Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Marshall University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Marshall University, its conference, the state of West Virginia 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 Marshall
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | The "Name, Image, and Likeness" section of Marshall's 2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook (posted 2026-02-27). It cites NCAA legislation and "the proposed West Virginia State Statute (HB2583)", says Marshall may not restrict NIL pay outside official team activities or professional representation, says "institutional staff members shall not be involved in arranging name, image, or likeness agreements", reserves the right to disapprove activity "that could be viewed unfavorably by Marshall University constituents", and lists consequences including "Loss of NIL privileges" | Marshall Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2025-26 |
| How deals are disclosed | Handbook: before entering an agreement, athletes "should disclose all name, image, and likeness activities through the Marshall University third party administrator (INFLCR)", with the type of activity, the people involved and the pay; and all NIL agreements, activities, promotions or compensation "must be submitted through NIL GO for institutional review before the activity occurs or any agreement is signed". NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). West Virginia sets no direct disclosure duty but lets a state school require disclosure of similar agreements as a condition of its own NIL pay (§ 18B-22-2(a)(3)) | Marshall Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2025-26; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/west-virginia |
| Banned categories | A state ban: no student-athlete may earn NIL pay in connection with alcohol; adult entertainment; cannabis and its derivatives (not hemp); controlled substances; performance enhancing drugs; drug paraphernalia; tobacco, nicotine and vapor products; or casinos and gambling, including sports betting (§ 18B-22-4). Marshall's handbook "retains the rights to disapprove" NIL activity in categories that include alcohol or tobacco (including e-cigarettes), illegal products or services, anabolic steroids or other NCAA banned substances, gambling, conflicts with exclusive Marshall sponsorships, firearms, explosives or other lethal weapons, adult entertainment, and athletics recruiting services | Marshall Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2025-26; /nil/college/west-virginia |
| School marks and group licensing | Marshall property, including logos, facilities and video or pictures of Marshall sporting events, may not be used in an NIL opportunity "without the expressed written consent of the Director of Athletics and the Marshall University Office of Communications". Group licensing: Not published | Marshall Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2025-26 |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at approximately $21.58 million per school and lists Marshall University as participating in 2026-27 (read 2026-10-23). Marshall's handbook says that an athlete who transfers will have "any revenue-sharing you have received" adjusted "in accordance with the terms of your contract", and that athletes are responsible for taxes on "Revenue Sharing payments". No total or division is published. A 2026-08-18 athletics release says Marshall "will also strategically utilize revenue sharing and NIL resources to strengthen programs and increase championship and postseason opportunities". West Virginia lets state colleges share athletic revenue but not from legislative appropriations (§ 18B-22-2) | College Sports Commission; Marshall Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2025-26 and vision release (2026-08-18); /nil/college/west-virginia |
| Collective or NIL group | The Thunder Trust. A Marshall Athletics release of 2024-06-20 announced a multi-year partnership with Athlete Advantage as "the NIL Management partner for Thundering Herd Athletics", with fans and businesses contributing "through The Thunder Trust collective" and former Marshall guard Stevie Browning as its general manager. A Marshall Athletics release of 2025-01-29 calls the Thunder Trust "Marshall's NIL Collective". No later Marshall release names it, and thethundertrust.com did not load on 2026-10-23, so its current status was not confirmed. Marshall announced the Herd Exchange (INFLCR) for businesses to find and pay athletes on 2022-11-16 | Marshall Athletics releases (2022-11-16, 2024-06-20, 2025-01-29) |
