The law
Oklahoma's college NIL law is 70 O.S. §§ 820.21 to 820.27 (Student Athlete Name, Image and Likeness Rights Act) (status: in force). Everything on this page is taken from the enacted text on the legislature's own site, linked under Sources, read on October 21, 2026.
What it says
| Question | What the statute says | Section or source |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | "Student athlete" has the meaning in the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act: anyone eligible to attend an educational institution who engages in, is eligible for or may be eligible for an interscholastic or intercollegiate sport. "Postsecondary institution" means any state or private educational institution as defined in 70 O.S. 3102. School pay reaches "current or prospective" student athletes | 820.22(3), (5); 820.2(17); 820.23(B)(1) |
| Disclosure to the school | A student athlete who enters a contract paying for NIL, or a contract for professional representation, discloses it in the manner the postsecondary institution designates. SB 490 removed the old deadline (72 hours or before the next athletic event, whichever came first), so no number of days is set. A representative must ensure the athlete discloses the representation relationship | 820.24(A)(3), (B) |
| Banned categories | A student athlete may not enter an NIL agreement that conflicts with a written policy of the school, or that involves a commercial product or service that reflects adversely on the school or its athletic programs (public disrepute, embarrassment, scandal, ridicule or harm to its reputation or moral or ethical standards). No product list is in the statute; the 2021 text's examples (sports wagering, banned substances) were removed in 2023 | 820.25(B) |
| Conflicts with team contracts | Not addressed since 2023: SB 840 repealed the 2021 team-contract rules. A student athlete may not use the school's marks for NIL pay unless the school authorizes it, and a school may adopt reasonable time, place and manner restrictions so NIL activity does not interfere with team activities, school operations or facilities. A school may be paid for use of its marks or facilities | 820.25(A), (D) |
| School and coach involvement | A school or a third party authorized to act for it may provide professional representation, pay or direct payment to athletes, and enter exclusive or non-exclusive licenses or endorsement agreements for an athlete's NIL, institutional promotion or other rights. An association may not bar a school or its authorized third party from identifying, facilitating, enabling or supporting NIL opportunities. School officers and employees, including coaching staff, are not liable for damage to an athlete's NIL earnings from routine athletics decisions | 820.23(B), (C); 820.25(E); 820.27(C) |
| Direct pay from the school | A postsecondary institution or its authorized third party may pay or cause payment to be directed to a current or prospective student athlete as the Act permits; no postsecondary institution may use funds allocated by this state for that payment. A school may revoke or rescind aid or other benefits from an athlete who receives payment not permitted by the Act or the association, without liability for damages or injunctive relief | 820.23(B)(1); 820.24(C) |
| Agents and attorneys | A student athlete may obtain professional representation for NIL without penalty or effect on aid. Any professional representation agreement must be in writing, signed by both parties, describe each side's obligations and set out the fees; a representative is a fiduciary of the athlete. Under the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, an agency contract includes one for an endorsement contract, an athlete agent registers with the Secretary of State ($1,000 fee, valid two years), the contract carries a boldface warning, the athlete may cancel within 14 days, and agent and athlete each notify the athletic director within 72 hours or before the next athletic event. No fee cap | 820.22(4); 820.24(A); 820.2(1), (5); 820.4; 820.6(F); 820.9; 820.10; 820.11(B), (C); 820.12 |
| High school and minors | The Act's "student athlete" definition takes in interscholastic athletes, but its operative sections speak of postsecondary institutions; school pay reaches "prospective" athletes. Under the agent act, an agency contract with a minor must be signed by a parent or guardian, who may also cancel within 14 days | 820.22(5); 820.23(B)(1); 820.10(G); 820.12(A) |
| Financial literacy | A school may require an athlete to take courses or receive education or training in contracts, financial literacy or any other subject it considers necessary for NIL activity. Not required by the statute | 820.25(F) |
