Five-star Notre Dame OT commit Will Black missing out on NIL packages due to visa restrictions

In one of the top offensive linemen classes in recent years, Will Black stands out.

Already locked in with Notre Dame, he’s viewed as one of the most physically gifted Class of 2025 recruits at 6-foot-7.5 and 283 pounds. Black is the second-ranked overall player, according to On3.

“In my time evaluating high school prospects, the 2025 cycle to this point is the deepest I’ve seen on the offensive line,” On3’s Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said. “Will Black leads that group going into his senior year. He has incredible size, length and a developmental frame. He’s an elite athlete at that size. You see all his skills on the field. He’s only played high school football in the United States for one season.”

Despite playing high school football in the United States at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, Black is a native of London, Ontario. He cannot profit from NIL in the U.S. due to immigration regulations on F-1 student visas from participating in employment. Instead, Black would have to execute NIL deals when he’s back home in Canada.

This is while comparable recruits from the U.S. are landing NIL packages set to pay in the high six-figures to $1 million annually.

“If he was American, things would be a lot different,” said Sharon Black, his mother. “We would be talking to a lot more people. I may have hired somebody at this stage to help.”

Will Black missing out on life-changing dollars

Last week, five-star offensive lineman Josh Petty agreed to terms of a three-year Roster Value deal with an annual payment of at least $800,000 with Georgia Tech.

Pat Curran, who has executed multiple agreements with NIL collectives in recruiting and the transfer portal with Curran Media Co., confirmed to On3 that Black is missing out on “life-changing money.”

“He’s a guy who could make high six figures a year,” said Curran, projecting Black’s potential value. “There’s obviously no guarantee this dude’s going to make the NFL just because he’s a top 10 player in the country. He shouldn’t become a discount player for anyone [because he’s an international athlete].”

Friends of the University of Notre Dame (FUND), the official NIL collective for the Fighting Irish, declined to comment on Black’s situation. However, given the current position in the offensive tackle market, Black could have a lucrative NIL package lined up.

F-1 visa restrictions are holding that up.

“Obviously, I’d like to make money if I could,” Will Black told On3. “I’m not really worried about NIL money right now. I’m just going to focus on doing what I can do, and developing and getting better at football. The end goal is the NFL – that’s where the big money is.

“… Like, it’s time to change. Ten years ago, that wasn’t really happening. It’s cool that high school athletes can do that now. It’s 100% unfair that international athletes don’t have the same opportunity.”

Concerns over losing Notre Dame scholarship

F-1 visas provide for only limited employment authorization types, most of which must be connected to the degree the athletes pursue. As a result, it has been exceedingly difficult for international athletes – about 12% of Division I are international athletes – to legally participate in NIL in the U.S.

Typical NIL deals because they require an athlete to perform a service for compensation, which conflicts with immigration policy. Most U.S. visa regulations have not been updated since 1986.

The top concern at this stage of Will Black’s recruitment is to keep his scholarship offer from Notre Dame intact. Most frustrating for the family has been NIL agents and financial advisors approaching them without knowing the offensive tackle is from Canada and cannot monetize his NIL.

“I don’t want to get in trouble,” Sharon Black said. “I don’t want to jeopardize his visa. … We’re not American. I would love for things to change. If things changed, then we would definitely take advantage of it. But what am I going to do?”

Possible NIL workarounds exist for Will Black

Opportunities exist for athletes to make dollars outside U.S. borders, as former Kentucky men’s basketball standout Oscar Tshiebwe demonstrated when he made a reported $500,000 during a preseason trip to the Bahamas in August 2022. Former Purdue center Zach Edey followed suit when the Boilermakers played Alabama in Toronto last December.

Will Black could follow a similar path if Notre Dame were to travel out of the country for spring practice? The Fighting Irish typically take a group of athletes to New York City in July for their media days as an independent program. What if Marcus Freeman re-routed to Canada?

Along with receiving passive income outside of the U.S., Notre Dame’s FUND could purchase his licensing rights.

“International student-athletes are now just being treated as second-class sort of citizens,” sports immigration lawyer Ksenia Maiorova previously told On3. “They’re just simply unable, legally, to take advantage of NIL on par with their U.S. counterparts.”

In the more than 30 months of the NIL Era, just one known international athlete – Hansel Emmanuel – has secured an O-1 visa, which requires an individual to prove he or she has extraordinary ability. Emmanuel has since lost the visa.

If Black were to land the visa classification down the road, he would have the ability to pursue NIL deals in the U.S. through his newfound work authorization.

“I don’t really talk about it too much because it is how it is,” Black told On3.