The sun is not setting on high school NIL. Why education should be on every coach’s mind

Every morning, Head Football Coach Drew Sanders puts on his whistle, grabs his clipboard and heads to his office at Vandegrift High School focused on one major goal: Building a foundation for his players that will help them succeed both on the field and in life.

“I think the basis of any good coach is the relationship and the knowledge. We want to care and love for our players and our athletes and then we want to have knowledge of what we are teaching them,” Sanders said.

But an unexpected play is taking high school coaches across the country by storm as Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) breaks into their sphere.

Sanders, who is also the athletic coordinator at Vandegrift, never believed the NIL rush that emerged in collegiate athletics in July 2021 would transpire at his level. That is until Southlake Carroll High School quarterback Quinn Ewers sent shockwaves through the country in 2021 by forgoing his senior year of football to enroll at Ohio State.

“That was the first time it hit home to me that, okay, maybe this NIL stuff is actually real and could affect high school kids and even my own players,” Sanders explained to Eccker Sports.

While Sanders is a coach in Texas, where the state law explicitly prohibits high school student-athletes from monetizing their NIL, he feels the impact of this changing environment.

“I’ve got two or three recruits that are being recruited by big-time power five schools and I’m not quite sure how to respond to them when they ask, ‘Well, you know, they [the recruit] haven’t talked NIL. Should I ask Coach about that?’ And then another one talked a little bit about it and they are wondering how they manage NIL without getting in trouble because they want to maintain their amateur status in Texas,” Sanders explained.

While he wants to give his athletes sound answers, between his busy schedule and insufficient resources compared to what college institutions have allocated to NIL, he worries about how he will keep up in this sea change of information.

“Eccker Sports solves that for me. I get all the information I need to counsel my players and their parents,” Sanders said.

The need for education is an issue resonating with high coaches and administrators across the country.

“NIL is perhaps the biggest issue in sports today, yet it really has been the great unknown and that’s an uncomfortable feeling,” said Lee Wiginton, Head Football Coach at Midlothian Heritage High School and president-elect of the Texas High School Coaches Association. “Our current kids, our kids in college, their families, they come to us for advice on a daily basis. We need to be educated on this subject because they’re relying on us.”

Chuck Schmidt, the Vice President and Executive Director of Playfly Sports, and an expert in NIL education, explained that high school communities are feeling the aftershock of the July 2021 decision and need direction.

“Unfortunately, the associations who hadn’t been consulted, who are not consulted, have to pick up the pieces and try and figure out how to serve their students and their membership,” Schmidt said.

His words of advice to coaches, administrators and parents trying to guide and protect their student-athletes:

1. NIL is not going away, so absorb as much information as possible to help student-athletes make informed decisions

“We had to watch what was going on with concussion awareness, what’s been going on with mental illness, especially since COVID with our kids, what was going on with performance-enhancing drugs when that was on the rise, the educational efforts and looking for signs and recognizing that and trying to help that child,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt believes NIL is no different.

Randy Eccker and Tim Prukop created Eccker Sports, a NIL information platform, for this very reason. Coaches can access up-to-date, vetted information on NIL to help coaches and families stay informed while balancing their daily obligations.

“Our goal as a company is to help guide, protect and inform high school student-athletes and their families so that they thrive on their NIL journey. Our team wakes up every day living and breathing NIL, so as things change from state to state, our courses and resources are always up to date. That keeps the coaches armed with the most relevant information to help guide their student-athletes in real-time.”

Coaches can take the NIL Playbook Course to build their foundational understanding of NIL. Access to the Resource Hub and Coach Assist will help them feel confident staying up-to-date on the latest NIL developments and sharing this information with student-athletes and their families.

2. If you don’t know the answer, don’t answer.

Every student-athlete’s situation will be unique. Schmidt explained it is okay to not know the answer to every question asked about NIL. However, refrain from giving student-athletes and their families an answer. Wrong information may leave a student-athlete worse off than no information.

Instead, coaches should inform their athletes that they will look into the matter to find a concrete answer.

The Eccker Sports platform, including the Resource Hub and Coach Assist, is a great tool coaches can use to get the clarity and answers they need.

3. Set 20 minutes aside every day to read up on NIL

NIL will continue to evolve quickly in the coming months and years, whether coaches want it to or not.

Currently, nine states allow high school NIL, 16 are evaluating NIL and considering changes, and 26 continue to prohibit NIL. State lawmakers are constantly passing or updating NIL legislation in order to provide their student-athletes with the best opportunities. The NCAA is researching and releasing continued guidance. Who knows when and if federal legislation will come around.

These developments are happening daily. Putting aside 20 minutes each day to read NIL headlines can help coaches stay informed on the latest NIL developments.

“I think you’re going to continue to see this evolve. But in the near six months, continued change, continued disruption. Again, a very significant reason to educate yourself as a coach, as an administrator, as a coach, as a parent, and as a kid,” Schmidt said.

No need to spend time finding those articles either. Bookmark the Eccker Sports Industry Insights page. It provides daily updates about high school and collegiate NIL. Our team will also send alerts when anything significant happens that is important to know immediately.

Coaches, administrators and parents interested in learning more about Eccker Sports’ educational materials can visit our website to learn more.