Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Clemson University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Clemson University, its conference, the state of South Carolina and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 21, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Clemson
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Clemson's NIL policy on its "Name, Image and Likeness Information Page" (page first posted 2021-06-30; the policy is marked "Version 4; July 22, 2025") says NIL pay must be a genuine payment, not pay-for-play, for a valid business purpose, aligned with pay to people in similar roles with comparable NIL value, and subject to range-of-compensation review in NIL Go. Failure to follow it can lead to discipline up to suspension or dismissal from the program, and the Director of Athletics' decisions on its interpretation and implementation are final | Clemson Athletics, NIL Information Page (Version 4, 2025-07-22) |
| How deals are disclosed | NIL Go for third-party deals of $600 or more within five business days of execution (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). Clemson's policy says every athlete, international athletes included, creates a NIL Go account and discloses through it (i) a summary of any proposed NIL activity before the agreement is executed and (ii) a copy of the executed agreement, and that agreements should not be entered into before Clemson's review in NIL Go is complete. South Carolina's NIL chapter has had no disclosure-to-school rule since 2024 | Clemson Athletics, NIL Information Page; NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; /nil/college/south-carolina |
| Banned categories | South Carolina bars NIL pay for endorsing tobacco, alcohol, illegal substances or activities, banned athletic substances, and gambling, including sports betting, and lets a school bar uses that conflict with its institutional values (§ 59-158-40(A)). Clemson's list: tobacco, including alternative nicotine products; alcohol; controlled substances, including marijuana; NCAA banned substances; gambling, including sports betting; and adult entertainment. Clemson also reserves the right to bar activity that would bring disgrace or embarrassment to the university or discredit to the department or team, and bars NIL activity during practice or competition, posting to social media included | Clemson Athletics, NIL Information Page; /nil/college/south-carolina |
| School marks and group licensing | Use of Clemson registered trademarks, copyrighted products, logos, marks or colors needs prior written approval through the NIL Intellectual Property Request Form; commercial products with Clemson marks go through the royalty-bearing process with CLC; facility use is requested from athletics. The athletics site links "The Player Shop" on the official Clemson online store; no group licensing terms are published there | Clemson Athletics, NIL Information Page |
| Revenue sharing | The 2026-27 cap is approximately $21.58 million per school (College Sports Commission). Clemson's House settlement FAQ, written before the settlement took effect and undated, says it "will distribute the full limit of the revenue share", that payments come on top of scholarships, and that a centralized "front office" will oversee contract details, reporting, allocation strategy, compliance and NIL/agency rights; the FAQ and the athletic director's 2024-11-26 letter put the 2025-26 cap at approximately $20.5 million. Clemson is on the College Sports Commission's list of participating schools for 2026-27. South Carolina bars using a school's appropriated funds for NIL pay (§ 59-158-20(C)). No 2026-27 total or amounts by sport were found on Clemson's athletics site (checked 2026-10-21) | Clemson Athletics, House settlement FAQ; Graham Neff letter (2024-11-26); College Sports Commission, "Revenue Sharing" and "Participating Schools" |
| Collective or NIL group | Clemson's athletic director named the 110 Society as Clemson's collective in a 2024-11-26 letter ("at Clemson, the 110 Society"), said collectives would "continue to play a role, particularly until June 30, 2025", and made gifts to it from 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30 eligible for IPTAY priority points. Clemson's undated House settlement FAQ, written before the settlement took effect, still says the 110 Society "remains a key part" of Clemson's NIL success; no Clemson statement dated after June 2025 on the 110 Society was found. Clemson's in-house options are Clemson Ventures, which the FAQ calls the department's "private-sector business structure with full-service marketing and in-house NIL agency abilities", and Everett Sports Marketing, which the 2024-11-26 letter says Clemson partnered with to advise staff and athletes and connect them with businesses | Clemson Athletics, Graham Neff letter (2024-11-26); Clemson Athletics, House settlement FAQ |
| Agents and representation | Clemson's policy allows an agent, lawyer or marketing representative for NIL but not for future professional contract negotiations; an agent must be registered with South Carolina and with Clemson Athletic Compliance Services and give state registration details, and representation contracts go to compliance for review before signing or upon enrollment. Under South Carolina law the agent registers with the Department of Consumer Affairs, an NIL agency contract may not pay the agent more than 20 percent, and the athlete may cancel within 14 days (§§ 59-158-10(1), 59-102-100(H), 59-102-120) | Clemson Athletics, NIL Information Page; /nil/college/south-carolina |
| Compliance contact | Clemson Athletics Compliance Services, 104 McFadden Building; cuacs@clemson.edu | Clemson Athletics, Compliance Services; 2026-2027 Student-Athlete Handbook |
| State law | South Carolina lets a school and its staff create and facilitate NIL deals, bars appropriated funds for NIL pay, bans five endorsement categories, bars association penalties for what the chapter allows, and keeps NIL records and per-athlete revenue-sharing amounts private (in force) | /nil/college/south-carolina |
What is specific to Clemson
Clemson puts its own staff behind a compliance gate. Its NIL policy says Clemson employees, coaches and staff need Athletic Compliance approval before taking part in any NIL support service, such as appearances or education, and need compliance clearance before any communication or engagement with NIL sponsors, "including any Collective", with discipline up to termination for staff who do not follow it. South Carolina law would allow more: since 2024 a school and any officer or employee may identify, create, solicit and facilitate NIL opportunities for enrolled athletes (§ 59-158-20(A)). Clemson channels that through named units instead: a centralized revenue-sharing "front office" that the athletic director said would be staffed with professional sports expertise, Clemson Ventures as the department's business and in-house NIL agency arm, and Everett Sports Marketing, a Greenville firm Clemson brought in to connect athletes with brands. The policy also makes NIL Go a pre-signing step at Clemson, not only an after-signing report.
