Name, image, and likeness (NIL) has changed the landscape of collegiate sports drastically in the four years it has been enacted. The ability for schools, donors, and alumni bases to provide fiscal support to entice recruits to their respective schools has flipped recruiting upside down. Massive deals have made national news. Bryce Underwood flipping from LSU to Michigan last year, based on a rumored $12-million deal, was a huge story. The biggest schools with massive wealthy alumni and fan bases have spent upwards of $35-40 million building elite championship-level rosters.
The program has even extended to high school athletes. Many states have laws in place allowing those high school amateurs to sell their own NIL rights prior to going to college. States with those rules have given the universities within their borders a significant recruiting advantage. Texas has just become a high school-friendly NIL state, and that could have a huge positive impact on Texas Tech and other Texas-based universities. before
This is a game-changer with official visit season now here. A top recruit in Texas, who is 17 or older, can now hypothetically ink a marketing agreement with an NIL collective before enrolling in a college. https://t.co/wjAAWaE1cy
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) June 5, 2025
By allowing 17-year-old Texas-based high school athletes to sign NIL deals, Gov. Abbott has opened the door for university collectives in charge of NIL dollars to influence young recruits. If a school like Texas Tech wants to recruit a big-time Texas-based player; their collective can hook them up with advertising and marketing opportunities with local brands near Lubbock. Alternatively, they can introduce them to alumni who own companies in corporations, funneling them money to influence them to attend Texas Tech over other rivals. Now, other schools can do this as well. The law helps all schools willing to begin investing in kids at a younger age. The NIL game continues to evolve, and the things we will see in the future are likely to be even more shocking than some of the numbers and deals we have already seen.
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