NIL gets green light for high school student-athletes in Connecticut

Connecticut has joined a short list of states across the nation that allows their student-athletes to participate in NIL without jeopardizing their eligibility.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference approved a proposed language change to include NIL in its Amateur Athletic Guidelines. With this, athletes can now monetize their Name, Image and Likeness.

The state outlined the specific categories players are prohibited from using. They include adult entertainment products and services, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, controlled dangerous substances, prescription pharmaceuticals, gambling and weapons.

The Constitution State joins Kansas as the only other state to outline specific banned products and services.

Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana and Utah are the nine other states which allow high school athletes a workaround for athletes to receive financial compensation for their accomplishments on the field.

Connecticut’s new language makes clear student-athletes cannot use the state association or member school trademarks in NIL activities. Athletes are allowed to be represented by a lawyer or sports agent, too.

CT high school athletes should benefit

While Connecticut does not generate the most NFL or NBA talent per capita, the state has talent who will benefit from the change.

Olaus Alinen, a four-star offensive tackle, is a top-150 player in the class of 2023. With a $114,000 valuation per the On3 NIL Valuation system, he has potential to cash in. His NIL valuation has also jumped in the past 14 weeks with his recruitment down to Alabama and Ohio State, per On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. He ranks No. 153 in On3’s NIL high schools football rankings.

Quarterbacks Ryan Puglisi and Dante Reno are in the 2024 recruiting class and hold NIL Valuations over $20,000.

The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. However, it rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

The On3 NIL 100 is the first of its kind and the defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by market valuation.

Constitution State decision adds to murky NIL situation

The National Federation of State High School Associations doesn’t track state associations that allow NIL. State high school athletic associations across the country, however, have been having frank discussions about NIL.

“States are in catch-up mode,” Geoff Kimmerly, communications director with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, told Stateline. “It’s a very fast-moving process right now.”

The Ohio High School Athletic Association voted against student-athletes involvement in NIL activities while still being able to maintain their high school eligibility earlier this month.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association recently said it’s ready to discuss NIL. It will make it a priority this summer. Other state associations, such as Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Delaware and Massachusetts, are also discussing revisions to NIL rules. But in most of those states considering new high school referendums, NIL is currently against the rules.

Most high school associations – including major states like Texas, Florida and Georgia – prohibit student-athletes from participating in NIL. There are also 25 states that currently prohibit NIL altogether – at least at this point.

NIL has become a hot-button issue at the college level. The NCAA adopted a NIL policy on July 1, 2021, for all incoming and current student-athletes in all sports. The NCAA issued guidance in early May aimed at limiting the impact of boosters. Experts said the NCAA’s guidance did nothing to clear up the situation.