High-school NIL: prohibited (narrow 2025 carve-out). College NIL is addressed by state law alongside the NCAA/House framework. Agent rules below.
UIL rules still bar NIL compensation for high-school athletes as a condition of eligibility. HB 126 (2025) created a narrow lane: prospective college athletes 17 or older may sign NIL agreements connected to their future college enrollment — but general HS NIL remains off-limits, and athletes 16 or younger (and their families) may not sign at all.
A Texas high-schooler generally cannot do brand deals while UIL-eligible; a 17-year-old committed recruit may sign college-connected NIL paper under HB 126.
Texas's NIL statute permits college compensation and was amended (HB 126) to authorize direct institutional payments and align Texas schools with the House settlement.
Third-party NIL and school revenue-share are both lawful for Texas college athletes within NCAA/House limits.
Texas requires athlete agents to register with the Secretary of State before soliciting or representing athletes.
Unregistered agents cannot lawfully recruit Texas athletes; the Secretary of State maintains the registration list.
State law is only half the rulebook. Wherever you play, the NCAA framework reshaped by the House settlement — plus one federal statute on agents — sits on top of your state's rules.
Since July 2025, Division I schools that opted into the House v. NCAA settlement may pay athletes directly, capped at roughly 22% of average power-conference athletics revenue — about $20.5M per school in year one, rising annually. Roster limits replaced scholarship limits.
Third-party NIL deals of $600 or more must be reported through NIL Go, the clearinghouse run by the College Sports Commission with Deloitte, which reviews deals against a fair-market-value standard.
The College Sports Commission — not the NCAA — enforces the settlement's compensation rules for participating schools. Portions of the settlement remain subject to appeal, so details can shift.
The federal SPARTA statute prohibits agents from using false promises, providing inducements, or failing to disclose required warnings when recruiting student-athletes — in every state, on top of any state act.
NIL law moves fast. These summaries are educational, current as of July 2026, and are not legal advice — rules cited here change frequently and some remain subject to pending litigation. Confirm the current rule before acting on it, or ask us. Attorney advertising.
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