The law
Wyoming has no college NIL statute. In short: None for college NIL; W.S. 33-44-101 to 33-44-114 (athlete agents) and W.S. 21-25-401 (high school only). Rows drawn from a statute come from the enacted text on the legislature's own site; rows drawn from a school or board policy name that policy. Every source is linked under Sources, read on October 21, 2026.
What it says
| Question | What applies | Section or source |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | No college NIL statute. The agent act's "student athlete" is an individual who "engages in, is eligible to engage in, or may be eligible in the future to engage in, any intercollegiate sport". W.S. 21-25-401 applies only to students representing a Wyoming high school in a WHSAA sport | W.S. 33-44-102(a)(xi); 21-25-401(a) |
| Disclosure to the school | No NIL disclosure statute. For an agency contract, both the agent and the athlete must notify the athletic director at least 72 hours before signing and again within 72 hours after (or before the next event), each time with a copy of the agent's disclosure form. For Division I athletes at the University of Wyoming, NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2 (2026-27 Division I Manual) require reporting third-party deals of $600 or more through NIL Go within five business days | W.S. 33-44-108(a) to (d); NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2 |
| Banned categories | Not addressed for college athletes | None |
| Conflicts with team contracts | Not addressed | None |
| School and coach involvement | Not addressed by statute. University of Wyoming athletics runs an NIL marketplace, the "Wyoming Athletics Exchange", in partnership with Teamworks Influencer | UW Athletics NIL page |
| Direct pay from the school | No Wyoming statute allows or bars it; it is governed by the House settlement and NCAA and Mountain West rules. The 2026 budget act as passed said no general fund appropriation to the University of Wyoming or the community colleges "shall be expended to pay student athletes salaries or endorsement compensation"; the governor line-item vetoed those footnotes on 2026-03-05, and the bill record shows no override. No University of Wyoming regulation on NIL was found in UW Regulations 3-1 and 3-2 | 2026 Wyo. Sess. Laws ch. 44 (SF0001), §§ 057, 067 and 328 footnotes (vetoed) |
| Agents and attorneys | No state registration. An agent may not act as an athlete agent in Wyoming unless, on the day of first contact, the agent delivers a disclosure form signed under penalty of perjury (training, experience, references, five years of clients, criminal and disciplinary history), or a copy of another state's registration. An agency contract covers endorsement contracts and must attach the form. No one may engage in the business of an athlete agent who has been convicted of a crime that would be a felony in Wyoming or that relates to serving as an athlete agent, made a materially false or fraudulent representation as an agent, had an agent registration or license suspended, revoked, denied or refused renewal in any state, or caused an athlete's or school's sanction or ineligibility | W.S. 33-44-102(a)(i), (v); 33-44-104 to 33-44-107 |
| High school and minors | Since 2026-07-01, a student representing a Wyoming high school forfeits amateur status, and becomes ineligible in that sport, by capitalizing on athletic fame or name, image or likeness by receiving money, gifts, merchandise or other consideration "related to competing in that sport or activity" | W.S. 21-25-401(b)(iii), (d) |
| Financial literacy | Not addressed | None |
| Scholarship protection | Not addressed | None |
| Confidentiality of contracts | No NIL exemption. The Public Records Act requires denial of inspection of trade secrets, privileged information and confidential commercial or financial data furnished by or obtained from any person; its student-records clause names school district records only | W.S. 16-4-203(d)(v), (viii) |
| NCAA and conference penalties | Not addressed | None |
| Remedies and enforcement | Under the agent act, a prohibited act is a felony punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, plus a civil penalty of up to $10,000; a school may sue an agent or former athlete for damages; a contract made without the disclosure form is void, and a non-conforming one is voidable by the athlete | W.S. 33-44-104(c); 33-44-107(e); 33-44-112; 33-44-113 |
| Employee status | Not addressed | None |
The 2026 law is about high school, not college
SF0053, "Keeping amateurism in high school athletics" (Sens. Crum, Boner, Cooper, Crago, Landen, Nethercott, Schuler and Steinmetz; Reps. Andrew, Geringer, Harshman and Wylie), passed the Senate 29-2 and the House 57-2, became Enrolled Act No. 24 of the 2026 budget session, was signed by the governor on 2026-03-03 (chapter 28) and took effect on 2026-07-01. It created W.S. 21-25-401, which applies to "a student who represents a Wyoming high school" in a WHSAA sport or activity. A student forfeits amateur status, and becomes ineligible in that sport, by "capitalizing on the student's athletic fame or the student's name, image or likeness by receiving money, gifts of monetary value, merchandise or other consideration related to competing in that sport or activity." The section lists ten activities that do not forfeit amateur status, including money from a family member, capped pay for time spent in events the WHSAA does not sanction (prize money must be declined in writing), a nominal fee for instructing or officiating in youth sports programs, Olympic and junior national team benefits, and scholarship funds paid directly to a college and not available until after high school graduation (W.S. 21-25-401(c)). It does not reach college athletes; the chapter's only college article, W.S. 21-25-301, concerns sex-designated competition.
No college NIL bill since 2021, and a vetoed budget footnote
A full-text search of every House and Senate bill numbered in Wyoming's 2021 general, 2022 budget, 2023 general, 2024 budget, 2025 general and 2026 budget sessions (run 2026-10-21 on wyoleg.gov) found no stand-alone bill on college athletes' name, image or likeness. Other bills that touched college athletics were SF0044 (2025, "Fairness in sports-intercollegiate athletics", on sex-designated competition) and SF0053 (2026, high school amateurism). The one college NIL measure came inside the 2026 budget: SF0001 (Enrolled Act No. 27) as passed carried footnotes saying no general fund appropriation to the Community College Commission or the University of Wyoming "shall be expended to pay student athletes salaries or endorsement compensation" for athletics at those schools. Governor Gordon line-item vetoed the footnotes on 2026-03-05, and the bill record shows the act signed with line-item vetoes on 2026-03-06 and assigned chapter 44, with no override listed.
