Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by United States Air Force Academy, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what United States Air Force Academy, its conference, the state of Colorado and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 23, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Air Force
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Not published. The Air Force athletics Compliance page (goairforcefalcons.com) covers booster, recruiting and extra-benefit rules and does not mention name, image and likeness. The Congressional Research Service wrote on 2026-07-24 that cadets and midshipmen, as active duty servicemembers, "are subject to federal ethics rules that bar them from receiving NIL money", linking those words to 5 C.F.R. part 2635, subpart G. That subpart (Misuse of Position) says an employee "may not use their public office for their own private gain" and may not use "their Government position or title or any authority associated with their public office to endorse any product, service, or enterprise", with listed exceptions; it does not mention NIL, athletes or cadets. Part 2635 defines an employee as including officers "but not enlisted members of the uniformed services" and does not name cadets. No Air Force Academy or Department of Defense statement on cadet NIL was found | Air Force Athletics, Compliance; Congressional Research Service, IN12718 (2026-07-24); eCFR, 5 C.F.R. part 2635, subparts A and G |
| How deals are disclosed | NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2 call for third-party deals of $600 or more to be reported to NIL Go within five business days at every Division I school. Bylaw 22.2.2 names athletes at schools that do not provide the House settlement benefits, and the College Sports Commission says all Division I athletes are subject to the third-party NIL rules whether or not a school opts in. An Air Force disclosure process for NIL is not published, and the Congressional Research Service says federal ethics rules bar cadets from receiving NIL money. Colorado law no longer requires disclosure to the school (repealed 2025-03-28) | NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; College Sports Commission, Participating Schools; Congressional Research Service, IN12718; /nil/college/colorado |
| Banned categories | Colorado's statute lists none. An Air Force list is not published | /nil/college/colorado |
| School marks and group licensing | Not published. The athletics site publishes no NIL, marks or group licensing rule for cadet-athletes | Air Force Athletics, Compliance |
| Revenue sharing | Not listed. The College Sports Commission's table of participating schools for 2026-27 (read 2026-10-23) does not include the Air Force Academy, and no Air Force statement on the House settlement was found. The Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" for schools that take part | College Sports Commission, Participating Schools and Revenue Sharing |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published. No Air Force source names a collective | Air Force Athletics, Compliance |
| Agents and representation | An Air Force rule on NIL agents is not published. Colorado has had no athlete agent registration requirement since 2010; its agent act still sets the agency contract form and warning, notice to the athletic director and a cancellation right. Federal law, as the Congressional Research Service summarizes it, says a cadet "may not obtain employment as a professional athlete until two years after" graduating, with limited exceptions | /nil/college/colorado; Congressional Research Service, IN12718 |
| Compliance contact | NCAA Athletic Compliance, Air Force Academy Athletics, (719) 333-3088 (staff directory); the Compliance page also links an anonymous form to report a compliance concern | Air Force Athletics, Staff Directory and Compliance |
| State law | Colorado's C.R.S. § 23-16-301 has let Colorado colleges pay athletes for NIL since 2025-03-28, repealed the 72-hour disclosure rule and lists no banned categories; whether it reaches a federal service academy is not stated; in force | /nil/college/colorado |
What is specific to Air Force
Air Force is the one Mountain West school where the NIL question starts with federal law rather than a campus policy. Its athletes are cadets on active duty, and the Congressional Research Service's 2026-07-24 report on service academy athletics says federal ethics rules bar cadets and midshipmen from receiving NIL money, notes that Defense Department policy has academy sports programs follow NCAA rules "while maintaining the professional and ethical values of the Services", and describes the separate limits on turning professional after graduation, including the option, created in the FY2025 defense authorization and amended in FY2026, for up to five cadets per academy each year to move to the Selected Reserve to play professional sports. The same report lists a House-passed FY2027 provision (H.R. 8800, Sec. 529A) that would have the Secretary of Defense set up a panel to review how NCAA rules on athlete compensation and the transfer portal affect the academies. The Air Force athletics site itself publishes no NIL page, policy or marketplace as of 2026-10-23.
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 law decide. Leave is software, not an agent, and takes 0% of any deal. You decide, you send.
Questions about NIL at Air Force
Can Air Force Academy athletes make NIL money?
The Congressional Research Service wrote on 2026-07-24 that cadets and midshipmen, as active duty servicemembers, are subject to federal ethics rules that bar them from receiving NIL money. The Air Force Academy publishes no NIL policy of its own on its athletics site.
Does Air Force pay its athletes through revenue sharing?
The Air Force Academy is not on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 list of schools participating in revenue sharing (read 2026-10-23), and no Air Force statement on the House settlement was found.
Do NCAA NIL reporting rules apply at Air Force?
NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2 covers third-party NIL deals of $600 or more at every Division I school, with reporting to NIL Go within five business days, and the bylaw names athletes at schools that do not provide House settlement benefits. Separately, the Congressional Research Service says federal ethics rules bar cadets from receiving NIL money. Air Force publishes nothing on how the two fit together.
Is Congress changing NIL rules for service academy athletes?
The Congressional Research Service reported on 2026-07-24 that the House-passed FY2027 defense bill (H.R. 8800, Sec. 529A) would require the Secretary of Defense to set up a panel to review how NCAA rules on athlete compensation and the transfer portal affect the military academies; the Senate committee's version (S. 4784) had no similar provision. The other provisions it lists deal with releasing graduates to play professional sports. Whether the final bill keeps the panel was not checked.
What conference is Air Force in for 2026-27?
The Mountain West. The conference lists Air Force among its members for the 2026-27 academic year, and Air Force was one of the eight schools that formed the league in 1998.
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