On September 28, 2026, Senate Bill 4668, more commonly known as the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 (PCSA), passed the Senate and currently sits in the House of Representatives. This piece of proposed legislation has received a wide range of reactions, including garnering support from the NCAA and the conferences, while also drawing criticism from virtually everyone else. At this time, people close to the situation and who have followed the legislative journey from the start believe the bill has an uphill battle in the House.
What is in the Protect College Sports Act?
The PCSA is a long piece of legislation, but the main parts that are drawing most of the attention and making it the divisive topic that it has become are summarized below.
- As an initial matter, it would prohibit the NCAA, conferences, or institutions from restricting student-athletes from entering NIL agreements (subject to specified limitations). Students would also have to report to their institution any NIL deals that are greater than $600. The bill would also allow a one-time transfer without losing athletic eligibility for athletes. It would also codify that agents for student-athletes must register with the state where the school is located and cannot take a fee more than 5%.
- Football coaches would be prohibited from becoming the head football coach at a different school mid-season. This will likely be known as the Lane Kiffin Rule if passed.
- For the purpose of more transparency, on July 1, each institution would be required to release, in an anonymized manner, information related to the NIL deals that were disclosed to the institution, including descriptions of the services rendered and the amount of compensation to the intercollegiate athletic association.
- Further, the bill addresses the House settlement and would prohibit anyone from trying to circumvent the revenue sharing cap. It would also establish a retention fund of $22.5 million annually for student-athletes who have spent at least one full season at the institution, and an additional layer of $5 million for non-revenue sports.
What does this mean for the future of college sports?
As mentioned above, it has now moved to the House but is far from a foregone conclusion that it will get enough votes to pass. Regardless, it shows that the NCAA, conferences, and lawmakers are attempting to regulate or at least add some rules to a situation that most people have considered the Wild West.
These attempts will likely continue no matter what the outcome of the PCSA ends up being. The only thing that seems certain from this is that NIL is not going anywhere.