Guides
Plain-English explainers on how college athletes get paid—and the rules that shape it.
Start here
The cornerstone overview: every way a Division I athlete can earn money in 2026, plus the legal questions still being fought.
Read the guide ->Go deeper
How schools now pay athletes directly under the House settlement: where the cap comes from, and how it differs from NIL.
Read the guide ->How NIL Go reviews third-party NIL deals of $600 or more: what it checks, the outcomes, and what falls outside it.
Read the guide ->What booster-funded collectives are, how their deals get reviewed, and why their money sits on top of the revenue-sharing cap.
Read the guide ->The factors that move an athlete's NIL value, from production and position to audience and marketability, and how we turn them into an estimate.
Read the guide ->How NIL income and the new school revenue-sharing pay are taxed: self-employment tax, quarterly payments, deductions, and the unsettled parts. General information, not tax advice.
Read the guide ->We publish independent research on college athlete valuation and the business of college sports. Follow along for new analysis as the landscape evolves.