Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by College of Charleston, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what College of Charleston, its conference, the state of South Carolina and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 24, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Charleston
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | "Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and NILGo Operating Guidelines" in the 2025-2026 College of Charleston Student-Athlete Handbook (posted 2026-02-02): athletes may be paid for third-party endorsements, work product and their own businesses; pay "may be based, in whole or in part, on athletics skill and reputation, but may not be based on an individual's athletics participation or achievement". The College and its athletics department, "including coaches", may sign license or endorsement agreements with athletes for no longer than their eligibility and may "Act as a marketing agent for a student-athlete with respect to noninstitutional NIL contracts". The athletics site's Charleston Edge forms page still links older documents: NIL Operating Guidelines effective 2022-10-26 and a Tip Sheet (both posted 2022-12-09), which say the College and its staff "may not arrange for, negotiate for, solicit, or facilitate compensation opportunities" for a current athlete's NIL. A 2021 Charleston Edge NIL Policy and July 2022 versions also remain at their addresses | College of Charleston Athletics, 2025-2026 Student-Athlete Handbook; Charleston Edge NIL forms page, Operating Guidelines and Tip Sheet (October 2022) |
| How deals are disclosed | NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). Charleston's handbook: "Student-athletes must use NILGo to disclose all of their third-party NIL deals. All deals must be disclosed within five business days and before any work begins or payment is received", including payor, deal type, terms and anyone who set it up; "Payment directly from the student-athlete's institution is not a third-party NIL deal and does not need to be reported". South Carolina law has no disclosure rule since 2024 | College of Charleston Athletics, 2025-2026 Student-Athlete Handbook; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/south-carolina |
| Banned categories | South Carolina law bars NIL pay for endorsing tobacco, alcohol, illegal substances or activities, banned athletic substances, or gambling including sports betting, and lets a school bar uses that conflict with its institutional values. The handbook repeats the five categories "in accordance with South Carolina state law" and adds that athletes may not miss class, team or department activities for NIL. The 2022 guidelines (July and October versions) allow exceptions with the athletic director's written permission; the 2025-26 handbook does not | College of Charleston Athletics, 2025-2026 Student-Athlete Handbook and NIL Operating Guidelines (2022); /nil/college/south-carolina |
| School marks and group licensing | The handbook says athletes may not use the College's intellectual property, "including but not limited to the use of institutional marks, logos, or trademarks", without the express written permission of the athletic director or a designee, or where a use has already been approved. Athletics facilities may be used with the athletic director's permission and approved rental forms. Group licensing: Not published | College of Charleston Athletics, 2025-2026 Student-Athlete Handbook |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" and lists College of Charleston (Coastal Athletic Association) as participating in 2026-27 (read 2026-10-24). Charleston's own statement: the STARR (Student-Athlete Recruitment and Retention) Fund, launched with the Charleston Athletic Fund on 2025-07-01, "will serve as the primary conduit for financial support needed to increase scholarships and share revenue". On 2026-08-27 Charleston announced a gift from head men's basketball coach John Groce and Allison Groce, saying "Gifts to the Men's Basketball STARR Fund directly support the Charleston men's basketball revenue-sharing initiatives". Under South Carolina law a school's total yearly revenue-sharing spending is public, but per-athlete and per-sport amounts are not | Charleston Athletics releases (2025-07-01, 2026-08-27); College Sports Commission; /nil/college/south-carolina |
| Collective or NIL group | The Charleston Edge Collective. Charleston Athletics announced it on 2024-10-21 as "the new and official NIL platform for College of Charleston Athletics", founded by Mark Peper. The STARR Fund release of 2025-07-01 says that before the House settlement NIL opportunities "were facilitated by The Charleston Edge Collective, a third-party operator", which "will continue as a third-party marketing agency to support Charleston Athletics while assisting with community engagement efforts in support of the STARR Fund". Its own site says "The Charleston Edge Collective, LLC is the official NIL collective of the College of Charleston" (read 2026-10-24) | Charleston Athletics releases (2024-10-21, 2025-07-01); The Charleston Edge |
