S. 4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026

College athletes would get a federal set of rules for name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals under S. 4668, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026. Schools, conferences and associations such as the NCAA could not stop athletes from entering NIL agreements, subject to specified limits. Athletes would have to report NIL compensation above $600 to their school, agents would have to register with a state, and agent fees on endorsement contracts would be capped at 5%.

The bill would give athletes one transfer without losing eligibility, and would bar football personnel from becoming head coach at a different school in the same season. It would make the cap on revenue sharing from the House settlement permanent, with an annual inflation adjustment, and would generally keep Division I conferences from reducing the number of sports teams their members must sponsor. It would also grant a limited antitrust exemption for schools and conferences that jointly sell their media rights, if at least 75% of Football Bowl Subdivision schools take part.