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NIL for Recruits
NIL rules for high school baseball recruits planning to play NCAA Division I. Rules checked Oct 18, 2026. Rules change, so confirm details on the linked sources and with each school's compliance office. This is general guidance, not legal or eligibility advice.
Report deals before your first D1 game
- If you plan to play D1, you must report every third-party NIL deal worth $600 or more (including non-cash benefits and smaller payments from the same payer that add up to $600).
- This covers payments made starting the first day of junior year or July 1, 2025, whichever is later.
- You report in NIL Go, the College Sports Commission's platform, within 14 days after you start full-time classes or before your first D1 game, whichever comes first. You can't use NIL Go until you're enrolled, so keep the paperwork now.
What isn't allowed
- No pay-for-play, and no NIL promise used to get you to sign.
- Deals with businesses tied to a college need a real business purpose, fair pay and actual NIL work.
- A school can't guarantee a third-party NIL deal.
High school rules come first
Whether you can do NIL deals during high school depends on your state's high school athletic association. Find yours in the NFHS State Association Directory, and talk to your athletic director before you sign anything.
Before you sign
- Get every deal in writing: who pays, what you do, for how long, and for how much.
- Don't sign a long-term agency or "marketing" contract without a lawyer reading it. The CSC says the label on an agreement doesn't change whether it must be reported.
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Questions to ask coaches about money, an offer comparison worksheet, and a parent etiquette page.
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