In the world of college sports, it’s no secret that NIL is king.
”Had the NIL rules been in place when I was in college, I would have not had an NIL deal,” Governor Glenn Youngkin joked.
In an age of TikTok and brand deals, college athletes stand to make millions.
“This is about being competitive. And one thing that we know is Virginia can compete,” Youngkin said.
Your name, image and likeness — for some athletes, they stand to gain everything from it.
Big-name athletes like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark or LSU’s Livvy Dunn are making millions in brand deals, but the wording around regulations and how involved colleges can be with these deals has been up in the air.
“This is gonna be a program that’s gonna be managed by Virginia’s universities and colleges, and not by outside associations,” Youngkin said.
Starting July 1, Virginia schools can directly pay student-athletes for their name, image and likeness — something currently not allowed by NCAA rules.
“It gives the schools and the board of visitors the opportunity to set policies and procedures that are so important,” Youngkin said.
On top of this, it’s now illegal in Virginia for the NCAA to punish a school for compensating athletes for their NIL rights.
The legislation was worked on in collaboration with coaches and athletic departments across the commonwealth.
“It enables us to be competitive across the nation with other power five conferences, other major universities and it enables our athletes to fully benefit in their God-given skills,” Youngkin said.
It also allows the schools to be more involved in guiding athletes through the NIL process.
“You’ve got an 18 or 19-year-old that finds themselves on the other end of a very complicated contractual discussion, they need some help,” Youngkin said.
Youngkin said it opens up a whole new level of competition for Virginia sports.
“It breaks down barriers so that our athletes can fully benefit, and that an outside organization won’t restrict that,” he said.