College athletes in Mississippi signing multimillion-dollar NIL deals could soon catch a major break. A newly passed state tax bill would make their earnings tax-exempt as early as next year. This move will likely shake up the NIL recruiting race in college football.

The Mississippi House passed a bill that would make players’ NIL earnings tax-free. They are making plans to slowly eliminate income tax for everyone over the next 10 years, but they will get college players’ benefits sooner than expected. Now, representative Trey Lamar supports the bill, as he thinks this will help Mississippi’s colleges attract more elite talent to the team.

“NIL is taking the country and coming by storm,” Lamar said. “Other states are doing it, and I believe it’s time that Mississippi starts doing this as well.”

This proposal will directly impact high-paying players like Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who is set to earn $5 million in the 2026 season after he won an extra year of eligibility by winning his case against the NCAA.

Ole Miss is not the only one that is providing tax advantages to the students. Teams like Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, which do not impose state income tax, and even Arkansas, join in the rally after passing a bill last year removing NIL earnings from income tax.

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This means five teams already have a recruiting advantage. With this change, players will be able to fully enjoy their financial benefits. Sometimes, athletes receive massive deals; for example, Michigan reportedly gave Bryce Underwood $10.5 million. However, players don’t always understand tax laws, which can create problems for them later. With this new law in place, there will be far less to worry about.

Apart from players’ benefit, it will be a major boost for the Ole Miss program, too. They have thrived under the NIL era as their athletic director, Keith Carter, and former player Walker Jones have worked tirelessly behind the scenes.

They lead The Grove Collective, which helped in gaining strong funds and support for their roster to bring in talented players like Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy, quarterback Jaxson Dart, and many others.

Their Grove Collective has built a network of around 7000 donors ranging from millionaires to college students. What worked in their favor is that despite Lane Kiffin’s sudden move from Ole Miss to LSU, their momentum didn’t take a hit; that confidence was pretty clear in Carter’s words.

“We may not have a T. Boone Pickens or a Phil Knight,” Carter said. “But when you put us all together collectively, pull the rope in the same direction, and people give not only what they can but maybe even a little above what they should, we’ve been able to be really good.”

That investment did help them big time with their first-ever playoff run last season. With the NIL front getting better, even Pete Golding is gaining trust.

Pete Golding’s season gets major backing

Pete Golding is entering his first-ever full season with Ole Miss after Lane Kiffin’s departure. Despite the coaching shakeup and a tough loss against Miami, they gathered a No. 2 transfer portal class and brought back many important players.

Around 19 players have announced their decision to return to Oxford for one last season. That success caught CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford’s attention as he included Ole Miss in his playoff qualifying teams.

“A couple of significant changes from our post-transfer portal initial playoff projection iteration this offseason include the inclusion of USC as a first-time CFP entry and Ole Miss, following the return of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss,” Brad Crawford said. “We’ve also moved Notre Dame from the No. 2 seed to No. 4, with the expectation that a single loss to Miami during the regular season would be enough for a first-round bye, but behind projected conference champions Texas and Indiana.”

Alongside bringing players into the team, Golding also made sure to tackle the coaching shakeups. After Lane Kiffin’s move to LSU, the entire offensive staff went with him, and that took a major hit at the Rebels’ bit, even though he brought key pieces and shaped the team. Let’s wait and see how this season turns out for them.