The College Sports Commission (CSC) has circulated a 10-page University Participation Agreement that would dramatically reshape NIL and direct-payment enforcement. The biggest shift: schools would waive their right to challenge CSC rulings in court and funnel all disputes into the arbitration system created by the House settlement. The agreement only takes effect if every school signs.
CSC Moves to Close Post-House Settlement Loopholes and Bolster Enforcement Powers Through Membership Agreement
The College Sports Commission (CSC) has circulated a 10-page University Participation Agreement that would dramatically reshape NIL and direct-payment enforcement. The biggest shift: schools would waive their right to challenge CSC rulings in court and funnel all disputes into the arbitration system created by the House settlement. The agreement only takes effect if every school signs.
From Holdout to Headline: Ohio’s Step into the High School NIL Era
Background
The movement to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) continues to sweep across the nation, reshaping amateur athletics from coast to coast. What began as a collegiate phenomenon has steadily made its way into high school athletics, with nearly every state now allowing young athletes to benefit from their NIL in some form.[1]
Sixth Circuit Dismisses NCAA Appeal as Moot: Pavia’s College Athlete Eligibility Continue
Background: From the Trial Court to the Appeal
Diego Pavia’s journey to a NCAA Division I starting quarterback position was anything but conventional. After leading his junior college (JUCO) team to a national championship, Pavia transferred to first one, then a second, Division I school. By 2024, Pavia became a breakout star in the SEC, leading his school to a historic win and drawing attention from NFL scouts. He also began receiving lucrative offers tied to his name, image, and likeness, yet his eligibility was in doubt.
Martinson v. NCAA: NCAA’s Five-Year Eligibility Rule Is Commercial and Subject to the Sherman Act
Former University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) football player Tatuo Martinson is the latest NCAA athlete to successfully convince a federal district court to enjoin the NCAA from enforcing its “five-year eligibility rule” against a former junior college (JUCO) athlete. Martinson joins Diego Pavia,[1] Jett Elad,[2] Cortez Braham Jr.,[3] and four West Virginia University football players[4] as having prevailed on this issue, in contrast to James Coley Jr.,[5] Jagger Giles,[6] and Jackson Hasz,[7] who had similar efforts rebuffed by the NCAA.
CSC’s Rocky Rollout of First NIL Deal Flow Report Boasts 94% Deal Clearance Rate
This week, the College Sports Commission (CSC) released its first NIL Deal Flow Report, providing a snapshot of activity across its NIL Go platform, though the rollout of the data was not without issue. The report captures platform and deal activity from June 11, 2025 — the date the platform launched — through August 31, 2025. The CSC released its initial report on September 4. On September 5, the CSC issued a corrected report, indicating that the misreported results were attributable to errors made by its outside consulting firm.
Seventh Circuit Overturns Fourqurean Fifth-Year Preliminary Injunction
On July 16, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, overturned a preliminary injunction that would have granted University of Wisconsin cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean a fifth year of eligibility. The NCAA’s “Five-Year Rule” limits student-athletes to four seasons of competition within a five-year period. Fourqurean played four seasons: two at Grand Valley State University and two at the University of Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin requested a waiver of the Five-Year Rule from the NCAA, citing circumstances that reduced Fourqurean’s playing time in his first season.
What the House v. NCAA Settlement Means for the Future of NIL and College Sports
The wait is over. On June 6, 2025, Judge Claudia Wilken of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California approved the $2.576 billion class action settlement in House v. NCAA.
NIL Enforcement in a Post-House World – What Institutions Can Expect
In this episode of Highway to NIL, Troutman Pepper Locke attorneys Mike Lowe, Lu Reyes, and Philip Nickerson examine the status of the House settlement. They focus on how the settlement might impact roster limits for current student-athletes and discuss the introduction of the NCAA’s new name, image, and likeness (NIL) enforcement division.
Elad v. NCAA – Former JUCO Player Demonstrates Likelihood of Success in Antitrust Suit Challenging NCAA’s JUCO Rule
On April 25, U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi ordered the NCAA not to enforce its Five-Year Rule against Rutgers University cornerback Jett Elad.[1] The impact of name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements on the new world of Division I sports underpinned two key findings in the opinion: (1) the NCAA’s junior college rule (JUCO Rule) is subject to federal antitrust laws; and, (2) Elad had a likelihood of success on the merits because Division I student-athletes have a greater ability to benefit from NIL agreements compared to non-Division I athletes.