| Agents and representation | Handbook: an athlete "is permitted to enter into an agreement with a marketing agent for NIL opportunities only"; department policy requires "all agents and advisors to register with the Compliance Office on an annual basis"; athletes and families are asked not to deal with an agent without the consent or presence of compliance staff. West Virginia law: athletes may retain a registered athlete agent or a West Virginia attorney for NIL matters; agent registration with the Secretary of State costs $50 and lasts two years; an athlete may cancel an agency contract within 14 days (§ 18B-22-1, 18B-22-2; § 30-39) | Marshall Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2025-26; /nil/college/west-virginia |
| Compliance contact | Marshall Athletics Compliance. Cody Sparrow, Senior Associate Director of Athletics / Compliance and Student-Athlete Success, sparrowc@marshall.edu; Josie Rollins, Assistant Director of Athletics / Compliance & Legal Services, rollinsj@marshall.edu | Marshall Athletics, Staff Directory (read 2026-10-23) |
| State law | West Virginia's NIL Protection Act (W. Va. Code §§ 18B-22-1 to 18B-22-5, from 2025-04-10) lets state colleges pay athletes for NIL and share athletic revenue (not with legislative appropriations), bans eight deal categories, and bars the NCAA and conferences from penalizing athletes or schools for authorized activity; in force | /nil/college/west-virginia |
What is specific to Marshall
Marshall's handbook makes NIL Go a gate, not only a report. NCAA rules send third-party deals of $600 or more to NIL Go within five business days of signing; Marshall's 2025-26 handbook asks for every NIL agreement, activity, promotion or payment to go through NIL Go "for institutional review before the activity occurs or any agreement is signed", with no dollar floor, alongside an INFLCR disclosure. The categories it may disapprove go beyond West Virginia's statute, adding firearms and other lethal weapons and "athletics recruiting services". The same handbook still describes West Virginia's NIL law as "proposed" and says staff "shall not be involved in arranging" NIL deals, while also referring to athletes' revenue-sharing contracts. On 2026-08-06 Marshall's president, athletic director and Board of Governors chair released a white paper, "From the Mountains, Not the Sidelines", that describes revenue sharing as "direct payments from universities to student-athletes" and calls for national rules from Congress. On the business side, Marshall hosted an NIL workshop for local businesses on 2024-03-25 at Cam Henderson Center, where businesses had to register on the Herd Exchange to be approved NIL partners.
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 Marshall
Does Marshall pay its athletes?
The College Sports Commission lists Marshall as participating in revenue sharing for 2026-27, with a cap of approximately $21.58 million per school, and Marshall's 2025-26 handbook refers to revenue-sharing payments made under contract. A 2026-08-18 athletics release says Marshall will "strategically utilize revenue sharing and NIL resources". Marshall has not published how much it shares or how it divides the money.
How do Marshall athletes report NIL deals?
Marshall's 2025-26 handbook says every NIL agreement, activity, promotion or payment goes through NIL Go for institutional review before the activity happens or the agreement is signed, and also asks athletes to disclose through INFLCR. The NCAA rule itself covers third-party deals of $600 or more within five business days.
What NIL collective works with Marshall?
A Marshall Athletics release of 2024-06-20 named The Thunder Trust, run with Athlete Advantage as Marshall's NIL management partner, and a release of 2025-01-29 calls it "Marshall's NIL Collective". Its website did not load on 2026-10-23 and no later Marshall release names it, so its current status was not confirmed. Marshall announced the Herd Exchange, an INFLCR marketplace where businesses can find and pay athletes, in 2022.
What can't Marshall athletes promote?
West Virginia law bars NIL pay connected with alcohol, adult entertainment, cannabis, controlled substances, performance enhancing drugs, drug paraphernalia, tobacco and vapor products, and casinos or gambling. Marshall's handbook also reserves the right to disapprove deals involving illegal products, firearms and other lethal weapons, conflicts with exclusive Marshall sponsors and athletics recruiting services.
Can Marshall athletes use the Thundering Herd logo in NIL deals?
Only with written consent from the Director of Athletics and the Marshall University Office of Communications. The handbook's examples of what needs consent include apparel with a Marshall logo, social posts with a Marshall logo, ads filmed in a Marshall facility and video or photos of Marshall games.
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