An agent act without registration
Wyoming's Uniform Athlete Agents Act departs from the uniform text: there is no state registration. Instead, an agent must deliver a disclosure form, signed under penalty of perjury, to the athlete on the day of first contact, or within seven days if the athlete reached out first, and attach it to any agency contract (W.S. 33-44-104, 33-44-107(d)). Both the agent and the athlete must notify the athletic director at least 72 hours before signing and again within 72 hours after, each time with the form (W.S. 33-44-108). Because an agency contract includes negotiating endorsement contracts, the act reaches an agent who represents a University of Wyoming athlete in NIL deals. The penalty for prohibited acts, such as misleading an athlete or giving something of value to induce a signature, is a felony with a minimum one-year prison term, a fine of up to $10,000 or both (W.S. 33-44-112). For Division I reporting through NIL Go, see how NIL Go works.
How it changed
| Act | What it did | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| W.S. 33-44-101 to 33-44-114, Uniform Athlete Agents Act | Wyoming's version replaces state registration with a disclosure form the agent hands the athlete on first contact; notice to the athletic director 72 hours before and again within 72 hours after an agency contract; 14-day cancellation; violations are a felony; no amendment found in 2021 to 2026 bills | in force before 2021 (enactment date not confirmed) |
| SF0053 (2026), Enrolled Act No. 24 | created W.S. 21-25-401 (catch title "Keeping amateurism in high school athletics"); passed the Senate 29-2 and the House 57-2, signed by the governor 2026-03-03 (2026 Wyo. Sess. Laws ch. 28); a student representing a Wyoming high school in a WHSAA sport forfeits amateur status by capitalizing on athletic fame or name, image or likeness for consideration related to competing; it does not apply to college athletes | 2026-07-01 |
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 later action (govinfo bill status record, last updated 2026-10-07); it is not law. Wyoming has no college NIL statute for § 121(a) to preempt, and W.S. 21-25-401 governs high school eligibility, which S. 4668 (a college athletics bill) does not address. W.S. 33-44-101 to 33-44-114 is titled the "Uniform Athlete Agents Act", the category § 121(b)(1)(A) preserves unless it conflicts with § 121(a). But § 102 (new Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act § 9) would require an agent representing a student athlete in an endorsement contract to "register with a State", deeming an agent registered only as a registered professional sports agent with a league or players association or if "registered and certified under the All State Uniform Agent Acts in the State in which the agent operates"; Wyoming's act has a disclosure form, not registration, and the bill does not say how that would be treated. The bill would also add a 5 percent cap on endorsement-contract agent fees, a bar on agency contracts running past eligibility, a private right of action, Division I reporting of deals over $600 within 5 days of signing and of otherwise unreported pay within 30 days of receipt (§ 101(b)(1), (5)), and federal authority for schools and collectives to pay athletes (§ 101(c)).
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. Wyoming's athlete-agent rules are on the state-by-state registration table.
- High school. High school NIL in Wyoming 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 Wyoming
Does Wyoming have an NIL law in 2026?
Not for college athletes. As of 2026-10-21 Wyoming has no college NIL statute, and a full-text search of the 2021 through 2026 regular-session bills found no stand-alone college NIL bill. The 2026 budget as passed would have barred state general funds from paying student athletes' salaries or endorsement compensation at the University of Wyoming and community colleges, but the governor vetoed that language on 2026-03-05. The one NIL statute, W.S. 21-25-401 (SF0053, Enrolled Act No. 24, effective 2026-07-01), applies to high school athletes and treats capitalizing on name, image or likeness as a loss of amateur status.
Can Wyoming colleges pay athletes directly?
No Wyoming statute addresses it, and the University of Wyoming's athletics regulations (UW Regulations 3-1 and 3-2) say nothing about NIL. What the University of Wyoming may pay is set by the House settlement and NCAA and Mountain West rules.
Do I have to tell my school about an NIL deal in Wyoming?
No state law requires reporting an NIL deal itself. NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2 require Division I athletes to report third-party deals of $600 or more through NIL Go within five business days. Signing with an agent is different: W.S. 33-44-108 requires the athlete to notify the athletic director at least 72 hours before signing an agency contract and again within 72 hours after.
Does Wyoming require an NIL agent to be licensed?
No license or registration. Wyoming's Uniform Athlete Agents Act instead requires an agent to give the athlete a disclosure form, signed under penalty of perjury, on the day of first contact (W.S. 33-44-104, 33-44-105), and bars people with certain convictions, false representations or suspended or revoked registrations from acting as agents (W.S. 33-44-106). The athlete may cancel within 14 days (W.S. 33-44-109). Violations are a felony (W.S. 33-44-112).
Does Wyoming's 2026 NIL law apply to college athletes?
No. W.S. 21-25-401(a) applies to "a student who represents a Wyoming high school in a sport or activity sanctioned by the Wyoming high school activities association." It makes NIL earnings related to competing a loss of high school amateur status. It does not mention colleges, and the separate college athletics article of the same chapter (W.S. 21-25-301) concerns sex-designated competition, not NIL.
Be your own agent. Leave.
