From zero to NIL: How student-athletes can manage name, image, likeness income

When University of Notre Dame sophomore Calyn “KK” Bransford takes the court this upcoming basketball season, she’ll do so with a touch of glam thanks to her false lashes. She wants to look good while hooping, but wearing the lashes is also her job.

Bransford is under contract as a brand ambassador for Opulence Lashes and earns money by promoting the company’s products. That’s possible thanks to a sea change in NCAA rules governing college athletes, who can now make money from their “ NIL ” — name, image and likeness.

Prompted by a Supreme Court decision that invalidated restrictions on certain payments to student-athletes, the NCAA changed its rules on NIL income in 2021. While student-athletes still can’t be paid to play their sport or attend a specific school, they can receive money for things like ad deals, endorsements and appearances. Student-athletes’ NIL earning opportunities are governed by a patchwork of state laws and school and conference rules.

Before Bransford went to college, she and her parents studied the NIL rules that apply to her. Now, her parents help her manage the money she earns. “A percentage of the money I spend, but my parents put the rest in a savings account,” Bransford says. “It’s important to have someone helping you who is older, more experienced, who knows about taxes and bills.”