High school NIL: Not allowed

South Carolina high school NIL rules

No. South Carolina does not allow high school athletes to earn NIL money while they keep school eligibility.

Tell the school: Not applicable
Agents: Not applicable
If a rule is broken: Ineligible
Reaches middle school: Yes

High school

Who sets the rules

South Carolina High School League (SCHSL)

The rule

SCHSL By-Laws Article III, Section 14 (Amateur Status), 2026-27 edition: 'A student may not earn compensation from the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL)'. The bullet list that follows (not contingent on performance, no marks, etc.) is a leftover from the pre-June 2025 'may earn' version; SCHSL reworded the rule in June 2025 to comply with FY2025-26 budget proviso 1.49(A)(6) and Commissioner Jerome Singleton stated the intent is prohibition. In 2026 the General Assembly made it permanent law: Act No. 187 of 2026 (H.4163, signed May 18, 2026) adds S.C. Code § 59-9-110, which requires any athletic association a public school district joins to have '(11) A total provision that prohibits students from earning compensation from the use of their names, images, or likenesses (NIL).' The 2026-27 SCHSL approved-amendment memo made no change to Section 14. Not a drafting ambiguity: NIL is prohibited.

Tell the school

Not applicable

None (NIL is prohibited).

Off limits

Prohibition. Residual text still bars school marks/logos/mascot/SCHSL logos, school apparel/equipment, member-school facilities, and endorsements conflicting with district policy (tobacco, alcohol examples). Exception: standard fee/salary for instructing, supervising or officiating in a youth sports program not run by a member school or SCHSL.

Agents

Not addressed

If a rule is broken

First violation: formal warning, return of money/awards, and immediate removal of the endorsement/promotion. Second violation: ineligible in SCHSL athletics at any level for one year. Third violation: penalty set case by case based on how knowing/deliberate/reckless the conduct was.

Middle school, club and travel ball

Rule applies to students at SCHSL member schools. 2026-27 Constitution Art. V Sec. 1C makes junior high/middle schools eligible as associate/affiliate members that agree to follow League rules, so middle-school programs under a member district are reached. Nothing reaches non-school club play.

Recent changes

June 2025: SCHSL reworded Sec. 14 from 'may earn' to 'may not earn' in response to FY2025-26 budget proviso 1.49. May 18, 2026: Act 187 of 2026 (§ 59-9-110(11)) codified the requirement that the association totally prohibit student NIL; the FY2026-27 ratified budget then deleted the proviso (1.48 'DELETED') because the statute superseded it.

College state law

Law in force

The law

S.C. Code §§ 59-158-10 to 59-158-60 (2021 Act No. 35, rewritten by 2024 Act No. 207 eff. May 21, 2024; § 59-158-50 amended by 2026 Act No. 119); §§ 59-158-70 and -80 repealed 2024.

Disclosure

No athlete-to-institution disclosure duty in current Chapter 158 (the 2021 disclosure provisions were repealed/rewritten in 2024). § 59-158-50 now governs public-records treatment: NIL contracts held by institutions are not public records; aggregate annual revenue-sharing spend is public but per-athlete and per-sport amounts and negotiation records are exempt.

Schools paying athletes

Statute lets institutions identify, create, solicit, facilitate and enable NIL opportunities directly or through third parties (§ 59-158-20) and bars using appropriated funds to pay NIL compensation (§ 59-158-20(C)); the 2026 amendment to § 59-158-50 expressly recognizes institutional 'revenue-sharing' agreements with athletes.

For high school recruits

§ 59-158-10(4) defines 'intercollegiate athlete' as one who 'has graduated from high school' and engages in or may be eligible in the future to engage in a sport; no other HS language. Chapter 158 does not reach high school athletes (the HS ban is in § 59-9-110, Act 187 of 2026).

Recent changes

2026 Act No. 119 (H.4902; vetoed Mar. 11, 2026, veto overridden Mar. 25 / Apr. 1, 2026) amended § 59-158-50 to shield NIL and revenue-sharing contracts from FOIA, retroactive to pending requests.

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 South Carolina make NIL money?

No. South Carolina does not allow high school athletes to earn NIL money while they keep school eligibility. SCHSL By-Laws Article III, Section 14 (Amateur Status), 2026-27 edition: 'A student may not earn compensation from the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL)'. The bullet list that follows (not contingent on performance, no marks, etc.) is a leftover from the pre-June 2025 'may earn' version; SCHSL reworded the rule in June 2025 to comply with FY2025-26 budget proviso 1.49(A)(6) and Commissioner Jerome Singleton stated the intent is prohibition. In 2026 the General Assembly made it permanent law: Act No. 187 of 2026 (H.4163, signed May 18, 2026) adds S.C. Code § 59-9-110, which requires any athletic association a public school district joins to have '(11) A total provision that prohibits students from earning compensation from the use of their names, images, or likenesses (NIL).' The 2026-27 SCHSL approved-amendment memo made no change to Section 14. Not a drafting ambiguity: NIL is prohibited.

Do South Carolina athletes have to tell the school about an NIL deal?

None (NIL is prohibited).

Does a travel ball or club deal count in South Carolina?

State association rules follow the athlete, not where the deal came from. A travel-sourced deal can still cost school eligibility. Rule applies to students at SCHSL member schools. 2026-27 Constitution Art. V Sec. 1C makes junior high/middle schools eligible as associate/affiliate members that agree to follow League rules, so middle-school programs under a member district are reached. Nothing reaches non-school club play.

Can a South Carolina high school athlete use an agent for NIL?

Not addressed.

Sources

Last verified November 4, 2026. High school rule text: SCHSL 2026-27 By-Laws posted July 13, 2026 (page updated Sept. 18, 2026); Act 187 signed May 18, 2026.

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