| Scholarship protection | NIL payments do not affect eligibility for athletic grant-in-aid, which does not include NIL pay. Associations may not let NIL earnings affect the amount, duration, renewal of or eligibility for an athletic grant-in-aid or other institutional scholarship, though NIL income may count toward need-based aid. A school may revoke aid if an athlete takes payment the Act or the association does not permit | 820.22(1); 820.23(A); 820.27(A)(3); 820.24(C) |
| Confidentiality of contracts | Public educational institutions and their employees may keep confidential any contract for use of a student athlete's NIL disclosed to a postsecondary institution under the Act (Oklahoma Open Records Act, added by SB 1787) | 51 O.S. 24A.16(A)(4) |
| NCAA and conference penalties | A collegiate athletic association may not, or let members, prevent NIL earnings, penalize an athlete for representation or NIL help, bar a school because its athletes earn NIL pay, entertain a complaint, open an investigation or take adverse action against a school, employee or athlete for activity the Act protects, or penalize them because a booster or supporting entity broke association NIL rules | 820.27(A), (B); 820.23(C); 820.25(E) |
| Remedies and enforcement | The Act names no enforcing agency and no private right of action. A school that revokes aid under 820.24(C) is not liable in damages or subject to an injunction. Under the agent act: void contracts (820.4(C)), damages for schools and athletes (820.16), a civil penalty up to $50,000 (820.17), misdemeanor and felony fines (820.15), and deceptive-trade-practice remedies (820.16(C)). Gifts to induce enrollment or participation are a misdemeanor, with exceptions that include a school acting under its written policy, gifts of $100 or less a year and gifts that conform to association rules (822.2); schools also have a right of action against anyone whose activity gets them or an athlete penalized (822.3) | 820.24(C); 820.15 to 820.17; 822.2; 822.3 |
| Employee status | The section is not to be construed to make a student athlete an employee of a postsecondary institution or a collegiate athletic association because of any payment or benefit the Act permits, participation, team membership, or school requirements and controls | 820.23(D) |
How Oklahoma's law changed, 2021 to 2025
- 2021. SB 48 created both the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act (70 O.S. 820.1 to 820.19) and the NIL Act (820.21 to 820.26), in force 2021-05-28. The NIL Act allowed only "market value" pay, barred pay for performance or as an inducement to enroll, barred schools, boosters and their staff from paying or representing athletes, required disclosure within 72 hours or before the next athletic event, and let each school choose a start date no later than 2023-07-01.
- 2023. SB 840, vetoed by Governor Stitt on 2023-04-26 and enacted when both chambers overrode the veto on 2023-05-25, removed the market-value test and the booster bar, repealed the team-contract rules, added written representation agreements, created 820.27's bars on association complaints and penalties, and made the Act effective immediately everywhere.
- 2024. SB 1786 (in force 2024-04-22) let a school or its authorized third party pay and represent athletes where the association and school policy permitted it, and repealed the pay-for-play and inducement bar. SB 1787, signed the same day, added NIL contracts to the records a public school may keep confidential.
- 2025. SB 490 (approved 2025-05-03) removed the association-permission condition on school pay, barred state-allocated funds, added the employee-status and broadcast rules, removed the 72-hour disclosure deadline, let schools revoke aid for payments not permitted, and tied contract length to eligibility.
Executive Order 2025-01
On 2025-01-09 Governor Kevin Stitt signed Executive Order 2025-01, filed with the Secretary of State the same day. It said an Oklahoma postsecondary institution covered by the House settlement, or a third party acting for it, may pay or direct payment to a current or prospective athlete for NIL; that the NCAA, conferences and similar bodies may not entertain a complaint, open an investigation or take adverse action against a school, its officers, regents, trustees, employees, volunteers or athletes for that activity; and that no school may use funds allocated by the State. The order runs until the earlier of the date the final settlement permits Oklahoma schools to make NIL payments or the effective date of a later federal NIL law. SB 490 then wrote school pay and the state-funds bar into 820.23(B)(1). No later executive order mentioning Executive Order 2025-01 was found on the Secretary of State's list (checked 2026-10-21).