What is public about Clemson NIL pay
South Carolina keeps NIL records closed. NIL contract documentation that Clemson collects or keeps is not a public record under the state Freedom of Information Act, and Clemson cannot be compelled to hand it to an athletic association or conference (§ 59-158-50(A), (B)). For revenue sharing, Act 119 of 2026 (in force 2026-04-01) makes a school's total yearly spending public, but exempts the amount or percentage paid to any specific athlete or sport and keeps negotiation records and agreements confidential (§ 59-158-50(C)); it applies to pending requests with no final judgment. What Clemson has published is program-level: that it would pay the full revenue-share limit, that the payments sit on top of scholarships, that a front office would run allocation, and that it planned 150 new scholarships for 2025-26. Clemson's athletics site did not show a 2026-27 total when read on 2026-10-21.
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 Clemson
Does Clemson pay its athletes?
Yes, through revenue sharing. Clemson's House settlement FAQ, written before the settlement took effect, says it "will distribute the full limit of the revenue share", in addition to scholarships, and the athletic director's 2024-11-26 letter said that meant up to approximately $20.5 million for 2025-26. Clemson is on the College Sports Commission's list of participating schools for 2026-27. The 2026-27 cap is approximately $21.58 million per school (College Sports Commission). South Carolina law bars using appropriated state funds for NIL pay (§ 59-158-20(C)), and per-athlete amounts are not public records (§ 59-158-50(C)).
How do Clemson athletes report NIL deals?
Through NIL Go. Clemson's policy has each athlete disclose a summary of a proposed NIL activity in NIL Go before signing, then upload the executed agreement, and says agreements should not be entered into before Clemson's review is complete. Separately, NCAA Bylaw 22.2.2.2 requires third-party deals of $600 or more to reach NIL Go within five business days of execution.
What NIL collective works with Clemson?
In a 2024-11-26 letter, Clemson's athletic director wrote that "at Clemson, the 110 Society" is the collective, and gifts to it through 2025-06-30 earned IPTAY priority points. Clemson's undated FAQ, written before the settlement took effect, still calls the 110 Society "a key part" of its NIL success; no Clemson statement dated after June 2025 on its status was found. Clemson also runs Clemson Ventures, with in-house NIL agency abilities, and works with Everett Sports Marketing.
Can Clemson coaches help athletes find NIL deals?
South Carolina law allows school staff to create and facilitate NIL opportunities (§ 59-158-20(A)). Clemson's own policy adds a gate: employees, coaches and staff need Athletic Compliance approval before providing NIL support services and compliance clearance before engaging with NIL sponsors or any collective.
Are Clemson NIL contracts public records?
No. Under S.C. Code § 59-158-50, NIL contract documentation Clemson collects or keeps is not a public record under the Freedom of Information Act, and a school cannot be compelled to give it to an athletic association or conference. Since Act 119 of 2026, Clemson's total yearly revenue-sharing spending is public, but amounts paid to a specific athlete or sport and revenue-sharing negotiation records and agreements are not.
Does an NIL agent need to register to work with Clemson athletes?
Clemson's policy says an agent representing an athlete for NIL is registered with the state of South Carolina and with Clemson Athletic Compliance Services, and that representation contracts are sent to compliance for review before signing or upon enrollment. South Carolina registers agents through the Department of Consumer Affairs and caps an agent's fee on an NIL contract at 20 percent (§ 59-102-100(H)).
Be your own agent. Leave.
