Lincoln Riley Vouches for Changes to NIL Rules in College Football

During Big Ten Media Days, USC coach Lincoln Riley opened up about the current state of NIL spending.

“I’ve always been one, like, I don’t want to have less than somebody has. But I don’t necessarily have to have more,” Riley said. “I just don’t want to be at some massive, massive disadvantage, if you’re trying to win a championship. I will say this, despite the perception outside, it has normalized a lot in the last few years.”

USC Trojans Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Big Ten Media Days NIL Salary Cap Lincoln Riley Ryan Day Matt Campbell — Jul 28, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; USC Football head coach Lincoln Riley speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Uproar peaked in 2024, especially in regards to Ohio State’s championship roster. Wall Street Journal confirmed that $20 million was poured into the Buckeyes’ roster. Then more industry reports pointed out that teams like Texas, Oregon and Miami “approached or exceeded the $30 million to $40 million threshold in overall estimated roster value and collective spending.”

Last season, Indiana’s championship roster was relatively on the low end. Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti confirmed to CBS Sports that spending did not eclipse $25 million. On the flip side, big spenders like Texas ($35 – $40 million), Texas Tech (estimated $28-plus million) Ohio State and Miami ($40 million) came away empty handed at the end of the year, per Front Office Sports. There was also less noise about the spending of the winners from the outside.

“Now, let’s not confuse that with being ‘normal.’ But it has normalized. There is a lot more structure and there is a lot more process and there’s not so much crazy stuff going on,” Riley said. “There’s still some, but it ain’t like – a couple years ago, people would say, everybody wants to use the term ‘Wild West.’ A couple years ago, it was. Legit. Now, it has steadied. A true salary cap would steady it even more.”

House v. NCAA and Protect College Sports Act

USC Trojans Big Ten Media Days Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Jide Abasiri Alex VanSumeren NIL Salary Cap — Jul 28, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; USC Football head coach Lincoln Riley speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In 2025, the House v. NCAA settlement was finalized and ended three federal antitrust lawsuits that claimed that the NCAA was limiting the earning power of student-athletes. For the next 10 years, the NCAA will pay nearly $2.8 million in back-damages to collegiate athletes from 2016 to the present day, per National Conference of State Legislatures.

The settlement also set the new guidelines for the new world of NIL (NCSL):

Division I schools are allowed to directly pay athletes and share revenue
Student-Athletes can sign endorsement deals with brands and businesses
Third-party NIL agreements that are valued over $600 have to be reported and independently cleared
Replaced scholarship ceilings with maximum roster limits plus eliminated restricting total scholarships per sport

Now there is a bi-partisan sports bill in progress, the Save College Sports Act. The bill looks to limit student-athletes’ from transferring, change eligibility to five years, prohibit pro athletes from playing and stop coaches from poaching while in season.

With this many outside factors, Riley acknowledged that the NCAA would have to create concrete standards and rules on the cap.

“They have to put something in there, obviously, that they can truly police. That will hold up in every other state court and this and that. And that’s the problem right now,” Riley said. “It’s good in theory, but it doesn’t hold up against anything, and you understand why. That’s the whole key is the model they put around it. How can they enforce it and how is it not just torn down by a lawsuit or this district court or this state judge or whoever the case may be.”

How Programs Have Been Operating Post House v. NCAA Settlement

Ohio State Buckeyes Big Ten Media Days NIL Salary Cap Buckeyes Sports Group Ryan Day — Jul 29, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Ohio State Football head coach Ryan Day speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Front Office Sports noticed the trend of athletic departments have started to become student-athletes' in-house agencies. Boise State was the first to implement the project one year after NIL was approved.

In 2025, Ohio State created the Buckeyes Sports Group “to take charge of revenue-sharing and serve as an in-house marketing agency.” The department also facilitates NIL opportunities and deals, collective donations, content subscriptions and more.

“We can now help our athletes really serve as a marketing agency to go out and source opportunities, whether it’s corporate opportunities, whether it’s local opportunities, whether it’s social media opportunities,” Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told FOS.

Tennessee Volunteers SEC NIL Adidas Josh Heupel — Jul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There has also been the rise of third party involvement.

When Tennessee and Penn State signed new 10-year apparel deals with Adidas, both landed guaranteed NIL opportunities. Their student-athletes can be members of the NIL Ambassador Network, making them paid brand affiliates. Perks include involvement in content campaigns, gifting projects and commercials. Student-athletes can even earn commission for promoting products on their social media.

USC joined a similar program when they re-signed with Nike. Blue Ribbon Elite – which was launched with LSU in December 2025 – is an NIL program that helps build student-athletes' portfolios, involvement in brand campaigns, feedback on upcoming products and marketing opportunities with the swoosh. A select group of Trojan athletes will be announced as members of the BRE Class.

Third party involvement won't be slowing down anytime soon. With the Big 12 signing a conference-wide NIL deal with Monster Energy, more jersey patch agreements and the Save College Sports Act on the horizon, the idea of a salary cap will just be a discussion for now.

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