Weekly Column: How 2025 Reshaped College Sports for the Algorithm Era

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans writes about the changes to college sports through NIL, contracts, and AI.

In 2026, the NCAA and college athletics will be defined by contract law, not the courts.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

Control in college sports has shifted from the NCAA and its institutions to platforms, data, and contracts. The year 2025 may be remembered for college sports crossing over from tradition-driven to data-driven. The growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL), private equity investments, College Football Playoff (CFP) expansion, the price of media rights, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in decision-making are converging forces upending the amateurism system.

NIL has altered the amateurism model. College sports, especially football and basketball, are professional in nature with an amateurism academic title and venue. NIL is no longer about endorsement contracts, it is about valuation models, predictions for success, and roster management (e.g., the transfer portal) through money and AI. Collectives and brands are increasingly reliant on analytics, audience metrics through social media and otherwise, and predictive tools. The legal tension comes in the form of contracts written for publicity rights that also intersect with data usage and performance metrics. Contracts must address publicity, privacy laws, and AI disclosures related to NIL and health. NIL is maturing into a more robust business model.

AI does not stop at NIL contracts. AI, data, and information systems have helped broadcast partners and conferences align schedules and members as well determining kickoff times. The athlete and coaching experience is increasingly being optimized for viewership, not tradition. Arkansas Razorbacks head basketball coach John Calipari and NBA legend Michael Jordan recently spoke on the topic on separate occasions by calling attention to the fact that college athletes are now asking “what they get” as opposed to “what they can contribute” to the team and games to win. The financial reward is now coming before work is completed or performance is proven. With the aforementioned in mind, long-term media contracts will need to lock-in provisions that affect athlete health and academic balance even if the market wants to push more professionalism. Where regulations are lacking, contract law can and will fill the gaps in 2026 and beyond.

AI also raises an ownership question: who owns athlete data, performance insights, biometric inputs, and AI-generated projections? Universities, platforms, athletes, and conferences all have competing claims to athlete data. In 2026, the expectation is that disputes will be not over immediate use, but over control, consent, and length of use (e.g., ownership in the long-term).

In 2026, the NCAA and college athletics will be defined by contract law, not the courts. This is because our constitutional republic requires state rights for powers not reserved in the federal government. States already have many version of NIL laws and the major House settlement will be in-play for at least the next decade unless a drastic lawsuit or circumstance changes the narrative. The proof is visible: regulation remains fragmented and slow, often playing catch-up to business and innovation, which means negotiated agreements, licensing terms, and collective action will help regulate the system before legislatures. Attorneys, agents, and administrators will define the next structure — intentionally or by default.

The year 2025 did not end college sports, it clarified it. The year 2025 signaled a change to the amateurism model where the education system provides a blanket of protection to allow for payment in college sports without the rules of professional sports. College athletics is now a professionalized ecosystem wearing an academic label in an education system. The model heading into 2026: Contract terms will control the college ecosystem until regulation catches up to change.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. Evans is an award-winning attorney and industry leader based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.