The rule
High school sports in West Virginia are governed by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC). The rule is section 127-2-11, Amateur, paragraphs 11.5 to 11.7, of the legislative rule 127CSR2, first in force August 8, 2025 and re-adopted unchanged with a final filing of August 12, 2026 effective September 11, 2026, with the definitions of name, image and likeness in the 2025-2026 WVSSAC Rules and Regulations book; the 2024 rule had no NIL text. Everything on this page is taken from the WVSSAC's own text, linked under Sources.
| Question | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Allowed? | Yes, since August 8, 2025, by provisions 11.5 to 11.7 regulating NIL |
| Who must be told | No one; the rule is silent |
| School and WVSSAC marks | No reference to a member school or the WVSSAC; no endorsing third parties, or wearing an NIL partner's apparel or marks, during team activities; no NIL club based on or referencing a school or team |
| Banned categories | Adult entertainment; alcohol; tobacco and nicotine; cannabis; controlled dangerous substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; casinos and gambling, including sports betting, the lottery and betting tied to video, online and mobile games; weapons, firearms and ammunition |
| The older sentence | Section 11.1.c still forfeits amateur status for capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value, with no NIL carve-out written into it; college scholarships are exempt |
| Schools and collectives | No school or anyone employed by a member school may be involved with a student's use of their NIL (11.5); booster clubs, alumni and collectives may not use the promise of NIL to entice a transfer or enrollment |
| Agents | The rule is silent; West Virginia's athlete-agent act registers agents with the Secretary of State |
| Penalty | Reinstatement after one complete high school season (11.3); playing while ineligible means up to 365 days of ineligibility (127-2-12) |
What the rule says
- When it began. The NIL provisions, 11.5 to 11.7 of section 127-2-11, were filed July 9, 2025 and took effect August 8, 2025; the rule was re-adopted without change effective September 11, 2026, with no comments on section 11. The 2024 rule had no NIL text.
- No school reference. A student is "prohibited from making any reference to a member school or the WVSSAC when engaging in any NIL activity."
- No school involvement. "No school or anyone employed by a member school, including coaches and administrators, may be involved with a student athlete's use of their NIL."
- Team activities and NIL clubs. No endorsing third parties, or wearing an NIL partner's apparel or marks, during team activities; no NIL club based on or referencing a school or team.
- No recruiting with NIL. Booster clubs, alumni or collectives may not "use the promise of NIL opportunities to entice student athletes to transfer to or attend"; section 127-2-9 covers undue influence.
- Eight banned categories (11.7). Adult entertainment; alcohol; tobacco and nicotine; cannabis; controlled dangerous substances; prescription pharmaceuticals; "Casinos and gambling, including sports betting, the lottery, and betting in connection with video games, online games, and mobile devices"; weapons, firearms and ammunition.
- The older sentence. Section 11.1.c still forfeits amateur status for "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value," with no NIL carve-out written into it; college scholarships are exempt. Section 11.4 separately allows professional tryouts for seniors with principal approval.
- No reporting, no agent wording. The rule sets neither.
- The penalty. Reinstatement after "one complete high school season" (11.3); playing while ineligible means up to 365 days of ineligibility (127-2-12). The commission's site still posts only the 2025-26 book; the Secretary of State filing is the current text.
What sits on top of it
- Your school and district. A school or district can set a stricter policy than the WVSSAC. The athletic director is the person who knows it.
- Private and non-member schools. The rule covers WVSSAC 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 West Virginia
Can high school athletes sign NIL deals in West Virginia?
Yes, since August 8, 2025, when the WVSSAC's amateur rule gained provisions regulating NIL, re-adopted unchanged effective September 11, 2026. The provisions bar any reference to the school or the WVSSAC, any school involvement, and eight product categories.
Do I have to report an NIL deal in West Virginia?
The rule sets no reporting requirement. A school or county board can set its own policy.
Can my school or coach help with an NIL deal in West Virginia?
No. Section 11.5 says no school or anyone employed by a member school, including coaches and administrators, may be involved with a student athlete's use of their NIL.
Does the old "athletic fame" sentence still apply in West Virginia?
It is still in the rule. Section 11.1.c forfeits amateur status for capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value, and the 2025 NIL provisions were added beside it rather than carving NIL out of it. The commission's own 2025 rulemaking treats NIL as regulated rather than barred; the text is quoted here as it stands.
Be your own agent. Leave.