High school NIL: Allowed

New Mexico high school NIL rules

Yes. High school athletes in New Mexico can take NIL deals, with conditions.

Tell the school: None statewide
Agents: Not addressed
If a rule is broken: Loss of eligibility
Reaches middle school: Generally no

High school

Who sets the rules

NMAA (New Mexico Activities Association)

The rule

NMAA Handbook Section 6.17.3.A.3: an athlete forfeits amateur status by capitalizing on athletic fame in connection with the school team or school, but (a) this 'is not intended to restrict the right of any student to use their name, image, or likeness to participate in a commercial endorsement provided there is no school, school team, or NMAA affiliation' and (b) the student may not appear in school uniform or use school/NMAA names, marks or logos. Q&A 6 adds that hashtags or social-media tags referencing the school count as affiliation.

Tell the school

None statewide

None.

Off limits

No school/team/NMAA affiliation, uniform, marks, logos or social tags; no competing for money, no awards of monetary value, no free merchandise/meals tied to athletic participation (Q&A 1-3); contracts for services as an athlete representing the school prohibited except a college letter of intent (6.17.4). No product-category list, collective language or agent rule. Also applies to esports participants.

Agents

Not addressed

If a rule is broken

Loss of amateur status, i.e., ineligibility to represent the school in that sport.

Middle school, club and travel ball

NMAA governs member-school activities; nothing specific to middle school. Awards in non-school events are judged by NCAA guidelines for the sport (6.17.7); playing with/against professionals allowed but not while representing the school.

Recent changes

None identified in the current Section VI bylaws posted at nmact.org.

College state law

Law in force

The law

NMSA 1978 §§ 21-31-1 to 21-31-4, Student Athlete Endorsement Act (SB 94, Laws 2021), applying to contracts entered on or after July 1, 2021. Citation consistent with the enacted act (sections 1-5 of SB 94).

Disclosure

The Act has no athlete disclosure requirement.

Schools paying athletes

Not addressed; the Act bars institutions from arranging third-party NIL compensation or using NIL deals as recruiting inducements (Sec. 3.A(4)), and bars institution-affiliated representatives from representing athletes (Sec. 4).

For high school recruits

Only indirectly: institutions may not use NIL deals as inducements to recruit prospective student athletes. No high school provision.

NCAA Division I, everywhere

Every deal worth $600 or more (added up per payer) entered since July 1, 2025 or the start of junior year, whichever is later, must be reported through NIL Go within 14 days of starting classes or before the first game.

Recruits enrolling on or after August 1, 2026 may hire agents under the April 15, 2026 Division I rule. The NJCAA still ends eligibility for a written agent agreement.

The full college-bound guide

Quick answers

Can high school athletes in New Mexico make NIL money?

Yes. High school athletes in New Mexico can take NIL deals, with conditions. NMAA Handbook Section 6.17.3.A.3: an athlete forfeits amateur status by capitalizing on athletic fame in connection with the school team or school, but (a) this 'is not intended to restrict the right of any student to use their name, image, or likeness to participate in a commercial endorsement provided there is no school, school team, or NMAA affiliation' and (b) the student may not appear in school uniform or use school/NMAA names, marks or logos. Q&A 6 adds that hashtags or social-media tags referencing the school count as affiliation.

Do New Mexico athletes have to tell the school about an NIL deal?

None statewide. None.

Does a travel ball or club deal count in New Mexico?

State association rules follow the athlete, not where the deal came from. A deal through a travel team is fine as long as nothing ties back to the school team. NMAA governs member-school activities; nothing specific to middle school. Awards in non-school events are judged by NCAA guidelines for the sport (6.17.7); playing with/against professionals allowed but not while representing the school.

Can a New Mexico high school athlete use an agent for NIL?

Not addressed.

Sources

Last verified November 4, 2026. High school rule text: NMAA Handbook Section VI Eligibility Bylaws, 6.17 (current posting, retrieved Nov. 4, 2026; no edition date printed in the section)

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