NC high school athletes can now get NIL deals. See how many are getting paid.

A dozen North Carolina high school athletes have signed name, image and likeness deals, including a player who is getting more than $1 million.

A report presented Wednesday to the State Board of Education says 12 athletes were paid in the 2024-25 school year to promote products such as sports drinks and athletic apparel. State officials said most agreements were for very small amounts, but one “outlier” was a deal for $1.2 million over two years that likely went to Faizon Brandon, the star quarterback at Grimsley High School in Greensboro.

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Brandon wasn’t directly mentioned by name in the report or the presentation. But Brandon has signed several highly publicized contracts since his lawsuit paved the way for public high school NIL deals in North Carolina.

“The $1.2 million was a quarterback who has great potential to some folk down the road,” said state board member J. Wendell Hall. “That’s why that popped up — $1.2 million is not a bad income for a junior or senior.”

Most NIL deals for small amounts

The state board hadn’t planned on allowing NIL deals until the 2025-26 school year.

In August 2024, Brandon’s family filed a lawsuit against the state board for banning public school athletes from signing NIL deals. The family said the ban was costing Brandon “a life-changing NIL opportunity.”

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In October, Wake County Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley issued an injunction allowing high school athletes to immediately profit from their name, image and likeness.

Since then, the state board has formalized the rules governing NIL deals. This includes requiring athletes to report NIL deals to their schools. Administering athletic organizations have to report NIL deals to the state board.

The N.C. High School Athletics Association said 12 students from 11 schools had reported signing 17 agreements in the 2024-25 school year. There were no NIL violations reported among the NCHSAA’s 442 member schools.

Aside from the $1.2 million deal, there were two different agreements for $10,000 each, according to Brad Alford, director of the Office of Athletics for the state Department of Public Instruction. Alford said the remaining agreements were for smaller amounts, such as the value of the item the athletes were endorsing.

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The much smaller Carolina Athletic Association for Schools of Choice, which has 20 members, reported no NIL deals or violations.

Nationally ranked football player

Most high school athletes will never sign a NIL deal. But Rivals Industry Rankings placed Brandon as a five-star recruit, the No. 3 quarterback in the nation and No. 11 player overall, and the No. 1 player in North Carolina, Athlon Sports reported.

Since the state ban was lifted, Brandon has signed NIL deals with 7UP and Leaf Trading Cards, Sports Illustrated reported. Brandon also sells branded sports apparel on his website.

Brandon’s NIL valuation of $977,000 on On3.com ranks third among high school quarterbacks nationally, according to Sports Illustrated.

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Brandon is the reigning Mr. N.C. Football, an award given annually by The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer to the state’s top football player. The Grimsley High senior has committed to play for the University of Tennessee.