NIL Go is the part of the post-settlement system that touches every Division I athlete with a deal, agent or not, and it is the step most often done late. This page is the rule from the 2026-27 Manual and the Commission's own pages: what is reported, by when, by whom, what the review looks at, and what happens on each outcome.
What it is
NIL Go is the deal-reporting and review system the College Sports Commission operates for Division I under NCAA Bylaw 22.2, adopted June 6, 2025 as part of the House settlement's implementation. It launched June 11, 2025, built with Deloitte. Athletes report their third-party NIL deals into it; the Commission reviews the ones that involve "associated" entities, meaning boosters, collectives and others the rules define, against the settlement's tests; schools see what their athletes have reported. It replaced the patchwork of school-by-school disclosure forms for third-party deals, though schools still have their own policies on top.
What is reported
Bylaw 22.2: every third-party NIL contract or payment term "with a total value of $600 or more." Three details from the text:
- Aggregation. Deals from the same payor are added together toward the $600 line, so three $250 posts for one brand are reported.
- Terms count. The clock runs from "execution" of the contract or agreement on payment terms, and verbal terms count, so a deal agreed by message is a deal.
- Under $600 is not reported. The bylaw sets a floor, not a disclosure of everything.
The deadline
Bylaw 22.2.2.2: within five business days of execution. Late reporting is an eligibility matter. Bylaw 22.2.2.2.1, adopted October 28, 2025: after a school discovers an unreported deal, the athlete has two business days to report it, then immediate ineligibility. Since August 4, 2026, insufficient documentation is grounds for the Commission not to clear a deal, after 14 days' notice (22.2.2.1.1). High school prospects report deals of $600 or more from the first day of their junior year, and two-year-college transfers from enrollment, with a deadline of 14 days after enrolling at the Division I school or the first contest, whichever is first (22.2.2.5, adopted October 30, 2025).
Who submits
The Commission's page: athletes "may each designate one representative to enter deals into NIL Go." That representative can be an agent, a parent, a lawyer or a friend; the athlete makes the final submission. Nothing requires a representative, and NCAA Bylaw 22.3.1, which allows an agent for NIL, says may, not must. An athlete who handles their own deals enters their own, and the step takes the deal's terms and the contract, which is why athletes who keep every deal in one place find the five days easy and athletes who do not find them short.
The review
Each reported deal is checked on three points, the Commission says:
| Test | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Associated status | Is the payor a booster, a collective, or otherwise "associated" with the school under the settlement's definition? Deals from unassociated businesses are reported but reviewed more lightly. |
| Valid business purpose | Bylaw 22.1.3: is the deal "for a valid business purpose related to the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit"? Fundraising to induce enrollment does not qualify. |
| Range of compensation | Is the pay "commensurate with compensation paid to similarly situated individuals" for the same work? The rates page covers what the ranges look like. |
The outcome is Cleared, Not Cleared or Flagged. A deal that is not cleared can be revised and resubmitted, cancelled with any payment refunded, or appealed to neutral arbitration. Reports in April 2026 said the Commission exempted deals up to $2,500 from range-of-compensation review until an athlete passes $15,000 in total deals, and a law-firm alert in July 2026 described a further change from July 1, 2026; neither threshold was confirmed on the Commission's own site, so this page does not state them as fact. A June 2026 alert also reported the Commission investigating schools paying agent fees for athletes.
The numbers
Through December 31, 2025 the Commission reported 17,321 deals cleared, worth $127.21 million, after correcting an earlier overstatement of more than $40 million. The average third-party deal is about $6,200 and most are under $1,000, per the figures in the NIL guide; the $600 floor means a large share of the smallest deals are never reported at all.
How this fits with agents
NIL Go is agent-neutral: an agent may be the named representative, or not exist. What the Commission does care about is where the money comes from. Bylaw 22.3.2 lets an agent facilitate a payment only if the brand, not the agent, is the source, and the valid-business-purpose test is aimed at money that is really a booster's. The eligibility page has the agent rules; the contracts page has the six parts of the deal NIL Go asks about.
How Leave fits
Leave keeps every deal, its terms and its contract in one record, and counts down the NIL Go window from the day the terms were agreed, so the five business days are visible rather than remembered. It explains each contract in plain words and shows what similar work pays, which is the range-of-compensation question in advance. Leave is software: it does not submit to NIL Go for anyone, does not negotiate or represent, and is not legal advice. The athlete, or the one representative they name, enters the deal; the athlete submits.
Questions athletes ask
What has to be reported to NIL Go?
Every third-party NIL contract or payment term with a total value of $600 or more, under NCAA Bylaw 22.2. Deals from the same payor are aggregated toward the $600 line. Deals under $600 do not have to be reported at all. Verbal agreements on payment terms count as agreed terms.
How long do I have?
Five business days from signing the contract or agreeing payment terms (Bylaw 22.2.2.2). Late reporting can lead to ineligibility; after a school discovers an unreported deal there is a two-business-day cure period, then immediate ineligibility (22.2.2.2.1, adopted October 28, 2025).
Can my agent or parent submit for me?
An athlete may designate one representative to enter deals into NIL Go, but the athlete makes the final submission. Nothing requires a representative; many athletes enter their own deals, and no agent is needed for any step.
What does the review check?
Three things: whether the payor is "associated" with the school (boosters, collectives and others the rules define); whether the deal has a valid business purpose, meaning the promotion or endorsement of goods or services provided to the general public for profit (Bylaw 22.1.3); and whether the pay is within a range of compensation for similarly situated individuals. Deals from unassociated businesses are reported but reviewed more lightly.
What happens if a deal is not cleared?
The athlete may revise the deal and resubmit, cancel it and refund any payment, or appeal to neutral arbitration. Going ahead with a deal that was not cleared is an eligibility matter.
Do high school prospects report?
Yes, from the first day of their junior year of high school, or from enrollment at a two-year college, for deals of $600 or more. The deadline is 14 days after enrolling at the Division I school or the first contest, whichever is first (Bylaw 22.2.2.5, adopted October 30, 2025).
Be your own agent. Leave.