On Monday May 4, 2026, the Indiana High School Athletic Association (ISHAA) passed a new rule by a 13-5 vote that would implement Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals for high school athletes in the state of Indiana. Previously, Indiana would not allow student athletes to use their name, image, or likeness to profit without losing their eligibility to play. As of now, over 40 states have already approved high school athlete NIL, including California, Florida, and New York.
In recent years, college sports newscasting has needed to focus on a new section of the game; NIL money. NIL is a persons legal right to control how their name and image is used. It is an opportunity for college athletes to profit from playing their sports before becoming a professional.
Officially being implemented into college sports on July 1, 2021, it has become a major debate for whether or not college students should be able to make profit from playing a sport at a school they attend. People on both sides of this debate have varying arguments. One side argues that it ruins the game and makes it all about money, meaning the schools with more funding will inherit the most valuable players. The other side argues that these extremely talented young athletes should be rewarded for their skill as college sports can be as competitive and challenging, sometimes even more than professional sports.
One of the biggest controversies on college NIL is that some state laws are not very specific on how the college itself contributes to the aspect of the deal. Some are not allowed to be apart of it, while others have less strict guidelines.
A large part of this bill and why the IHSAA has now passed it is the way the athlete’s school is involved: no way at all. Students may not use the school in anyway to promote themselves. This includes the school’s name, logo, and uniform. Schools will have no part in this except the athletic department is required to be notified about any deals students may make.
MHS Football Head Coach Casey Gillin sees both benefits and some withdraws from the IHSAA approving this.
“I believe student-athletes should have the opportunity to benefit from their name, image, and likeness, but it has to be done the right way—with clear boundaries and education. The benefit is that it teaches real-world skills—branding, responsibility, financial literacy, and professionalism. Those are valuable lessons for young people. The concern is that it could create distractions, comparison, or division within teams if not managed properly. High school athletics are still about development, education, and team culture. If NIL becomes the focus instead of growth and team success, that’s where problems can arise,” Gillin said.
Mooresville High School has always prioritized the student in student athlete before the athlete in student athlete, not athlete-student. Gillin doesn’t think that NIL will reshape this, but does see the challenge it will bring for the coaches, students, and parents to make sure that students are still focused on schools work.
Students have varying beliefs on this. Sophomore Jameson Elliot is a two sport athlete (basketball and track), and wonders if NIL will bring problems to high school sports.
“I feel like that should be further down the road. I feel like high school is a time to learn about yourself and get friends, but if you’re there just trying to get money, then it might sidetrack you, then the grades might not really matter to you,” Elliot said.
Junior Pailyn Blair disgrees, saying it has the possibility of adding money to the students pocket, business’ pockets, and the schools pockets.
“If you’re doing something for small shops, and people to those small shops, see you, and they’re like ‘Oh, I know that name’, I want to go watch him. The schools not a part of it but they’re still getting the money from the people coming to games,” Blair said.
With this new rule comes a large amount of guidelines. Being described as an “amateur” version of NIL in college sports by IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig, some restrictions will apply. These include but are not limited to:
- Students may profit and monetize off of personal branding through social media and any other unrelated school school participation.
- A student may not use any IHSAA member school for profit.
- A student may not partner with any company associated with gambling, tobacco, alcohol, gaming, sexually explicit content, cannabis, or any illegal substance.
- A student may not do an activity that would entice them to transfer to a different school for athletic purposes.
- A student may not use any school logo, name, or attire in their profit.
This rule will officially take place during the 2026-2027 school year. Students should reach out to the Athletic Department when or if they sign an agreement.
