# SEC Scouts NIL Weekly: Cap Investigations Loom as Mississippi State Fights to Keep Kamario Taylor **Published:** 2026-10-09 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** nil — **Type:** nil-weekly **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-scouts-nil-weekly-cap-investigations-loom-as-mississippi-state-fights-to-keep-kamario-taylor **Teams:** [Alabama](https://secscouts.com/alabama/), [Auburn](https://secscouts.com/auburn/), [LSU](https://secscouts.com/lsu/), [Miss State](https://secscouts.com/mississippi-state/), [Ole Miss](https://secscouts.com/ole-miss/), [South Carolina](https://secscouts.com/south-carolina/) --- ## The Week in SEC NIL The big NIL story this week is about enforcement, not a single signing. On Oct. 8, CBS Sports reported that the College Sports Commission (CSC) is running longer-term investigations into five to 10 Power Four programs. The report says several of them are College Football Playoff contenders. Investigators are reportedly looking at third-party deals that may let programs get around the $21.5 million revenue-sharing cap for 2026-27, and they have held interviews on campuses. No schools have been named, no conference beyond "Power Four" has been identified, and no investigation has concluded. With some rosters reportedly costing $40 million to $50 million, every SEC compliance office should be paying attention. In Starkville, the fight to keep a breakout quarterback has become a public, alumni-funded effort. ## Biggest Deals **Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State (retention pledge).** Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones played at Mississippi State from 2013 to 2015. In late September he said he would donate to the Bulldogs' NIL efforts to help keep Taylor in Starkville, pointing out that "the salary cap doesn't exist in college." Front Office Sports reported that On3 values Taylor at $1.5 million. Outside speculation puts his potential value for next season between $5 million and $10 million. Taylor responded publicly: "If you know me, you know I bleed maroon and white." **Arch Manning, Texas (Topps).** On Sept. 3, before Texas opened its season against Texas State, Manning signed an exclusive trading-card and autograph deal with Topps. He had previously been exclusive with Panini America. The timing matters because Topps, owned by Fanatics, is now the exclusive trading-card licensee for the NFL and NFLPA. Manning's first autographs under the deal are expected in 2026 Bowman Football, the first recent Bowman release to mix college and NFL players. Financial terms were not disclosed. **Cam Coleman, Texas (CELSIUS).** On Aug. 26, CELSIUS named Coleman one of four core athletes on its 2026 football NIL roster, alongside Oregon's Dante Moore, Michigan's Bryce Underwood and Ohio State's Chris Henry Jr. Coleman is the only SEC player in that group. No values were released. **Auburn football roster (Peach Bowl, Inc. / Aflac Kickoff Game).** Auburn moved its Sept. 5 home game against Baylor to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. In exchange, Peach Bowl, Inc. arranged NIL activations for Auburn athletes tied to ticket sales and game-week events. On3 projected the arrangement could produce $4 million to $8 million in NIL for Auburn players. CBS Sports reported a figure of about $6 million, which neither Auburn nor the Peach Bowl has confirmed. Front Office Sports described the game as the "next step in player pay." **SEC women's basketball (Unrivaled).** In August, ESPN reported that the 3-on-3 league Unrivaled renewed NIL sponsorships with top college players. The group includes Texas' Madison Booker, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, and LSU's Jada Williams and Mikaylah Williams. ## Rising Stock No SEC player's value has climbed faster than **Kamario Taylor's**. As of Front Office Sports' Oct. 3 report, he led the SEC in passing touchdowns (14), total yards (1,377) and total yards per game (344.3). He threw three touchdowns in the 31-24 win over then-No. 19 Missouri, and Mississippi State was 4-0 and ranked 16th in the AP poll. **Keelon Russell** at Alabama, Taylor's former high school teammate, carries a $2 million On3 valuation, per Front Office Sports. At Ole Miss, **Trinidad Chambliss** ranked No. 8 in On3's July NIL valuations, the highest of any SEC quarterback on that list. ## School Spotlight: Texas and Mississippi State **Texas** has the most visible brand presence in the conference. Manning's move to Topps and Coleman's spot on the CELSIUS roster put two Longhorns in national campaigns this fall. An August roster-cost analysis from GSRA also listed Texas, Georgia and LSU among the most expensive rosters entering 2026. **Mississippi State** is the counterexample. The Athletic estimates the Bulldogs are a top-25 NIL spender nationally, not a top-five one. Their third-party NIL arm, State 1878, is built around content: Taylor appears in exclusive interviews and a full-length documentary about his upbringing. That model, plus alumni like Jones, is what Mississippi State is using to compete with programs that spend far more. **South Carolina** has added brand support to its program. In June, LaNorris Sellers announced a personal Nike deal as the Gamecocks moved from Under Armour to Nike on a reported 10-year, $77.5 million apparel agreement. ## Market Trends **Money is moving through approved channels faster.