| Agents and representation | The handbook lets athletes use an athlete agent for NIL only, not for future professional representation (NCAA Bylaw 12.3.1); the agent "must be registered with the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs", and an attorney-agent must be in good standing with the state bar. Agents also register with the College's Athletics Compliance Office before contacting athletes. State law: an NIL contract is an agency contract, the agent's fee on it is capped at 20 percent, the athlete may cancel within 14 days, and agent and athlete notify the athletic director within 72 hours after signing or before the next athletic event, whichever is first | College of Charleston Athletics, 2025-2026 Student-Athlete Handbook; /nil/college/south-carolina |
| Compliance contact | College of Charleston Athletics Compliance. The staff directory lists Kate Brown, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, (843) 953-0215, brownke3@cofc.edu, and Morgan Flynn, Director of Compliance / NILGo Contact, (843) 953-9562, flynnm1@cofc.edu (read 2026-10-24) | College of Charleston Athletics, Staff Directory |
| State law | In force. South Carolina's Chapter 158 of Title 59 covers athletes at any post-secondary school, lets schools and their staff create and facilitate NIL deals, bars appropriated funds for NIL pay and five product categories, and since Act 119 of 2026 keeps NIL contract records and per-athlete revenue-sharing amounts at a school out of the public records law | /nil/college/south-carolina |
What is specific to Charleston
At Charleston, "The Charleston Edge" has named three different things. In July 2021 it was the athletics department's own NIL program, built with INFLCR and announced by Director of Athletics Matt Roberts, with its own NIL policy and disclosure form. On 2024-10-21 the department launched The Charleston Edge Collective, founded by Mark Peper, as "the new and official NIL platform for College of Charleston Athletics". On 2025-07-01, citing the House settlement, Charleston launched the STARR Fund within the Charleston Athletic Fund as "the primary conduit" for money to increase scholarships and share revenue, and said the Edge would continue "as a third-party marketing agency". The 2025-26 handbook lists what "The College of Charleston, its Athletics Department, including coaches may" do, among them sign license or endorsement agreements with athletes and "Act as a marketing agent for a student-athlete with respect to noninstitutional NIL contracts"; the October 2022 guidelines still linked on the athletics site say the College and its staff "may not arrange for, negotiate for, solicit, or facilitate" them. International athletes are told in the same handbook that NIL outside their home country "may be restricted under your F-1 visa" and are sent to the Center for International Education first.
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 Charleston
Does the College of Charleston pay its athletes?
Charleston is on the College Sports Commission's list of revenue-sharing schools for 2026-27, and the Commission puts the cap at about $21.58 million per school. Charleston says its STARR Fund, launched on 2025-07-01, is "the primary conduit" for money to increase scholarships and share revenue. Under South Carolina law the yearly total is public; what any one athlete or sport receives is not.
What NIL collective works with College of Charleston athletes?
The Charleston Edge Collective, launched with Charleston Athletics on 2024-10-21. Charleston's 2025-07-01 release says it now continues "as a third-party marketing agency" supporting the athletics department and the STARR Fund. Its own site still calls itself the official NIL collective of the College of Charleston.
How do Charleston athletes report NIL deals?
Through NIL Go. The 2025-26 handbook says third-party deals are disclosed "within five business days and before any work begins or payment is received", with the payor, the type of deal, the terms and anyone who set it up. Payments from the College itself are not third-party deals and are not reported there. The athletics staff directory lists Morgan Flynn as Director of Compliance / NILGo Contact.
Can the College of Charleston itself help athletes get NIL deals?
The 2025-26 handbook says the College and its athletics department, "including coaches", may inform athletes of NIL opportunities, connect them with third parties, and "Act as a marketing agent for a student-athlete with respect to noninstitutional NIL contracts". The October 2022 operating guidelines, still linked on the athletics site, say the College and its staff "may not arrange for, negotiate for, solicit, or facilitate" such opportunities. South Carolina's § 59-158-20 lets a school and its staff create and facilitate NIL opportunities but bars using appropriated funds for NIL pay.
Is Charleston the same school as Charleston Southern?
No. This page is about the College of Charleston, a public college in downtown Charleston that plays in the CAA. Charleston Southern University and The Citadel are separate schools with their own rules.
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