High school athletes can capitalize on NIL, lawmakers look to protect young players

NEW ORLEANS (InvestigateTV) - Name, image and likeness, or NIL, continues to dominate headlines and forever change the game for student athletes.

While the federal government tackles the college landscape, some states have enacted laws to protect high school students and their families.

In Louisiana, lawmakers recently passed legislation seeking to protect K-12 student athletes interested in signing NIL deals. Young players in the state can legally enter into big money contracts, but the new laws also look to add transparency and accountability.

A star recruit

At Tad Gormely Stadium, members of Brother Martin’s High School football team endured double session practices in Louisiana’s punishing summer heat ahead of the 2026 season.

Among them is Easton Royal. Most football scouts rank him as the number one high school wide receiver in the entire nation.

At 17 years old, the Brother Martin senior is considered a prime college football recruit. Royal said versatility is the strongest part of his game.

“There’s not one way that you can really stop me. I feel like, just give me the ball and put it in my hands,” said Easton Royal.

Putting the ball in Royal’s hands is what the Brother Martin Crusaders have consistently done the past three seasons, helping them maintain a top ten state divisional ranking.

Mark Bonis has been Brother Martin’s head football coach since 2009.

“He’s been with me since eighth grade. So, he becomes part of your family. He’s definitely one of the best we’ve ever coached, but what I’m really proud of is his growth and maturation from eighth grade all the way to senior year,” said Bonis.

Coach Bonis said Royal’s game highlights are impressive because of what he puts into practice.

“When you’re talking about one of the best players in the country and you’re having to pull him off the field from practice to me, that says a lot about him, but also sets the standard for your football program,” said Coach Bonis.

Royal is currently committed to the University of Texas, but still has time to change his mind. There’s no shortage of social media speculation about the possibility of him staying in state and playing for LSU.

Royal is on the verge of entering the world of paid collegiate athletes and potential big money endorsement deals.

But he doesn’t have to wait until college to earn NIL money. Royal said he is getting offers that could be life changing for his family.

“It would mean a lot because my mom, she’s right now a single mother with three boys, and we all eat a lot. And we’re boys. We’re kind of crazy, so she put in a lot of hard nights, working three jobs, working overnight, being tired. So being able to have the NIL would really help her so she can stop working as much as she does,” Royal said.

From NIL deals to where he’ll eventually play, Royal said he’s trying to stay grounded about all the attention.

“If I’m in a room, you won’t really know who I am unless somebody else brings it up. That’s just the type of person I am, and that’s how I keep myself humble. Because I have all this ability, but it can be taken away,” said Royal.

Royal may not talk much about any NIL deals, but since 2021, when the NCAA first allowed college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness, the conversation and debate has trickled down to the high school level, and even lower.

For Coach Bonis, he believes Royal deserves NIL money, if that’s what he chooses.

“Personally, I think it’s a great deal. If anybody’s going to capitalize on someone’s name image and likeness then I believe that person, the player, should reap the benefits of that. Now, I disagree, and people confuse the two, with pay to play. I’m not a proponent for pay to play,” said Bonis.

Changing the game

John “J.T.” Curtis Jr. is the winningest high school football coach in Louisiana history. In his 57 years of coaching, Coach Curtis said he’s never witnessed the kinds of changes and situations NIL is generating.

“No longer do we use the term student athlete. All we hear about is NIL. You and I are here talking about NIL, not about a young man who is entering into college or entering into high school and their education and the importance of that education. Now it’s all about what can you do for me,” said Curtis, who is the head football coach at John Curtis Christian School.

Curtis said the deals are even “trickling down into junior high school and rising freshmen.”

One of his his biggest concerns is with sports agents, or people who present themselves as one. Curtis said he worries about agents taking advantage of teenagers and families who may be unfamiliar with the business side of sports.

“I’ve coached players who went to be professionals, and those pro agents are usually getting 3% to 5% the earnings of the player,” Curtis said. “I have heard, I have not seen, but I’ve heard through resources that some of these agents pitching deals to high school athletes and getting as much as 20% to 25% of a person’s NIL contract, and of course, that’s upfront money.”

Adding student protections

Patrick Connick, a Republican state senator in Louisiana, acknowledged that some younger students were “being approached by so-called agents” who reportedly had no qualifications or expertise.

Ahead of Louisiana’s spring legislative session, Connick, Coach Curtis and a committee of lawmakers worked on crafting bills to address the growing influence of NIL on young athletes.

Connick sponsored one NIL law that took effect in August. Among its provisions is a requirement for agents who represent student-athletes in the state to register with the Louisiana Attorney General’s office. Those agents must also complete training and pass background checks.

“These guys are young. Sometimes their family members, they see dollar signs, but we can’t let the agents take advantage of these kids. That’s the whole purpose of what this legislation is about,” said State Senator Connick.

For Royal, there’s one person he turns to for guidance on NIL and all other matters in life.

“My mom. We make the decisions, but she also has her close circle of people that she also goes to as well to help us make decisions like about agents and things of that nature,” said Royal.

Another NIL law sets up guardrails for K-12 student-athletes and their parents or guardians. One guideline requires parental consent for a minor to sign an NIL deal. Connick said the number of student-athletes in the state affected by NIL is unclear, but more regulation of it was needed.

“The whole purpose is to protect these young kids who have the potential of earning a lot of money at a very young age and we got to watch out for that,” Connick said.

While Louisiana’s new laws aim to protect high school athletes, they also place some limits on them. For example, student athletes cannot profit from marketing deals that involve drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, or weapons.

Whether at the high school or college level, NIL can be polarizing. Brother Martin Coach Mark Bonis argues high school is where true amateur athletics still lives, and NIL can benefit student athletes, their families and even their schools from all the exposure.

“You see a young man, you see a family that’s worked for things for years and years, and you see the sacrifices that they’ve made. You want to make sure that they are receiving everything that they have earned,” said Coach Bonis.

Some, like Coach J.T. Curtis, said the injection of money NIL could weaken the integrity of scholastic sports.

“When big money comes in the front door, everything goes out the back door unless you have your values in the right place,” said Coach Curtis.

Ultimately, it may come down to the athlete and their loved ones. Even Coach Curtis admitted that if any of us or our families had these kinds of opportunities, debates about NIL would be of a different nature.

“It’s easy for me to be judgmental and say the pie in the sky, it’s all about your education and so on, but when you’re confronted with the numbers, then that’s a different thing,” Coach Curtis said.

Royal said money is a factor, but it’s not the sole reason why he’s on the football field.

“Being here at Brother Martin, Coach Bonis, they work us, it’s not easy. We’re practicing at Tad Gormley in the heat, so you really got to love it to want to be able to continue to play it for the rest of your life. And I feel like I really love the game of football,” Royal said.

It’s one teenager’s love for a game that increasingly requires adult decisions.

NIL across the country

As of November 2026, about three dozen states allow high school athletes to make deals.

Other states strictly prohibit compensation for NIL. These deals have caused some families to move states to capitalize on their skills.