
NIL
NIL Rules Apply to High School Athletes! Well, Almost
College athletics in the United States underwent a substantial change in July of 2021 after individual states began enacting laws to permit student-athletes to legally monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) without the fear of losing either their athletic scholarship or eligibility. These state laws, for the most part, now allow college athletes to […]


College athletics in the United States underwent a substantial change in July of 2021 after individual states began enacting laws to permit student-athletes to legally monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) without the fear of losing either their athletic scholarship or eligibility. These state laws, for the most part, now allow college athletes to receive compensation from brands, marketing firms, broadcasting, and social media companies, or any other entity that wishes to retain their services. As college athletes began to capitalize on their individual NIL, the question became – what about high school athletics? Could a student-athlete competing at the high school level earn compensation from their NIL comparably to a college athlete? The answer – depends on the state in which that athlete is competing.
Currently, forty states, in addition to the District of Columbia, permit high school athletes to earn money from selling or licensing their NIL rights without forgoing eligibility or the right to participate. Of the ten remaining states, five have legislation currently pending that could eventually permit such activities.1 Interestingly, one state that previously banned NIL practices was North Carolina – that was until a lawsuit was filed against the state’s Board of Education compelling them to do otherwise.
That lawsuit, brought by Rolanda Brandon, on behalf of her minor son Faizon Brandon (a highly rated 5-star quarterback), was filed on August 23, 2024, in North Carolina’s General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division against the North Carolina State Board of Education and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Per the complaint, the Brandons asserted that although the state of North Carolina’s legislature did direct the North Carolina State Board of Education to regulate how high school athletes could monetize their NIL, that the Board, in lieu of regulating, prohibited it outright.2 Because the Board of Education exceeded their delegated statutory authority, the Brandons claimed, its NIL prohibition was arbitrary and capricious and therefore invalid pursuant to N.C. State Stat. Section 1-253 and the North Carolina Rule of Civil Procedure 57. The Brandons sought a preliminary injunction against the Board’s NIL ban due to the fact that Faizon and his family would be irreparably harmed financially because it precluded them from entering into a formal licensing and endorsement agreement with NIL Sponsor 1, while also foreclosing any additional opportunities with other businesses in the future.3
By way of background, in September of 2023, the North Carolina state legislature adopted a bill directing the Board of Education to “adopt rules governing high school interscholastic athletic activities conducted by public school units” including “student amateur status requirements, and rules related to use of a student’s name, image, and likeness.”4 On July 1, 2024, the North Carolina State Board of Education, in lieu of adopting a set of regulatory rules, instead outright banned every public high school athlete from using his or her name, image, or likeness for commercial purposes.5 That outright prohibition, however, apparently was an overreach by the Board of Education because on October 1, 2024, Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley granted the Brandons’ motion for preliminary injunction and enjoined the Board from prohibiting any athlete attending a public school in the state of North Carolina from exercising his or her right to monetize their NIL.
Although the state of North Carolina’s ruling is not legal precedent for the other remaining states currently foreclosing high school athletes from monetizing their NIL, those states should take notice and understand that their prohibition may be vulnerable to a legal challenge. That being said, with no national standards regarding NIL, most of the forty states that do allow for monetization rest upon their high school athletics governing bodies to formulate any and all rules and regulations. This leads to a variation of standards between states, but there are a few key restrictions present in most of these rules that high school athletes should be aware of:
- High school athletes typically may not refer to or include their school’s uniforms, logos, colors, or facilities of the state’s high school athletic association in their NIL activities.
- High school athletes are typically prohibited from partnering with gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, firearms, ammunition, and other adult categories of brands.
In those states where NIL opportunities are allowed, high school athletes have a chance for a significant financial windfall. However, athletes, their parents, and those advising them must ensure that any NIL agreement is in accordance with the applicable rules of their state, since noncompliance could lead to loss of eligibility to participate in athletic competition, which will certainly jeopardize any future athletic and financial opportunities.
1 Michigan, Delaware, Wyoming, Texas, and Alabama.
2 Brandon v North Carolina Board of Education, et al, 24CV026975-910
3 24CV026975-910 Complaint at page 20.
