with booster collectives, corporate partners, and multimedia rights holders — are not subject to this cap. These deals can be “fair market value” payments, allowing schools to supplement athlete pay without counting against the cap soaringtoglory.com. This has led to programs exceeding the official limit, with some targeting $40 million in total athlete compensation by combining school payments with third-party NIL deals."