In late 2025, the College Sports Commission (CSC) began digging into potential NIL violations at several schools, using the authority granted to it through the House v. NCAA settlement. Now, Nebraska has been confirmed as one of the two programs under official investigation.
According to documents obtained through email correspondence, the CSC flagged two Nebraska athletes-names withheld-over concerns that they may not have properly reported NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals through the required NIL Go system. That system, implemented post-House settlement, is meant to provide transparency and accountability in the fast-evolving NIL landscape.
The CSC formally notified Nebraska in mid-January, sending an email that outlined the scope of the inquiry: whether athletes from one of the school's teams failed to disclose NIL agreements with third-party entities, as mandated by the new regulations. The commission asked for a phone call with Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen and a member of the compliance staff to discuss the matter further.
Two weeks later, Nebraska responded, acknowledging that there had been some confusion on the athletes’ end-particularly around the timing of certain deals and when payments were received. The university indicated that the athletes were unsure whether those deals met the threshold for disclosure under the post-House settlement rules. The response also mentioned that one athlete was still trying to locate a contract for a deal that had yet to be submitted.
Right now, it's unclear whether the CSC considers the matter resolved or if Nebraska could face additional scrutiny. But the tone of the correspondence suggests that the commission sees this more as a case of misunderstanding than deliberate noncompliance.
Nebraska becomes the second program officially named in the CSC’s ongoing NIL compliance efforts. LSU was the first, and much like the Huskers, they pointed to confusion-not concealment-as the root of the issue.
This situation underscores just how complex and still-evolving the NIL reporting process is. Even as schools and athletes try to navigate these new waters, the CSC is clearly signaling that it’s watching closely-and that transparency, even amid confusion, is going to be a major point of emphasis moving forward.