4 2023 N.C. Sess. L. 133 Section 17. (a) (N.C. Gen Stat. Section 115C-407.55(1)(h))
5 ATHL-008 (NIL Prohibition).
NIL
Inside College Football’s Free-Agency Chaos
As the head of Louisville’s official NIL (name, image, and likeness) collective, Dan Furman has overseen tens of millions of dollars in athlete payments, and he helped redefine how collectives, schools, and players operate in this new era of college athletics. In this episode of Next Up with Adam Breneman, Dan shares how 502Circle started […]

As the head of Louisville’s official NIL (name, image, and likeness) collective, Dan Furman has overseen tens of millions of dollars in athlete payments, and he helped redefine how collectives, schools, and players operate in this new era of college athletics.
In this episode of Next Up with Adam Breneman, Dan shares how 502Circle started with just $12,000 in the bank and scaled into one of the most sophisticated and respected collectives in the country. He opens up about the realities of running seven-figure monthly payrolls, the daily chaos of the transfer portal, and why player negotiations now resemble professional free agency. From in-house battles over donor dollars to dealing with underqualified agents and “runners,” Dan lays out the messy, high-stakes truth behind the NIL headlines.
Adam and Dan also dive deep into the impact of the new revenue-sharing model and how the College Sports Commission is reshaping the rules of engagement, why storytelling and brand-building are now essential tools in recruiting and fundraising, and more.
NIL
House settlement provides level NIL playing field in SEC, Pittman says
Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement has leveled the playing field in college football. ATLANTA — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team. Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance […]

Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement has leveled the playing field in college football.
ATLANTA — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team.
Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said Thursday at SEC media days his program previously dealt with a financial disadvantage against the schools with more established name, image and likeness collectives since NIL payments began in 2022.
According to the terms of the House settlement, each school now can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes.
“Financially with revenue sharing I think we are finally back on even keel with everybody, which we weren’t,” said Pittman, whose team finished 7-6 in 2024. “If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well. … But I think now with it being even, look out, the Razorbacks are coming.”
Pittman and most other coaches brought seniors and graduate players to represent their teams at SEC media days, which concluded on Thursday. Pittman brought two 2021 recruits and a transfer, but Arkansas could have difficulty finding seniors next year from his original 2022 signing class because many members of that class have transferred.
Pittman, whose Razorbacks have earned bowl bids in four of his five seasons, said players have different reasons for transferring but many were lured away from Arkansas by more attractive NIL packages at other schools. When asked about the 2022 class, Pittman said, “Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught.”
“That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances.”
The House settlement era began on July 1.
The enforcement of the House settlement is still being worked out as the new College Sports Commission has informed athletic directors in letters last week it was rejecting payments to players from collectives created only to pay players instead of as payment for name, likeness and image.
Some seniors at SEC media days said NIL payments and the transfer portal have contributed to their decisions to complete their eligibility instead of leaving school early to pursue opportunities in the NFL.
“I would most definitely say so,” Missouri offensive lineman Connor Tollison said. “Obviously, you know, you have a chance to make some money these days. … With the transfer portal, if you don’t have a necessarily a good opportunity at this place you’re at, you have the chance to go somewhere else and get a fresh start. It wasn’t necessarily something I experienced to my college career, but I’ve seen it. You know, it works for plenty of players. So yeah, I think it’s good for the players.”
When asked if NIL makes it easier for players to complete their eligibility, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, coming off a 4-8 season, said, “Listen, we all love our players, whether they’re one year in our program, six months, or four years.”
Linebacker Alex Afari, defensive back Jordan Lovett and tight end Josh Kattus were the seniors who accompanied Stoops to Atlanta.
“Of course I love making money from name, image and likeness,” Lovett said. “But I love football first. You know, football was my first love. So I play for the game, not for money.”
Lovett added his primary motivation for returning was to earn his first win over Georgia.
“It’s the big part of college football now because some dudes just make decisions off, you know, the financial stuff,” Lovett said. “I love football. … I still haven’t, you know, beat Georgia yet. You know, Georgia’s one of my goals.”
Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NIL
What Bronco Mendenhall said about how Utah State football is trending
Any weirdness surrounding Bronco Mendenhall being Utah State football’s head coach should dissipate almost entirely after Thursday. Decked out in Aggie gear at Mountain West media days in Las Vegas, Mendenhall has — by all appearances — fully embraced USU. During an appearance on the Mountain West Network, he quickly — and correctly — cited […]

Any weirdness surrounding Bronco Mendenhall being Utah State football’s head coach should dissipate almost entirely after Thursday.
