Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Samford University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Samford University, its conference, the state of Alabama and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 24, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Samford
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | The "Name, Image, Likeness Policy" in Samford Athletics' 2025-26 Coaches/Staff Manual (posted 2025-11-13) says athletes "must follow all NIL rules and regulations established by Samford University, the NCAA, and the College Sports Commission", that pay may not be "in exchange for athletic performance or attendance at the University", must be "consistent with the fair market value", and may come from third parties "or by the University and its affiliated entities". The athletics site's 2021 page "Information On NIL Legislation" still says "Employees of Samford University may not compensate or arrange any compensation deals", and its link to "the University's NIL Policy" points to a file path on a local computer rather than a web page, so that policy does not open from the site | Samford Athletics, Coaches/Staff Manual 2025-26; Information On NIL Legislation (2021-06-30) |
| How deals are disclosed | NCAA: third-party deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). Samford's 2025-26 policy: report all NIL agreements in INFLCR, "regardless of compensation amount, for the Samford Compliance Office to review"; report agreements of $600 or more, including multiple deals with one payer that total $600, to NIL Go within five business days of signing; and "your deal must be approved by the Samford University Athletic Department and cleared by the College Sports Commission". If NIL Go does not clear a deal, the options listed are renegotiating, cancelling and refunding, or neutral arbitration. Alabama has no disclosure statute | Samford Athletics, Coaches/Staff Manual 2025-26; NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; /nil/college/alabama |
| Banned categories | Alabama has no statutory list. Samford's 2025-26 policy says it "is permitted to prohibit" NIL transactions with tobacco and nicotine companies and retailers, alcoholic beverage companies or businesses that sell or serve alcohol, sellers or dispensaries of controlled substances including marijuana, products on the NCAA banned substance list, adult entertainment, casinos and gambling, and any entity that "negatively impacts or reflects adversely on the University", including its "Christian mission and purposes". The 2021 page also lists "Any direct competitors of current Samford sponsors" | Samford Athletics, Coaches/Staff Manual 2025-26; Information On NIL Legislation (2021); /nil/college/alabama |
| School marks and group licensing | The 2025-26 policy: athletes "must receive prior approval from the Compliance Office" before using Samford marks, logos or branded apparel in NIL, and may not use them at all in deals with sponsors that compete with exclusive university partners; athletes may sign with a sponsor's competitor without Samford gear. Commercial use of athletic facilities needs advance approval, a facility agreement and a liability waiver. Samford announced an official licensing partnership with Athlete's Thread for personalized NIL apparel on 2024-01-25. A group licensing program: Not published | Samford Athletics, Coaches/Staff Manual 2025-26; Athlete's Thread release (2024-01-25) |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at approximately $21.58 million per school and lists Samford University for 2026-27 (read 2026-10-24). No Samford statement on revenue sharing, its total or its division by sport was found on its athletics site; the 2025-26 policy says NIL pay may come from "the University and its affiliated entities, consistent with NCAA rules" | College Sports Commission; Samford Athletics, Coaches/Staff Manual 2025-26 |
| Collective or NIL group | Not published. No collective is named on Samford's athletics site. Samford and INFLCR launched the All For Samford Exchange in 2022, a registry where businesses, donors and alumni find athletes and pay them directly, with the athlete completing the disclosure in the INFLCR app; Samford's release said deals are to be "approved in advance by the Samford Compliance department" and that "INFLCR and Samford will not be involved in any of the negotiations" | Samford Athletics, All For Samford Exchange release (2022-10-03); Information On NIL Legislation |
| Agents and representation | The 2025-26 policy allows representation "only for NIL purposes and not for future professional athletic contract negotiations"; agreements with professional service providers "should be disclosed within 14 days of signing"; an NIL agent "must be registered as an Athlete Agent or be an attorney in good standing with the State of Alabama". Prospective agents also register with Samford Compliance and the Alabama Secretary of State. Alabama's agent act covers endorsement contracts: registration ($200, two years), a 72-hour notice to the athletic director, and a 14-day cancellation right | Samford Athletics, Coaches/Staff Manual 2025-26; /nil/college/alabama |
| Compliance contact | Samford Athletics Compliance, compliance@samford.edu. Erika Layton, Associate AD for Compliance, 205-726-2131, eseagren@samford.edu; Cameron Kosid, Director of Compliance, 205-726-4244, ckosid@samford.edu | Samford Athletics, Staff Directory and Information On NIL Legislation (read 2026-10-24) |
| State law | Repealed. Alabama has had no college NIL statute since Act 2022-2 repealed Act 2021-227 on 2022-02-03; the state's athlete agent act, which still applies, reaches agents who handle endorsement deals for any "student athlete", a definition that does not turn on whether the school is public or private | /nil/college/alabama |
What is specific to Samford
Samford, which describes itself as a "Christian university" and gives its address as 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, has rewritten its NIL rules for the settlement era. Its 2025-26 policy, published in the compliance office's Coaches/Staff Manual, names the College Sports Commission and NIL Go, sets a two-step report (every deal in INFLCR, deals of $600 or more in NIL Go), lays out the three paths if NIL Go does not clear a deal, and lets the university and its affiliated entities pay for NIL. Its list of deals Samford may refuse ends with anything that harms the university's "Christian mission". Samford has worked with Birmingham-based INFLCR since fall 2020, first for digital media content, then for its NIL program "The Samford Standard" in 2021 and the All For Samford Exchange in 2022. The athletics site's older 2021 NIL page is still up, with rules from Alabama's repealed law.
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 Samford
Does Samford pay its athletes?
The College Sports Commission lists Samford University as participating in 2026-27 revenue sharing, with a cap of approximately $21.58 million per school, and Samford's 2025-26 NIL policy says the university and its affiliated entities may pay for NIL consistent with NCAA rules. Samford has not published its total or how it divides the money.
How do Samford athletes report NIL deals?
Samford's 2025-26 policy has athletes report every NIL agreement in INFLCR for Compliance review, and agreements of $600 or more to NIL Go within five business days of signing, under NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2. Deals are approved by the athletic department and cleared by the College Sports Commission.
What can't Samford athletes endorse?
Samford's policy lets it refuse deals with tobacco and nicotine, alcohol, controlled substances including marijuana, NCAA-banned substances, adult entertainment, casinos and gambling, and anything that reflects adversely on the university or its Christian mission. Alabama itself has no NIL banned list.
What is the All For Samford Exchange?
An INFLCR site launched with Samford in October 2022 where businesses, donors and alumni register, search for Samford athletes, message them and pay them directly; the athlete completes the disclosure in the INFLCR app. Samford's release said deals are approved in advance by Samford Compliance and that neither Samford nor INFLCR takes part in negotiations.
Is there an NIL law in Alabama that covers Samford?
No NIL statute. Alabama repealed its 2021 college NIL law on 2022-02-03. The Revised Uniform Athlete Agents Act still applies to anyone who solicits an athlete into an endorsement contract, with registration through the Secretary of State and a 14-day right to cancel.
Is Samford the same as Stanford?
No. Samford University is a private Christian university in Birmingham, Alabama, in the Southern Conference. Stanford University is in California and plays in the ACC.
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