The College Sports Commission released its latest NIL Go numbers on Sept. 9, and the headline is volume. From July 1 through Aug. 31, the clearinghouse cleared 7,639 third-party NIL deals worth $227.25 million. That's the largest two-month period since NIL Go launched, according to the CSC.
The numbers
Here's what the report showed, per On3 and Yahoo Sports:
- July 1–Aug. 31: 7,639 deals cleared, worth $227.25 million
- Same period, not cleared: 484 deals worth $67.08 million
- Since launch: 46,478 deals cleared, worth $582.49 million
- Associated entity deals cleared (since launch): 22,035, worth $379.33 million
- Other deals cleared (since launch): 24,443, worth $203.16 million
CSC CEO Bryan Seeley said more than half a billion dollars in deals have cleared the system, with $227 million of that coming in July and August alone.
Faster processing
The CSC also says it's moving faster. It's now making more than 200 deal decisions a day, close to double the year-one pace, and nearly 70% of deals are resolved within a week once all the documentation is in.
That matters for athletes. A deal that sits in review is a deal that isn't paying. Faster turnaround makes the system more workable for everyone involved.
Why July and August spiked
July 1 marked the start of year two of the revenue-sharing era. The cap on what schools can share directly with athletes rose to $21.58 million per school after an NCAA audit of power conference revenues, according to On3. The report also showed July and August more than doubled the previous update, which covered May and June at $112.9 million. A new year of revenue sharing plus the run-up to football season likely helped drive the jump.
Associated entities vs. everyone else
The split in the numbers is worth a closer look. Since launch, associated entity deals make up fewer than half the cleared deals (22,035 of 46,478) but about 65% of the dollars. Other deals are more numerous but smaller on average.
Do the math and the gap is clear: associated entity deals average roughly $17,000 each, while other cleared deals average roughly $8,000. Bigger checks are coming through a smaller number of agreements.
What it means for fans
The real takeaway is that the NIL marketplace is growing, not shrinking, in year two of revenue sharing. Direct school payments haven't crowded out third-party deals, at least not so far. Companies, collectives and other buyers are still paying athletes for their name, image and likeness, and the volume is climbing.
For fans, that's a reminder that NIL isn't a single pot of money. It's a market, with lots of buyers and lots of ways to engage with athletes commercially.