The rule
High school sports in Mississippi are governed by the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA). The rule is Rule 2.39, Amateur Rule, items 2.39.1 and 2.39.2, in the 2026-27 MHSAA Handbook (Final V6, September 2026); the text is identical to the 2025-26 handbook. Everything on this page is taken from the MHSAA's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | No; item 10 of Rule 2.39.2 says the state of Mississippi does not allow NIL contracts for high school students, and item 3 lists accepting money among the acts that cost amateur standing |
| Who must be told | Nothing; there is no NIL process |
| School and MHSAA marks | No NIL rule |
| Banned categories | Not applicable |
| Prizes | Capped at $1,000 retail value (2.39.2(4)); eligibility rules cover grades 7 to 12 |
| Recruiting | Section 3 defines recruiting as undue influence or special inducement by anyone connected with a school; remuneration not available to all applicants is a violation (3.1.4), with at least one calendar year of ineligibility |
| Collectives | None |
| Agents | No wording; Mississippi's athlete-agent act registers agents with the Secretary of State and caps an agent's pay at 20% |
| Penalty | Loss of amateur standing; ineligible-player penalties of vacated records, forfeits, returned awards and a school fine up to $5,000 (4.3.2); recruiting fines up to $2,500 and probation (3.1.7) |
What the rule says
- The sentence. Rule 2.39.2, item 10: "The state of Mississippi does not allow NIL contracts for high school students." Item 3 lists "Accepted money" among the acts that cost amateur standing. The numbering skips item 8.
- The definition. Rule 2.39.1 defines an amateur; eligibility rules cover grades 7 to 12.
- Prizes. Capped at $1,000 retail value (2.39.2(4)).
- Recruiting. Section 3 defines recruiting as undue influence or special inducement by anyone connected with a school; remuneration not available to all applicants is a violation (3.1.4), with at least one calendar year of ineligibility, a fine of up to $2,500 and probation (3.1.7).
- No NIL process. No disclosure, marks rule, categories, collective rule or agent wording; none is needed under a ban.
- The penalty. Loss of amateur standing, with the ineligible-player penalties of 4.3.2 (vacated records, forfeits, returned awards, a school fine up to $5,000).
- Unchanged. Rule 2.39 is identical in the 2025-26 handbook; the rule rests on a statement about state law, so the re-check is both the 2027-28 handbook and the statute.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the MHSAA. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers MHSAA member schools. A school in another association follows that association's rule.
- College rules later. A deal that is fine in high school can still matter to the NCAA, NJCAA or NAIA. At Division I, third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go, and prospects report from the first day of junior year. The NIL guide has the college windows and NIL Go has its own page.
- Agents. The state's athlete-agent law applies to high school athletes; can a high school athlete have an agent? and the state-by-state registration table cover it.
- Taxes. NIL pay is taxable at any age. NIL taxes in plain words.
- The contract itself. What each clause means.
How Leave fits
In Leave, every deal thread carries a rules summary for the athlete's state, level and age, and a disclosure packet for the school comes with a countdown to the deadline. It is a summary, not a ruling; your school decides. Athletes 13 to 17 use Leave through an account a parent or guardian creates, and are visible to businesses only when the guardian has turned that on and the state allows high school NIL. Leave is software, not an agent. You decide, you send.
Questions about high school NIL in Mississippi
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in Mississippi?
No. MHSAA Rule 2.39.2, item 10, says the state of Mississippi does not allow NIL contracts for high school students, and item 3 lists accepting money among the acts that cost amateur standing.
Is that a Mississippi law or an MHSAA rule?
The handbook states it as a fact about state law and applies it through the Amateur Rule. The statute itself was not read for this page; the handbook's sentence is what governs MHSAA eligibility either way.
Has Mississippi's rule changed?
No. Rule 2.39 is identical in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 handbooks. The re-check is the 2027-28 handbook, and any change in the state law the rule rests on.
What is the penalty in Mississippi?
Loss of amateur standing. The ineligible-player penalties include vacated records, forfeits, returned awards and a school fine of up to $5,000; recruiting violations bring at least a year of ineligibility, fines up to $2,500 and probation.
Be your own agent. Leave.