NC board clears way for public school athletes to earn money from NIL deals

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – In response to a judge court order last month, all athletes throughout North Carolina are inching closer to being able to cash in on their name, image and likeness while in high school.

On Thursday during their monthly meeting, the N.C. State Board of Education issued preliminary approval to a new temporary rule that allows public school athletes to earn money from NIL agreements.

This comes after Wake County Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley made a decision in early October that reversed course on a state board policy that blocked high school athletes from making a profit off branding and endorsement deals.

The new regulation the state board officially approved Thursday codifies the judge’s ruling, as well as adds more wording on NIL guidelines.

This ruling, which the judge made on Oct. 1, concerned a lawsuit filed by the family of Grimsley High School quarterback Faizon Brandon, who’s viewed as the No. 1 ranked prospect in the country for the 2026 class. He’s verbally committed to play college football at Tennessee.

“We are extremely happy with the court’s well-reasoned decision today, which we believe was the right outcome,” Mike Ingersoll, the attorney for the Brandon family, said in a statement after the initial decision. “We are proud to work with the Brandon family and are excited for our client and the opportunities he will soon be able to maximize upon entry of the court’s written order.”

“It’s been a long and hard fight, but we are grateful to God that justice has been served, not only for Faizon but for all public high school students in North Carolina,” Rolanda Brandon, Faizon’s mother, said in a statement. “We want to thank our lawyers, Mike Ingersoll and Matthew Tilley, and the entire team at Womble Bond Dickinson for working so diligently on this case for us. We would also like to thank our family, friends, community, and all of those who have offered support during our time of waiting for this decision. We humbly appreciate you all.”

State education leaders originally passed a rule in March that banned high school students from signing NIL deals during the 2024-25 school year.

The N.C. state board is now scheduled to take public comments from Nov. 15 to Dec. 10, while a virtual public hearing will be held on Dec. 6.

Under the new timeline, the board is set to grant final approval on Jan. 6 prior to the rule going into effect on Feb 13.

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Keaton Eberly

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