Gifts and inducements
Oklahoma also has a 2016 gift law, 70 O.S. 822.1 to 822.3. Section 822.2 makes it a misdemeanor (fine of $1,000 to $5,000, up to a year in jail, or both) to give money or anything of value to an athlete or the athlete's immediate family to induce enrollment or participation, or to enter a transaction the person knows would likely cost the athlete eligibility. It does not apply to a school or its staff acting under the school's official written policy or to gifts of $100 or less a year, and since SB 1786 (2024) it also does not apply to a gift that conforms to the rules of the school's collegiate athletic association; SB 1786 also dropped the requirement that the school's written policy comply with NCAA bylaws. Section 822.3 gives a school a right of action against anyone whose activity gets the school or an athlete penalized.
How it changed
| Act | What it did | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| SB 48 (2021), O.S.L. 2021, ch. 559, §§ 20 to 25 | enacted the Act alongside the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act (70 O.S. 820.1 to 820.19): market-value NIL pay, no pay for performance or as an inducement to enroll, no NIL pay or representation from schools, boosters or their staff, disclosure within 72 hours or before the next event, team-contract and school-marks limits, a bar on association penalties, agents registered under the agent act; each school picked a start date on or before 2023-07-01 | 2021-05-28 (emergency clause) |
| SB 840 (2023), O.S.L. 2023, ch. 315 | dropped "commensurate with market value", the booster bar and the team-contract rules; added the "team activities" definition, the written representation agreement (820.24(A)(2)), disclosure of representation contracts, school time, place and manner limits, third-party agreements and optional training (820.25(D) to (F)); created 820.27 (bars on association penalties, no liability for school employees); made the Act effective immediately (820.26). Vetoed by Governor Stitt on 2023-04-26; both chambers overrode the veto on 2023-05-25 | 2023-05-25 (veto override; emergency clause) |
| SB 1786 (2024), O.S.L. 2024, ch. 85 | let a school or a third party acting for it provide representation and NIL pay when the association and school policy permit; repealed the bar on pay for performance and as an inducement; exempted contracts with the school or its authorized third party from the end-of-participation limit; widened 820.27 to employees and athletes; amended the gift law (70 O.S. 822.2) to exempt gifts that conform to association rules and dropped the condition that a school's written policy comply with NCAA bylaws | 2024-04-22 (emergency clause) |
| SB 1787 (2024), O.S.L. 2024, ch. 86 | let public schools keep confidential any NIL contract disclosed to them under the Act (51 O.S. 24A.16(A)(4), Open Records Act) | 2024-04-22 (emergency clause) |
| SB 490 (2025), O.S.L. 2025, ch. 36 | schools and their authorized third parties may pay current or prospective athletes and sign licenses or endorsement deals, but not with state-allocated funds; no employee status with the school or association; no NIL release needed for broadcasts; removed the 72-hour disclosure deadline; schools may revoke aid for payments not permitted; NIL contracts may not outlast eligibility, with a school-content exception | 2025-05-03 (approved by the Governor, emergency clause) |
Federal law
As of 2026-10-21, S. 4668 (Protect College Sports Act) passed the Senate 77-22 on 2026-09-28 and has been held at the House desk since 2026-10-05 with no House action (congress.gov); it is not law. If enacted as passed, § 121(a)(2) covers state laws that govern, regulate or invalidate school, conference or association rules on NIL compensation, transfers or eligibility. On its text that describes Oklahoma's bars on association rules and penalties (70 O.S. 820.23(C), 820.25(E), 820.27(A), (B)). School pay under 820.23(B)(1) matches § 101(c), which lets schools, collectives and third parties pay, subject to the revenue share cap in § 114. § 121(b)(1) keeps, except where they conflict with § 121(a), "Uniform Athlete Agent Acts" (Oklahoma's Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, 820.1 to 820.19), contract law (the eligibility limit in 820.25(C)), criminal law (the gift law, 822.2) and privacy law; § 121 does not mention public-records laws such as 51 O.S. 24A.16, though § 101(b)(4) separately bars a school from releasing identifying information from a federal disclosure without consent. § 122 is neutral on employee status (820.23(D)). The bill would add a report to the school and the association within 5 days for Division I deals over $600 (§ 101(b)), where Oklahoma now sets no deadline, plus a 5% cap on agent fees for endorsement contracts and State registration for those agents (§ 102).
