Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by California State University, Fresno, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what California State University, Fresno, its conference, the state of California and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 22, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Fresno State
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Fresno State Athletics, "Name, Image, Likeness Guidelines (As of Fall 2025)", on the 559 Exchange resources page. It covers NCAA guidance, permitted NIL activities, disclosure, agents, personal multimedia and marketing teams, university intellectual property, facility use and taxes. It says Fresno State "is not responsible for tax obligations" from NIL activities | Fresno State Athletics, 559 Exchange: Name, Image, Likeness Guidelines (Fall 2025) |
| 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). Fresno State's guidelines say athletes "are required to disclose NIL deals via NIL Go", that deals "must be reported within five business days of execution of the NIL contract or otherwise agreement to the contract or payment terms", that deals "should be cleared in NIL Go prior to student-athletes accepting compensation", and that failing to disclose or accepting payment for a deal not cleared "can result in loss of eligibility". The guidelines set no dollar threshold for this rule. California law separately requires disclosure of each NIL contract to an official the school designates (Educ. Code § 67456(e)(2)) | Fresno State Athletics, NIL Guidelines (Fall 2025); NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/california |
| Banned categories | California's statute lists none. Fresno State's guidelines list no banned categories of their own; they say NCAA rules on employment, offers of inducement and extra benefits "still apply" | Fresno State Athletics, NIL Guidelines (Fall 2025); /nil/college/california |
| School marks and group licensing | The guidelines allow Fresno State marks in NIL activity "if and only if" the athlete or the third party obtains the rights through an official contract with CLC, the university's exclusive licensing rights holder, or Learfield, named as the athletics department's exclusive multimedia rights holder, with rights fees at fair market value "set by the University's Office of Trademark Licensing in conjunction with CLC and/or Learfield". Co-branded merchandise must come from licensed vendors and artwork must be preapproved by the Director of Trademark Licensing. On 2026-03-24 Fresno State Athletics announced Bulldog Sports Enterprises, "a new locally based multimedia rights and corporate partnerships agency", saying it is "moving from its current multimedia rights model to a localized agency structure". On 2026-08-27 Bulldog Sports Enterprises, which the release calls "the official corporate partnership entity of Fresno State Athletics", announced a five-year Morgan & Morgan partnership that includes NIL opportunities for Fresno State athletes and use of Fresno State Athletics marks "in connection with approved marketing initiatives and NIL campaigns" | Fresno State Athletics, NIL Guidelines (Fall 2025), Bulldog Sports Enterprises announcement (2026-03-24) and Morgan & Morgan partnership (2026-08-27) |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission says all current Pac-12 members participate and lists Fresno State (as California State University, Fresno) for 2026-27, with a cap of "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-22). A release posted by Fresno State Athletics on 2025-07-08 says "all aspects of athlete revenue-sharing for Fresno State athletics will be handled exclusively by TheLinkU", with a program that runs from contract creation and deliverable tracking to payment disbursement and reporting. Separately, the Bulldog Foundation said on 2026-07-22 that in 2025-26 it launched the Valley Co-Op, "a new giving initiative designed to support Fresno State Athletics as college athletics entered the revenue-sharing era"; the Valley Co-Op page says "Head Coaches Decide Where Dollars Are Used". No breakdown by sport was found on the athletics site | College Sports Commission; Fresno State Athletics, TheLinkU announcement (2025-07-08) and Bulldog Foundation fundraising release (2026-07-22); Bulldog Foundation, Valley Co-Op |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published: no collective is named on Fresno State's athletics site as of 2026-10-22. The school's official NIL marketplace is the 559 Exchange, powered by Opendorse (announced 2022-08-12), where fans, brands, sponsors and donors "can browse, book, pitch and pay any Fresno State student-athlete for NIL activities". The athletics site's NIL page also links athlete merchandise stores (Athlete's Thread, Influxer) | Fresno State Athletics, 559 Exchange announcement (2022-08-12) and NIL page |
| Agents and representation | The guidelines say an athlete "may use professional services, including agent representation" for NIL. Fresno State's Policy Regarding Athletic Agents says agents register with the State of California first, then with the Compliance Office with proof of state registration and a Fresno State form, and that all correspondence for athletes goes through Compliance. California's Miller-Ayala Act requires athlete agents to file with the Secretary of State, and § 67456 lets athletes hire agents and attorneys who meet state requirements | Fresno State Athletics, NIL Guidelines (Fall 2025) and Agent Registration page; /nil/college/california |
| Compliance contact | Fresno State Athletics Compliance Office, (559) 278-5031 (Compliance page) | Fresno State Athletics, Compliance |
| State law | California Education Code § 67456 (Fair Pay to Play Act), in force since 2021-09-01, protects NIL pay and representation, requires each NIL contract to be disclosed to the school and lists no banned categories; in force | /nil/college/california |
What is specific to Fresno State
Fresno State's written NIL rules treat an athlete's own content team as press: the Fall 2025 guidelines say any personal multimedia or marketing professionals an athlete uses "will be treated as credential media members for athletic events", that credential requests go to the Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications at least 48 hours before an event, that these teams get no access to practices, locker rooms during team activities or team travel without approval, and that all on-campus NIL filming must be preapproved. The athletics department also runs its own NIL plumbing: the 559 Exchange marketplace with Opendorse (2022; Fresno State says it was the first athletics department in California and the Mountain West to join Opendorse Ready, in 2020) and a single revenue-sharing platform, TheLinkU, chosen in 2025. Athletes may rent athletics facilities for camps, clinics or lessons at the standard rate, but not in a way that suggests Fresno State endorses a product without written approval from the Office of Trademark Licensing.
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 Fresno State
Does Fresno State pay its athletes?
Fresno State is on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 list of revenue-sharing schools, and the Commission says every current Pac-12 member participates; the 2026-27 cap is about $21.58 million per school. A July 2025 release posted by Fresno State Athletics says TheLinkU handles all aspects of its athlete revenue sharing. No breakdown by sport or athlete is published.
How do Fresno State athletes report NIL deals?
Through NIL Go. Fresno State's Fall 2025 guidelines say deals "must be reported within five business days of execution of the NIL contract or otherwise agreement to the contract or payment terms" and "should be cleared in NIL Go prior to student-athletes accepting compensation"; not disclosing, or taking payment for a deal not cleared, "can result in loss of eligibility". The guidelines point athletes with NIL Go access problems to the compliance office.
Can Fresno State athletes use the Bulldogs logo in an NIL deal?
Only with rights obtained through an official contract with CLC (licensing) or the athletics multimedia rights holder, at fair market value set by the Office of Trademark Licensing with CLC or Learfield, according to the Fall 2025 guidelines. Those guidelines name Learfield as the multimedia rights holder; in March 2026 Fresno State announced Bulldog Sports Enterprises as its new multimedia rights and corporate partnerships agency, and in August 2026 that agency announced a sponsor deal that includes use of Fresno State marks in approved NIL campaigns.
Does an NIL agent have to register to work with a Fresno State athlete?
Fresno State's agent policy says agents register with the State of California first and then with the Fresno State Compliance Office, showing proof of state registration, and that correspondence for athletes goes through Compliance. California's Miller-Ayala Act covers recruiting an athlete into an endorsement contract.
Is there a Fresno State NIL collective?
Fresno State's athletics site names no collective as of 2026-10-22. Its official NIL marketplace is the 559 Exchange, run with Opendorse, where fans and businesses can book and pay Fresno State athletes for NIL activities.
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