Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Missouri State University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Missouri State University, its conference, the state of Missouri 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 Missouri State
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Missouri State University Op6.09, "Student-Athlete Name, Image, Likeness Rights and Athletic Reputation Policy", effective 2025-09-16, adopted "Consistent with Missouri State law and NCAA Policy". It protects participation and grant-in-aid for athletes paid by third parties or who obtain professional representation, sets disclosure and review, promises financial development workshops twice a calendar year, and lists prohibited terms. Violations "may result in Student Athlete discipline, including but not limited to dismissal" | Missouri State University, Op6.09 (2025-09-16) |
| How deals are disclosed | Op6.09: before signing and before any pay, the athlete "must disclose that contract to the University through a university accepted platform (e.g. Opendorse or Influencer)"; the Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance reviews it against the policy, other university agreements and NCAA and conference rules and responds "within five (5) business days". It adds that executed agreements of $600 or more "should be disclosed to the NCAA". The 2026-27 handbook names Opendorse and says athletes "must not accept money from the third party payor for NIL deals until the clearinghouse approves terms" in NIL Go. NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). Missouri law requires disclosure to the school before signing | Missouri State, Op6.09 and 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/missouri |
| Banned categories | Missouri law sets no list of banned products. Missouri State's own product list: Not published. Op6.09 says the university will not approve an agreement that pays for participation or achievement, is wholly contingent on enrollment, pays a university employee, is entered "while actively participating in team Required Athletically Related Activities", conflicts with a current university contract, uses university trademarks without a separate agreement, or communicates that the university endorses a product | Missouri State, Op6.09; /nil/college/missouri |
| School marks and group licensing | Op6.09 bars use of "any University Trademark" in a paid NIL deal "without a separate agreement with the university or applicable institutional marketing associate" (its contracted sports marketing company). The Missouri State NIL Store by Campus Ink (2026-08-05) sells athlete merchandise "officially licensed by the Missouri State University". A group licensing program is not published | Missouri State, Op6.09; Missouri State Athletics, NIL Store release (2026-08-05) |
| Revenue sharing | Missouri State announced on 2025-07-16 a "comprehensive plan to address the NCAA's newly approved revenue-sharing model". The Competitive Excellence Fund, under the Bears Fund of the Missouri State Foundation, takes tax-deductible gifts designated by sport; the info sheet lists its use as "Revenue-sharing distributions to student-athletes". The College Sports Commission lists Missouri State University as participating in 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-23). No total or split by sport is published | Missouri State Athletics, CEF release (2025-07-16) and Funding the Future info sheet; College Sports Commission |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published. No collective is named on Missouri State's athletics site. NIL support runs through the Missouri State Bears Marketplace on Opendorse, where fans and businesses "browse, book, pitch and pay" athletes; the info sheet says individuals and businesses "coordinate direct NIL partnerships via OpenDorse", not through the university, and that those contributions are not tax deductible | Missouri State Athletics, NIL Resource Center and Funding the Future info sheet (2025) |
| Agents and representation | Op6.09 lets athletes obtain professional representation, including "licensed athlete agents, financial advisors, or legal representation provided by attorneys", without loss of eligibility or aid. The compliance Agents page asks every agent "aspiring to do business with MSU student-athletes" to complete the Agent Registration Form and says state law requires agents to register with the State of Missouri. Missouri law: NIL representation "shall be by attorneys or agents licensed by this state", in writing, and agents register with the Division of Professional Registration | Missouri State, Op6.09; Missouri State Compliance, Agents page; /nil/college/missouri |
| Compliance contact | Missouri State Office of Athletics Compliance, Forsythe 239, 901 S. National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65897. Amanda Schmelzer, Associate Director of Athletics, Compliance, (417) 836-4377, als4e@missouristate.edu | Missouri State Athletics, Compliance Contact page and Staff Directory (read 2026-10-23) |
| State law | In force. Missouri's RSMo 173.280 requires disclosure of an NIL or representation contract to the school before signing, lets a school pay for NIL only where its own policy and its athletics association permit, limits representation to attorneys or agents licensed in Missouri, and makes NIL contract terms closed records | /nil/college/missouri |
What is specific to Missouri State
Missouri State rewrote its NIL rules as it changed leagues. It joined Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision on 2025-07-01, launched the Competitive Excellence Fund two weeks later, and adopted Op6.09 on 2025-09-16. The fund is run through the Bears Fund and the Missouri State Foundation, so gifts are tax-deductible and can be aimed at one sport; Athletic Director Patrick Ransdell wrote in August 2025 that the fund provides "a vehicle to share revenue with our student-athletes". Op6.09 also ties the policy to Missouri law: it cites RSMo 173.280.6(2) to treat NIL contract terms as closed records, keeps submissions in the athlete's FERPA-protected education record, and limits the compliance review to rules, saying it "will not address the financial / legal advisability of the terms".
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 Missouri State
Does Missouri State pay its athletes?
Missouri State shares revenue. It launched the Competitive Excellence Fund in July 2025 to fund "Revenue-sharing distributions to student-athletes", and the College Sports Commission lists it for 2026-27 with a cap of about $21.58 million per school. Missouri State has not published how much it pays or how the money is divided among sports.
How do Missouri State athletes report NIL deals?
Policy Op6.09 has athletes disclose an NIL contract through a university platform such as Opendorse before signing it and before being paid, and compliance responds within five business days. Deals of $600 or more also go to NIL Go within five business days (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2).
Is there an NIL collective for Missouri State Bears?
Missouri State's athletics site names no collective. It points supporters to the Missouri State Bears Marketplace on Opendorse for NIL deals and to the Competitive Excellence Fund for revenue-sharing gifts.
Can Missouri State athletes use the Bears logo in NIL deals?
Only with a separate agreement. Op6.09 bars using any university trademark in a paid NIL deal without an agreement with the university or its contracted sports marketing company, and bars implying that the university endorses a product.
When did Missouri State join Conference USA?
On 2025-07-01, when it also moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Conference USA's 2026 member page lists Missouri State among its 10 members.
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