Decked out in Aggie gear at Mountain West media days in Las Vegas, Mendenhall has — by all appearances — fully embraced USU.
During an appearance on the Mountain West Network, he quickly — and correctly — cited Utah State football’s recent history, differentiating his current job from his old one (New Mexico).
He noted the Aggies’ successes over the last decade-plus, getting to bowl games regularly even with considerable turmoil in and around the program and athletic department, and he cited high expectations that exist in Logan after multiple 10-plus win seasons since 2012.
“The winning is different (at Utah State),” Mendenhall said. “The history is different. The expectations are different on a yearly basis.”
He unabashedly praised The HURD, Utah State’s boisterous, maybe even a little belligerent, student section.
“The HURD is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Unbelievable.”
He noted that two of his sons have transferred to Utah State since he took the head coaching job, with Breaker — a former Aggie player — back on the football team even.
Six months after taking the job, it really does look like Mendenhall is Utah State football, and because of that, there still isn’t much known about the Aggies ahead of the 2025 season.
Much like he did in the spring, when he closed practices to the general public, Mendenhall continues to want to keep a shroud over his program, at least for the time being.
In the spring the reasoning had to do with the NCAA transfer portal and tampering. Mendenhall didn’t want to lose players to other programs, players he needed to help quickly rebuild Utah State.
For the most part, the strategy worked. Utah State has brought in 87 players since Mendenhall took over, and the vast majority have remained with the program. Mendenhall did concede that not everyone was thrilled with his decision at the time, though.
“It’s always difficult because I was looking to connect with the community, looking to engage, looking to unite, and here I am closing practice,” Mendenhall said. “But I was transparent about the reason. As long as there is a transfer portal after spring practice, I won’t open spring practice simply because of the roster being protected.
“I’m the steward over (the Utah State) program. I think everyone understood that. … I think it ended up serving its purpose. Not everyone was thrilled about the decision, but ultimately, now, I think everyone can see the benefit of it.”
Now, lack of details coming out of the Aggie program and Mendenhall are about creating a competitive advantage for the upcoming season.
Mendenhall made it clear Thursday he expects USU to be capable of being bowl eligible in 2025, no matter that the team was picked to finish No. 9 in the MWC preseason poll and ESPN’s FPI currently predicts the Aggies will win between four and five games.
Mendenhall noted that he wanted to keep those outside of the program in the dark, particularly when it comes to the offense under offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven.
“I’d like to be unnameable,” Mendenhall said. “So what style do we play? I don’t know, which makes it harder to prepare and I like the creativity that comes with that, and Kevin is a perfect fit that way.”
Mendenhall did say he believes USU’s secondary, headlined by senior Ike Larsen and New Mexico transfers Noah Avinger, Bryson Taylor and Bobby Arnold, will be a strength of the team’s this season.
“It’ll be a strong suit of our organization,” he said.
Mendenhall noted that Larsen, a game-breaking star at times at USU, had a down season in 2024, but is capable of bouncing back in a big way this year.
“He’s anxious to re-link the upcoming year to what he’s truly capable of and what will be needed from him,” Mendenhall said.
Mendenhall also praised quarterback Bryson Barnes, Utah State’s starting quarterback for next season.
“His experience is impeccable, the type of leadership, the type of grit, the type of determination and he’s dual threat,” Mendenhall said.
“As a defensive coach, you run out of numbers pretty fast when someone can run and throw. … And with the head coach that loves tough, competitive people and style of play, he’s a perfect fit for us.”
Mostly, though, Mendenhall talked about the culture he is trying to establish at Utah State, which anyone who has followed Mendenhall during the course of his coaching career is familiar with.
“The foundation is the expectations,” Mendenhall said, “and there’s a lot of research that talks about how the level of expectations determines outcomes. Our program is demanding. It’s challenging. It requires a lot, but by giving a lot, there’s a sacrifice part, but there’s also a connection part that’s deeper and interesting.
“Many (in college football) are afraid to ask that much because their players might leave, but what we have found, and what research shows, is just the opposite. The more you ask, the more sticky they become to your organization, and so our team is becoming more resilient. They’re becoming stronger. They’re more united by doing hard things together and that’s always led to pretty strong outcomes, at least in my career.”
