Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association approves NIL rights

The Legislative Council for the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) approved NIL rights for its athletes with a unanimous vote on Thursday. The change in bylaws allows high school athletes to engage in permissible NIL activities immediately.

Notably, Tennessee is just the second southern state where a high school athletic association has allowed athletes to pursue NIL opportunities while retaining their eligibility.

In April, the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) announced its bylaws allow high school athletes to engage in NIL deals. However, talent-rich states such as Florida, Georgia and Texas don’t allow high school athletes to engage in NIL activities.

Tennessee is now the 22nd state, plus the District of Columbia, with a high school athletic association that grants NIL rights to athletes. Here you can view the current rules regarding in every state.

The TSSAA’s Legislative Council is made up of 12 administrators who have the authority to change the association’s constitution and bylaws. Council members are elected for three-year terms.

Athletes who compete in the TSSAA can’t engage in NIL activities that involve their on-field performance. Neither the TSSAA nor member schools can be involved and athletes can’t use school or association marks during NIL activities.

Tennessee is home to blue-chip recruits

According to the On3 Consensus, there are 10 four-star football recruits in the 2023 recruiting class who live in Tennessee. EDGE Caleb Herring, who’s committed to Tennessee and ranked No. 72 nationally, has an On3 NIL Valuation of $160,000.

Other notable recruits include Notre Dame quarterback commit Kenny Minchey, uncommitted linebacker Arion Carter and Alabama tight end commit Ty Lockwood, each of whom is ranked between the No. 195 and No. 210 recruit nationally.

Four-star shooting guard Blue Cain, who’s committed to Georgia Tech and ranked No. 94 nationally, is the highest-ranked men’s basketball recruit in the state in the 2023 recruiting class.

The On3 NIL Valuation is a proprietary algorithm that calculates an athlete’s projected annual value in the NIL landscape. It utilizes data points including an athlete’s performance, influence and exposure.

The On3 NIL Valuation incorporates an athlete’s brand value and roster value. Brand value represents the value of an athlete’s personal brand to regional and national sponsors. Roster value represents the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school. It factors in the role of NIL collectives.

Here you can learn more about the On3 NIL Valuation.