5 years of NIL: The Dallas Morning News reflects on the impact of name, image and likeness

Five years ago, the nation was introduced to a three-letter acronym that forever altered the landscape of college athletics.

Name, image, likeness, more colloquially known as NIL, was officially instituted on July 1, 2021. For the first time in the more than 100-year history of the NCAA, athletes whom the organization had always strictly considered amateurs were allowed to profit off their personal brands.

In a series of stories, The Dallas Morning News reflected on the impact of NIL over the last five years. Here is everything to know about NIL. 

— What is NIL? Breaking down the topic’s five-year anniversary and its impact on college sports

— Unlevel playing field: As NIL era turns 5 today, Texas high school athletes remain restricted

— As NIL pricetags hit new highs, so does the danger of ‘shady agents’ and predatory contracts

— For the WNBA, NIL has skyrocketed visibility, creating unprecedented leverage for players

NIL, or “name, image and likeness” is a person’s legal right to control how their image is used, including commercially. College athletes had long been prohibited from profiting off their NIL, but changes to NCAA rules and state laws gave them the ability to do so five years ago. Athletes can now sign sponsorship and brand deals, make paid appearances and social media posts and sign autographs.

Read more here.

On the Fourth of July last year, as Mansfield Lake Ridge five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo was wrapping up a ceremony to announce his commitment to Texas Tech, his agent made a startling revelation.

Ojo — a rising high school senior — would be signing a historic, three-year revenue-share contract with Tech for a fully guaranteed $5.1 million, Derrick Shelby of Prestige Management said.

The amount seemed outlandish in the early days of college programs being able to pay athletes directly. But it was just the tip of the iceberg.

The 2026-27 name, image and likeness market is projected to reach $4.5 billion, and the average NIL budget at a Power 4 college is $36.6 million, according to Opendorse, a platform brands can use to connect with athletes. At Power 4 schools, 63.2% of the money comes from revenue-share contracts and 36.8% from commercial NIL.

Texas is one of the few states that doesn’t allow high school athletes to profit from NIL, but they can agree to deals that will begin paying them in college. Ojo’s, which will pay him more than some NFL players, shows the kind of lavish money available to highly ranked recruits.

As families and athletes look for guidance on how to navigate the complicated and lucrative NIL landscape, agents are in high demand. But some are getting too greedy, officials from the Texas High School Coaches Association say, and they’re working to establish guardrails to prevent agents from taking advantage of high school and college athletes.

Read more from Greg Riddle here.

College sports celebrates the five-year anniversary of the dawning of the name, image and likeness era, a seminal moment that enabled college athletes for the first time to make money from their brands.

The seismic evolution unfolding ever since has unlocked an athlete financial windfall. The 2026-27 NIL market is projected to reach $4.5 billion, according to data athlete marketplace Opendorse shared with The Dallas Morning News. The average SEC school’s annual budget is now $44.5 million. The going rate for a Power 4 conference starting quarterback is upwards of $2 million.

But as a more professional enterprise takes shape in college athletics, a much different NIL landscape is evolving at the high school level: A patchwork of state laws, colliding political forces, tensions throughout the public school ranks and a broad spectrum of ever-changing regulations. 

Yes, high school athletes can make money, if they reside in certain states, but not Texas — for now. Despite a surplus of talent, as much as any state nationwide, Texas has one of the country’s most restrictive NIL laws. A Texas high school athlete who is 17 or older can sign an NIL agreement with a college but cannot receive compensation while competing in University Interscholastic League sports.

Read more from Eric Prisbell and Greg Riddle here.

In the last several years of his 25 seasons as the women’s basketball coach at mid-major South Florida, Jose Fernandez spoke more with agents and lawyers than parents. 

Discussions with prospective athletes centered not around education, but what they would earn in Year 1. He noticed more players hitting the transfer portal and less willing to wait their turn.

“If I’m doing this in college, you know what, might as well go coach the best players in the world,” Fernandez, now the Dallas Wings coach, told The Dallas Morning News.

Five years after the dawn of name, image and likeness, the world Fernandez previously inhabited looks very different. 

Fewer athletes stay with one program over the course of their collegiate careers, and the burden of fundraising to retain and acquire them has been placed on coaches. Bidding wars have allowed the highest spenders to obtain the best talent, and programs have started hiring general managers, mirroring their staffs to resemble a professional team’s front office.

With money on the line, teens and families have found themselves in complex situations, particularly in states that have embraced NIL at the high school level — something Texas has yet to allow.

Read more from Myah Taylor here.