Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Illinois State University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Illinois State University, its conference, the state of Illinois 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 Illinois State
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | "Student-Athlete Name, Image, Likeness, and Voice Guidelines" (updated 2024-08-30), issued by the Illinois State University Athletic Department. It describes NIL rights under Illinois law, says NIL activity may not disrupt team-sponsored activities or cause missed classes or required academic appointments, bars NIL work "while on call for official athletically related activities", and says, as of 2024, that "institutions are prohibited from directly or indirectly providing compensation to a student-athlete" for NIL | Illinois State Athletics, NIL Guidelines (2024-08-30) |
| 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). ISU's guidelines: athletes "elect to opt-in or opt-out from disclosure" in the ARMS Release of Information workflow; those who opt in report in INFLCR, and "all NIL activity reports must be submitted via INFLCR a minimum of 5 business days in advance of performing a NIL activity or receiving compensation". Deals of $500 or more need a formal contract "uploaded in the INFLCR system prior to the execution of the agreement". Opted-in athletes who do not report lose institutional NIL services after 30 days. Illinois law has athletes disclose deals as the school prescribes (110 ILCS 190/20(c)) | Illinois State Athletics, NIL Guidelines; NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; /nil/college/illinois |
| Banned categories | Illinois law bars deals for gambling, sports betting, controlled substances, cannabis, tobacco or alcohol, electronic nicotine products, performance-enhancing supplements, adult entertainment, and anything reasonably considered inconsistent with the school's values or mission (110 ILCS 190/20(i)). ISU's guidelines repeat that list and spell out the values clause as anything that "negatively impacts or reflects adversely on Illinois State University or its athletic programs, including but not limited to, bringing about public disrepute, embarrassment, scandal, ridicule", and bar deals that conflict with existing ISU contracts or sponsorships | Illinois State Athletics, NIL Guidelines; /nil/college/illinois |
| School marks and group licensing | ISU's guidelines: no ISU name, logos, trademarks, designs, verbiage or nicknames in NIL activity "unless they have received prior written approval from the University's Department of Athletics", requested in writing to the NIL Use of Trademarks address (redbirdnil@ilstu.edu) and uploaded to INFLCR once granted. An athlete "may say 'I am John Smith and I am a punter' but may not say 'I am John Smith and I am a punter at Illinois State University'" without permission. ISU gear and facilities need the same written approval. ISU's NIL page links an NIL Store (launched 2024-08-08), Influxer and Athlete's Thread merchandise. A group licensing program: Not published | Illinois State Athletics, NIL Guidelines and vISUalize NIL page |
| Revenue sharing | ISU's letter of 2025-06-30 says it opted in, now operates "under roster caps instead of the traditional scholarship limits", and "grandfather[ed]" athletes above the caps at coaches' discretion. Its 2025-09-30 release created the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund, deployed "at the discretion of the Director of Athletics", which "allows donors to assist in the revenue sharing efforts of ISU Athletics" and says revenue sharing and NIL have had "the most concentrated impact in the sports of football, men's basketball, and women's basketball". The letter says that without grandfathering "we could have lost 40+ young men and women to meet the new roster caps". A release of 2025-12-02 added a Competitive Excellence Fee to 2026 football season ticket renewals; it says "100 percent" of the fee stays with football and "Funds will be allocated toward revenue sharing opportunities". The College Sports Commission lists Illinois State for 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-23). No ISU total is published | Illinois State Athletics, letter (2025-06-30) and releases (2025-09-30, 2025-12-02); College Sports Commission |
| Collective or NIL group | ISU's NIL page describes Empower The Nest as "a name, image and likeness (NIL) collective comprised of business owners, alumni and supporters of Illinois State Athletics", and the athletic director's 2025-06-30 letter calls it "our Empower the Nest collective". ISU's 2025-09-30 release says the Excellence Fund takes over "many of the functions previously held by Empower The Nest", that Empower the Nest "will continue to serve student-athletes", and that donors "are encouraged to make their contributions through the new Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund" | Illinois State Athletics, vISUalize page, letter (2025-06-30) and release (2025-09-30) |
| Agents and representation | ISU's guidelines allow professional representation "for the sole and exclusive purpose" of NIL matters; the athlete "must provide Illinois State University with written notice and a copy of the representation agreement within 7 days of entering into the agreement", and representatives comply with the federal Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act. Illinois has no athlete agent registration (its agent act was repealed in 2017) and bars representation agreements that run past the athlete's participation (110 ILCS 190/25) | Illinois State Athletics, NIL Guidelines; /nil/college/illinois |
| Compliance contact | Illinois State Athletics Compliance; Cindy Harris (Executive Deputy, Compliance and Student Services, in the staff directory), (309) 438-2677, caharri@ilstu.edu. ISU announced on 2026-09-03 that Dr. Wyatt Olson joined as Assistant AD/NIL and General Manager | Illinois State Athletics, Compliance page, Staff Directory and release (2026-09-03) |
| State law | In force. Illinois' Student-Athlete Endorsement Rights Act (110 ILCS 190) lets athletes earn NIL pay, has them disclose deals to the school as it prescribes, bars listed categories, and since 2025 lets schools pay athletes where a settlement, rule or school policy allows | /nil/college/illinois |
What is specific to Illinois State
Illinois State is one of the Missouri Valley schools that also plays FCS football, in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and its NIL setup is built around choice. Under its 2024 guidelines an athlete decides in ARMS whether to opt in to disclosing NIL deals to ISU; opting in brings services such as contract review, personal branding, business outreach and the chance to work with Empower The Nest, and opted-in athletes who stop reporting lose them after 30 days. On revenue sharing, Director of Athletics Jeri Beggs wrote on 2025-06-30 that under the settlement ISU "will lose approximately $500,000 in NCAA funding every year for 10 years", an institutional figure, while it chose to opt in and to keep athletes above the new roster caps. Three months later ISU asked donors to give through its own Excellence Fund rather than the collective, and in December 2025 it added a football season-ticket fee directed to revenue sharing. Its NIL hub, branded vISUalize, collects the guidelines, the state law and an interest form for businesses.
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 Illinois State
Does Illinois State pay its athletes?
Illinois State opted into revenue sharing in 2025 and is on the College Sports Commission's 2026-27 list, where the cap is about $21.58 million per school. ISU says its Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund "allows donors to assist in the revenue sharing efforts", and a football Competitive Excellence Fee goes toward revenue sharing for football. ISU has not published totals or how the money is divided.
What NIL collective works with Illinois State?
Empower The Nest, which ISU's NIL page describes as an NIL collective of business owners, alumni and supporters of Illinois State Athletics. ISU said in September 2025 that it continues to serve athletes, while donors are now pointed to the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund.
How do Illinois State athletes report NIL deals?
ISU's guidelines have athletes choose in ARMS whether to opt in to disclosure; those who do report in INFLCR at least five business days before the activity or payment. Separately, NCAA rules call for reporting outside deals of $600 or more to NIL Go within five business days.
Can Illinois State athletes say they play for ISU in an ad?
Not without prior written approval from the athletics department, according to ISU's guidelines; an athlete can name the sport but not "at Illinois State University" without permission. Requests go to the NIL Use of Trademarks address.
Is Illinois State the same as the University of Illinois?
No. Illinois State University is in Normal and plays in the Missouri Valley Conference (and the Missouri Valley Football Conference); the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is in the Big Ten and has its own page.
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