What sits on top of it
- Division I reporting. Third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days, whatever the state's own rule (NIL Go, reporting a deal, level by level).
- Your school. A school can set a stricter policy than the statute, and most set the disclosure process.
- Agents. Oklahoma's athlete-agent rules are on the state-by-state registration table.
- High school. High school NIL in Oklahoma is set by the state's athletic association, not this statute.
- Taxes. NIL taxes in plain words.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state and level, and keeps the contract, its dates and the disclosure deadline that applies. It is a summary, not a ruling; the school and the statute decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about college NIL law in Oklahoma
What is Oklahoma's NIL law in 2026?
The Student Athlete Name, Image and Likeness Rights Act, 70 O.S. §§ 820.21 to 820.27, enacted by SB 48 (in force 2021-05-28) and amended by SB 840 (2023), SB 1786 (2024) and SB 490 (in force 2025-05-03). It lets Oklahoma schools and their authorized third parties pay athletes for NIL without state-allocated funds, bars the NCAA and conferences from penalizing schools, staff or athletes for activity the Act protects, and requires athletes to disclose NIL and representation contracts in the manner the school designates. No 2026 act amended it.
Can Oklahoma colleges pay athletes directly?
Yes, under state law. Since SB 490 (2025-05-03), 70 O.S. 820.23(B)(1) says a postsecondary institution or a third party authorized to act for it may pay, or cause payment to be directed to, a current or prospective student athlete as the Act permits, but no school may use funds allocated by the state. Section 820.23(B)(2) also lets a school sign exclusive or non-exclusive licenses or endorsement agreements for an athlete's NIL. Before that, Governor Stitt's Executive Order 2025-01 (signed 2025-01-09) allowed schools covered by the House settlement to pay athletes for NIL, until the final settlement permits those payments or a later federal NIL law takes effect, whichever comes first.
Do I have to tell my school about an NIL deal in Oklahoma?
70 O.S. 820.24(B) says a student athlete who enters a contract paying for NIL, or a contract for professional representation, discloses it in the manner the school designates. SB 490 removed the earlier deadline of 72 hours or before the next athletic event, so the statute now sets no number of days; school policy and NCAA rules (Division I reporting through NIL Go) can set their own. A contract disclosed to a public school may be kept confidential under 51 O.S. 24A.16(A)(4).
Does Oklahoma require an NIL agent to be licensed?
Registered, if the person is an "athlete agent". Oklahoma's Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act counts a contract authorizing someone to negotiate or solicit an endorsement contract as an agency contract (70 O.S. 820.2(1), (5)), and an athlete agent may not act in Oklahoma without a certificate of registration from the Secretary of State (820.4); the fee is $1,000 and registration lasts two years (820.9, 820.6(F)). Licensed professionals such as attorneys are outside the definition unless they also recruit athletes or charge them differently (820.2(2)(b)). Under the NIL Act itself, any representation agreement must be in writing with its fees set out (820.24(A)(2)).
Can an Oklahoma NIL contract last after college?
Generally no. Since SB 490, 70 O.S. 820.25(C) says an NIL contract, or an NIL representation contract, formed while the athlete is participating in intercollegiate athletics may not extend beyond the athlete's eligibility. A school that licensed an athlete's NIL to promote its academic or athletic program in content made while the athlete was enrolled may keep using that content after eligibility ends, if the agreement permits it.
Are NIL contracts public records in Oklahoma?
Not necessarily. Since SB 1787 (in force 2024-04-22), 51 O.S. 24A.16(A)(4) lets public educational institutions and their employees keep confidential any NIL contract disclosed to a postsecondary institution under the Act. The statute says "may keep confidential"; it does not require it.
Be your own agent. Leave.