** The CSC cleared more than $227 million in NIL deals in July and August, per the Associated Press. That is close to the total cleared in NIL Go's entire first year. About $188.6 million of the July-August total came from deals with associated entities. From the platform's June 2025 launch through June 30, 2026, cleared deals totaled $355.24 million. **Enforcement is catching up to spending.** The CSC's focus on third-party deals that work around the cap puts collective-funded arrangements and event-based packages under closer scrutiny, even when they have been approved. **National brands want quarterbacks and receivers.** Nike, Topps, CELSIUS and Panini continue to concentrate their college football budgets on skill players. RallyFuel reported in September that 40 of Nike's 58 college football NIL athletes play at SEC schools. **Federal legislation is moving.** The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act 77-22, and the bill now goes to the House. ## Looking Ahead The CSC investigation is the story to watch. If any SEC program is named, it will change how the rest of the conference structures third-party deals for the rest of the season. On the field, Mississippi State's next game is against No. 7 Alabama, per Front Office Sports' Oct. 3 report. That puts Taylor in front of the conference's biggest audience while his valuation is under the most scrutiny. In recruiting, Nike's July class included Auburn running back commit Myson Johnson-Cook and five other prospects committed to SEC programs: Jaxon Dollar (Georgia), Elijah Haven (Alabama), Peyton Houston (LSU), Neimann Lawrence (Texas) and Gabriel Osborne Jr. (Oklahoma). Their brand portfolios should grow once they sign. --- **Sources:** [The Spun/Yahoo Sports (CBS Sports report on CSC investigations)](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/report-multiple-college-football-playoff-202143202.html) · [Front Office Sports – Can Miss State Keep Its Star QB](https://frontofficesports.com/newsletter/can-miss-state-keep-its-star-qb/) · [Bleacher Report – Chris Jones/Kamario Taylor](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25502793-chiefs-chris-jones-give-nil-money-keep-heisman-candidate-kamario-taylor-mississippi-state) · [Heavy – Arch Manning Topps deal](https://heavy.com/sports/cards/arch-manning-texas-topps-deal/) · [Sports Collectors Daily – Manning/Topps](https://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/arch-manning-signs-exclusive-trading-card-deal-with-topps/) · [NIL Newsstand – CELSIUS 2026 roster](https://www.nilnewsstand.com/updates/celsius-2026-nil-football-roster-dante-moore-bryce-underwood) · [Front Office Sports – Auburn Atlanta NIL](https://frontofficesports.com/article/nil-hits-week-1-auburns-atlanta-game-marks-next-step-in-player-pay/) · [SportsEpreneur – Peach Bowl NIL model](https://sportsepreneur.com/peach-bowl-nil-neutral-site-football/) · [ESPN – Unrivaled NIL deals](https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/49609172/hidalgo-strong-ncaa-players-inking-nil-deals-unrivaled) · [MyNorthwest/AP – CSC clears $227M](https://mynorthwest.com/national/in-a-major-increase-csc-clears-more-than-227m-worth-of-nil-deals-in-july-and-august/4274070) · [Buckeye Sports – On3 valuations](https://buckeyesports.com/jeremiah-smith-lands-in-top-five-of-on3s-largest-nil-valuations/) · [EssentiallySports – Sellers/Nike](https://www.essentiallysports.com/ncaa-college-football-news-sec-qb-and-his-teammates-sign-nil-deal-with-nike-as-program-sets-for-seventy-seven-five-m-switch-south-carolina-gamecocks-lanorris-sellers/) · [RallyFuel – Nike NIL 2026](https://blog.rallyfuel.com/nike-nil-2026/) · [Saturday Down South – Nike SEC signees](https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/news/college-football/nike-signs-6-sec-stars-to-nil-roster/) · [Senate Commerce – Protect College Sports Act](https://www.commerce.senate.gov/press/dem/release/bipartisan-protect-college-sports-act-advances-to-full-senate/) · [GSRA – Most expensive rosters 2026](https://gsra.org.uk/2026/08/17/7-most-expensive-college-football-rosters-entering-2026-season/) --- *Original article: [SEC Scouts NIL Weekly: Cap Investigations Loom as Mississippi State Fights to Keep Kamario Taylor](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-scouts-nil-weekly-cap-investigations-loom-as-mississippi-state-fights-to-keep-kamario-taylor) — SEC Scouts*