Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Drake University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Drake University, its conference, the state of Iowa 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 Drake
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Not published. No Drake NIL policy was found on Drake's athletics or compliance pages on 2026-10-23. Drake's 2021-07-12 release said "a more robust and complete NIL program" would be introduced "in the near future" and that "Drake's policy on NIL will continue to evolve" | Drake Athletics, NOCAP Sports release (2021-07-12) and Compliance pages |
| How deals are disclosed | NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more are reported to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). Drake's own disclosure rule: Not published. Its 2021 release said its NIL platform, NOCAP Sports, "fully automates monitoring of NCAA and university compliance rules"; whether Drake still uses it was not confirmed. Iowa has no NIL disclosure statute | NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; Drake Athletics, NOCAP Sports release (2021-07-12); /nil/college/iowa |
| Banned categories | No Iowa statute lists NIL categories. Drake's own list: Not published | /nil/college/iowa |
| School marks and group licensing | Drake and The Brandr Group set up a group licensing program on 2022-10-04 (Drake called itself "the first Missouri Valley Conference member to partner with The Brandr Group"); athletes may "voluntarily join", products are co-branded with Drake logos and marks, and participation "will not limit any student-athlete's NIL rights in their individual licensing and marketing activities". The first name-and-number apparel, for men's and women's basketball, went on sale through Athletes Thread (announced 2023-02-23). Rules for an athlete's individual use of Drake marks: Not published | Drake Athletics releases (2022-10-04, 2023-02-23) |
| Revenue sharing | Drake's letter of 2025-06-27 says Drake opted in and created the Drake Men's Basketball Excellence Fund and Drake Women's Basketball Excellence Fund, "managed by Drake Athletics", "institutionally managed, tax-exempt, and focused on both recruitment and retention", with each fund's budget and disbursement set collaboratively by the head coach and sport administrator (the athletic director for basketball); supporters of other sports may discuss funding revenue sharing for them too. A Drake release of 2026-04-13 says a Community Choice Credit Union affinity card gives 1% of each transaction to the "Drake Athletics Excellence Fund", which it says is "directly supporting revenue share funds for Bulldog student-athletes". The College Sports Commission lists Drake University for 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-23). No Drake total is published | Drake Athletics, letter (2025-06-27) and affinity card release (2026-04-13); College Sports Commission |
| Collective or NIL group | Drake's 2025-06-27 letter calls the DU Great Collective "our official NIL collective supporting Drake Men's and Women's Basketball" and says the services it provided ("interactions with local charities and community groups, compensation through NIL activities, taxation forms, etc.") "will now be performed by Drake Athletics"; DU Great "will not dissolve", and its donors are asked to give to the Excellence Funds instead. Its status on 2026-10-23 was not confirmed from a primary source | Drake Athletics, letter (2025-06-27) |
| Agents and representation | Drake's compliance Agents page says athletes and parents "may not have in person contact with sports agents until they have exhausted their eligibility" or declare for the pros, unless approved and arranged by the Director of Athletics; agents "must register with the Drake Compliance Office prior to contacting student-athletes" and "must demonstrate that they are properly licensed by the State of Iowa"; and athletes notify Compliance "any time they have contact with an agent". The page addresses professional representation and does not mention NIL. Iowa law: agents register with the Secretary of State for two years, an agency contract includes one for an endorsement contract, the athlete may cancel within 14 days, and agent and athlete notify the athletic director within 72 hours (Iowa Code chapter 9A) | Drake Athletics Compliance, Agents and Student-Athletes pages; /nil/college/iowa |
| Compliance contact | Drake Athletics Compliance; Alex Crowl (Senior Associate Athletics Director, Compliance and Roster Management, in the staff directory), alex.crowl@drake.edu, and Will Schneider, Assistant Director of Athletic Compliance, will.schneider@drake.edu (emails as printed on the compliance page) | Drake Athletics, Compliance page and Staff Directory |
| State law | Iowa has no college NIL statute (four bills from 2021 to 2025 died without a floor vote), so NIL at Drake runs on NCAA rules and Drake's own practices, while Iowa Code chapter 9A, the Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act, covers agents, including for endorsement contracts; no statute | /nil/college/iowa |
What is specific to Drake
Drake is a private university in Des Moines whose football team plays in the Pioneer Football League rather than the Missouri Valley, and its athletic director has said plainly where its priorities sit: "our basketball programs and the Drake Relays are the rising tide that lifts all other boats in our department". That is the frame for its revenue-sharing setup. Drake opened two sport-specific Excellence Funds for men's and women's basketball in 2025, gifts to which count for Bulldog Club benefits, and took over from the DU Great Collective the NIL services that group had handled for basketball players, including tax forms. Drake has not posted an NIL policy; its published NIL pieces are a 2021 NOCAP Sports partnership, the 2022 Brandr Group group licensing program (a first for the Missouri Valley, by Drake's account) and the 2025 letter.
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 Drake
Does Drake pay its athletes?
Drake opted into the House settlement in 2025 and is on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 revenue-sharing list, where the cap is about $21.58 million per school. Its 2025 letter says gifts to Drake Athletics "are now eligible to be part of this shared revenue model" and set up Men's and Women's Basketball Excellence Funds, with other sports able to ask about the same. No totals are published.
What happened to the DU Great Collective?
Drake's athletic director wrote on 2025-06-27 that Drake Athletics would take over the NIL services DU Great provided to basketball players, that DU Great would not dissolve, and that its supporters would be asked to give to the basketball Excellence Funds instead.
Does Iowa have an NIL law for Drake athletes?
No. Iowa has passed no college NIL statute, so Drake athletes follow NCAA rules, including NIL Go reporting for outside deals of $600 or more within five business days. Iowa's athlete agent law still applies, and it covers agents who negotiate endorsement contracts.
Do agents have to register with Drake?
Drake's compliance page says agents register with the Drake Compliance Office before contacting athletes and show they are licensed in Iowa, and that athletes report any agent contact to Compliance. The page is written about professional representation; it does not address NIL-only representatives.
Can Drake athletes sell jerseys with their name?
Drake joined The Brandr Group's group licensing program in 2022, which lets athletes opt in to co-branded merchandise with Drake marks; the first name-and-number basketball apparel went on sale in 2023 through Athletes Thread.
Be your own agent. Leave.