Mendenhall has, by all objective measures, had a highly successful coaching career at the Division I level, first at BYU, then Virginia and New Mexico, so while there are still a lot of unknowns about Utah State football in its Mendenhall era, precedence suggests there is reason for optimism for Utah State football, in 2025 and in subsequent seasons to come.

NIL
Why Alabama Football could have college football’s No. 1 defense
From a position of being more than good last season, the Alabama Football defense can be better in the coming season. Among all FBS teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide defense finished at a credible No. 10 in Scoring Defense last season. Against FBS teams with a winning record, Alabama was No. 3 in allowing 4.62 […]

From a position of being more than good last season, the Alabama Football defense can be better in the coming season. Among all FBS teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide defense finished at a credible No. 10 in Scoring Defense last season. Against FBS teams with a winning record, Alabama was No. 3 in allowing 4.62 yards-per-play. National Champion Ohio State was only slightly better at 4.52 yards.
The problem for Alabama last season was when Kane Wommack’s defense was bad, it was glaringly bad. The Crimson Tide outscored Georgia, but gave up 519 yards to the Bulldogs. After the loss to Vandy, Alabama legends George Teague and Roman Harper questioned Wommack’s scheme. Harper stated that being “brutally honest …(the Tide’s) vision coverage was a failure, lacking eye discipline.”
Though the Tide’s defense improved in the latter half of the season, Oklahoma’s offense out-schemed Kane Wommack’s defense, allowing Jackson Arnold to rush for 131 yards.
A second season playing Wommack’s system should benefit many Alabama defenders. Based on the talents of individual players, a calculation by Pro Football Focus (PFF) projects the Crimson Tide will be college football’s No. 1 defense for 2025. PFF is sometimes questioned for its rating system. In ranking the best defensive teams, it does not consider how schemes will fare against a team’s schedule.
According to PFF, college football’s best defenses will be Alabama, Texas, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech. PFF’s short explanation for rating Alabama Football No. 1 is “Alabama is also the only school in college football that features a top-10 player at every defensive position.”
Using Phil Steele’s ranking of position groups, the Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan defenses are ahead of the Crimson Tide. Close behind Alabama in Steele’s calculations are Texas and Georgia.
According to a subjective projection by Saturday Down South, the SEC’s top defenses are expected to be in order: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. According to Steele, the Sooners have the 20th-best defensive back group, but OU is top four for defensive line and linebackers. Steele’s analysis does not rate Tennessee as being top five in the SEC.
An Alabama Football Defense at No. 1?
Talent and experience favor the Crimson Tide. Add into consideration depth and Alabama has the potential to be at or near No.1 defensively. To the extent scheme was a problem last season, it is reasonable to believe that Wommack, Mo Linguist, Chuck Morrell, Freddie Roach, and Christian Robinson have made adjustments.
When will Alabama football fans know how good the defense will be? The September date in Athens, GA will be telling. It is possible the Tide’s defensive front will prove too much for the Bulldogs’ offensive line.
NIL
National outlet ranks two different Kansas teams among some of the best in recent history
The Athletic’s Brendan Marks (subscription required) took on the daunting task of ranking each great college basketball team since 2000. The Jayhawks made some splashes throughout the list, No. 25 Kansas 2019-20 This was a fan favorite Kansas team of recent memory. When you think of “What if” teams, this one has to be up […]

The Athletic’s Brendan Marks (subscription required) took on the daunting task of ranking each great college basketball team since 2000. The Jayhawks made some splashes throughout the list,
No. 25 Kansas 2019-20
This was a fan favorite Kansas team of recent memory. When you think of “What if” teams, this one has to be up there for Jayhawk fans. This was a squad loaded with imressive stats. To start, a 28-3 record prior to the season’s cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Combine that with the fact that the Jayhawks marked a 48.4% from the field which ranked 9th-best in the nation, along with the second-best amount of losses in the nation (3).
In that shortened season, Kansas posed the 11th-best defense in the land as the 1882 points that Bill Self’s squad gave up helped drive a stout defense.
Kansas was in the midst of a 16-game winning streak, which has included a 64-61 win over the No. 1 Baylor in what was one of the final games of that season.
Now, maybe when you look at a majority of stats, there aren’t many that will jump out as “fantastic” but one really sticks out.
Stat website Sports Reference measure strength of schedule, by this description.
