NCAA Division I Enacts New NIL Rules To Curb Recruiting Influence

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors has implemented two significant changes to its Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules to increase transparency and oversight. Schools are no longer permitted to guarantee players money from third-party NIL deals, and any collective or booster deals must include a specific "direct activation" tied to a particular endorsement or service, addressing previous issues with "warehousing" NIL rights without clear obligations. These adjustments aim to prevent schools from covering collective payments that fail and ensure NIL agreements have measurable activations, with prior agreements now counting against schools' spending caps. Additionally, the NCAA will require high school recruits to disclose NIL deals to the NCAA Clearinghouse at enrollment for better monitoring. Meanwhile, the NCAA is also making strides in women's basketball by relocating the 2028 Women's Final Four to Indianapolis's Lucas Oil Stadium, significantly increasing seating capacity to reflect the sport's growing popularity. This move aligns with other recent Final Four site changes and highlights the NCAA's recognition of women's basketball's upward trajectory.