“The rating is denominated in points above/below average, where zero is average. Non-Division I games are excluded from the ratings.”
Kansas ranked the hardest SOS with an 11.63, was the only team with 25+ wins up until Baylor who ranked 32nd with a 9.13 SOS.
Leading the team was Devin Dotson with 18 points per game Udoka Azubuike followed up with 13.7 points per night.
6. Kansas 2007-08
Self’s fifth year at the helm of the Jayhawks ranks as his most wins as Kansas totaled 37 wins to just three losses.
A 20-game win streak launched the season for this special squad, which was halted by a 4-3 stretch before Self and Co. saw a 13-game win streak go off en route to a Kansas National Championship in that thrilling 75-68 OT win against a Memphis team marshaled by John Calipari and the high-flying Derrick Rose.
In the Final Four, Kansas beat up North Carolina by 18 points in a game that featured five future NBA Tar Heels in Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Ty Lawson, and Alex Stepheson.
Seven different Kansas players went on from that team to join the NBA, the likes of Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, Darnell Jackson, Sherron Collins, Sasha Kaun, and Cole Aldrich
Self’s team averaged 80.5 points per game, which ranked 13th in the nation, while also holding firm with a defense 21st-best which allowed just 61.5 points per game.
The leading scorer on that team was Brandon rush, who returned 13.3 points per game, three more Jayhawks kept over 10 points per game during that championship-winning season.
More Kansas Basketball News
NIL
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman says House settlement provides level NIL playing field in competitive SEC
ATLANTA — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team. Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said […]

ATLANTA — Sam Pittman says a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that went into effect this month levels the college football playing field in a good way for his Arkansas team.
Pittman said Arkansas now has a chance to compete on more even terms with other Southeastern Conference powers like Georgia, Alabama and Texas. Pittman said Thursday at SEC media days his program previously dealt with a financial disadvantage against the schools with more established name, image and likeness collectives since NIL payments began in 2022.
According to the terms of the House settlement, each school now can share up to about $20.5 million with their athletes.
“Financially with revenue sharing I think we are finally back on even keel with everybody, which we weren’t,” said Pittman, whose team finished 7-6 in 2024. “If I was going to make an excuse, it would be financially is why we haven’t done quite as well. … But I think now with it being even, look out, the Razorbacks are coming.”
Pittman and most other coaches brought seniors and graduate players to represent their teams at SEC media days, which concluded on Thursday. Pittman brought two 2021 recruits and a transfer, but Arkansas could have difficulty finding seniors next year from his original 2022 signing class because many members of that class have transferred.
Pittman, whose Razorbacks have earned bowl bids in four of his five seasons, said players have different reasons for transferring but many were lured away from Arkansas by more attractive NIL packages at other schools. When asked about the 2022 class, Pittman said, “Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught.”
“That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances.”
The House settlement era began on July 1.
The enforcement of the House settlement is still being worked out as the new College Sports Commission has informed athletic directors in letters last week it was rejecting payments to players from collectives created only to pay players instead of as payment for name, likeness and image.
Some seniors at SEC media days said NIL payments and the transfer portal have contributed to their decisions to complete their eligibility instead of leaving school early to pursue opportunities in the NFL.
“I would most definitely say so,” Missouri offensive lineman Connor Tollison said. “Obviously, you know, you have a chance to make some money these days. … With the transfer portal, if you don’t have a necessarily a good opportunity at this place you’re at, you have the chance to go somewhere else and get a fresh start. It wasn’t necessarily something I experienced to my college career, but I’ve seen it. You know, it works for plenty of players. So yeah, I think it’s good for the players.”
When asked if NIL makes it easier for players to complete their eligibility, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, coming off a 4-8 season, said, “Listen, we all love our players, whether they’re one year in our program, six months, or four years.”
Linebacker Alex Afari, defensive back Jordan Lovett and tight end Josh Kattus were the seniors who accompanied Stoops to Atlanta.
“Of course I love making money from name, image and likeness,” Lovett said. “But I love football first. You know, football was my first love. So I play for the game, not for money.”
Lovett added his primary motivation for returning was to earn his first win over Georgia.
“It’s the big part of college football now because some dudes just make decisions off, you know, the financial stuff,” Lovett said. “I love football. … I still haven’t, you know, beat Georgia yet. You know, Georgia’s one of my goals.”
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