Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of South Florida, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what University of South Florida, its conference, the state of Florida 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 South Florida
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | USF Athletics, "Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Policy" (file posted 2022-07-18, titled "Updated 7.13.2021"). It cites s. 1006.74, Florida Statutes, allows NIL pay from "a third-party unaffiliated with USF" but not for athletic performance or attendance, and says an entity "whose purpose includes supporting or benefitting USF or its athletic programs" may not pay athletes for NIL. A separate "Name, Images, Likeness Guidelines" page (address dated 2022-07-18) adds that pay "must be within fair market value" and that deals with a booster or NIL entity "may not be guaranteed or promised contingent on initial or continuing enrollment". USF's 2025 "Name, Image, & Likeness" page describes NIL for businesses and sets no rules | USF Athletics, NIL Policy (updated 2021-07-13), NIL Guidelines (2022) and Name, Image, & Likeness page (2025) |
| How deals are disclosed | NIL Go for third-party deals of $600 or more within five business days (NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). USF's posted documents also ask for disclosure to the athletics department through INFLCR: the policy says "within 5 days"; the guidelines page says "within four days of any NIL agreements" and calls this "not an approval process but a component of the Florida state law", and its FAQ says "Within five days of NIL agreement through the INFLCR App". Florida's statute no longer contains a disclosure rule (deleted in 2023) | NCAA 2026-27 Division I Manual; USF Athletics, NIL Policy and NIL Guidelines; /nil/college/florida |
| Banned categories | Florida's statute lists none. USF's policy says athletes "cannot enter into a contract or transaction that associates the university name and/or marks with" products competing with USF's exclusive sponsors "or that involve alcohol, tobacco products, e-cigarettes or any other type of nicotine delivery device, a seller or dispensary of marijuana or any controlled substance, anabolic steroids or other NCAA recognized performance enhancing substance, sports betting, casino gambling, or an adult entertainment business". The guidelines page says athletes "will not be permitted to enter into NIL agreements with gambling/sports wagering vendors or any vendors associated with athletic performance enhancing drugs" | USF Athletics, NIL Policy and NIL Guidelines; /nil/college/florida |
| School marks and group licensing | The policy lets an athlete mention USF and intercollegiate athletics but not use USF's marks, except in co-branded deals "when the marks are used by contracted licensees or sponsors of USF", under USF policy 0-215; an athlete who references USF includes a disclaimer such as "opinions are my own". The guidelines page covers marks, the "green and gold color scheme", team photos and video and uniform designs, which need "a written agreement granting specific rights from the University or written permission from the University" (the page names USF's Chief Marketing Officer as the contact for permission), and bars selling or autographing USF-issued gear. Since 2025-06-20 Bulls Athletic Properties, which USF calls "a new independent division", runs corporate partnerships and works "in close coordination with athletics development and name, image, and likeness (NIL) programs" | USF Athletics, NIL Policy, NIL Guidelines and Bulls Athletic Properties release (2025-06-20) |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission lists the University of South Florida for 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-23). The American's About page says the American "became the first conference to establish league-wide minimum investment and revenue sharing protocols". USF has published no revenue-sharing figure; in its 2024-07-29 release Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly said that "as the era of permissiveness with what we can provide student-athletes and revenue sharing continues to evolve, South Florida intends to be as aggressive as we can be and continue to meet every new standard". A 2025-11-13 release says USF's new Chief Business Officer will assist in football business operations, "including serving as a liaison on NIL and revenue-sharing initiatives". Florida Board of Governors Regulation 9.013(5) lets each university's trustees use up to $22.5 million a year of non-athletic auxiliary cash for athletics through fiscal year 2028 | College Sports Commission; American Conference, About; USF Athletics, NIL Strategy unit release (2024-07-29) and Chief Business Officer release (2025-11-13); Board of Governors Regulation 9.013 |
| Collective or NIL group | Fowler Avenue Collective. A USF Athletics release of 2023-05-23 describes the Fowler Ave Collective as "the 10-month-old third-party organization that supports USF student-athletes through name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives". USF Athletics' release of 2024-07-29 says it "will continue to serve as the exclusive collective of South Florida Athletics" and "is independent of South Florida Athletics with a mission to educate, support and market Bull student-athletes". USF's 2025 NIL pages do not name it, and its status as of 2026-10-23 was not confirmed on the athletics site | USF Athletics releases (2023-05-23, 2024-07-29) |
| Agents and representation | USF's policy says athletes may hire "an athlete agent or attorney engaged for the purpose of securing compensation for the use of their NIL", who "must have a valid license to practice in accordance with state law". The 2022 guidelines page says an athlete agent for NIL "must be licensed in the State of Florida", an attorney "must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar", and an agent representing an athlete beyond NIL is an NCAA eligibility issue. Florida law requires a Florida athlete agent license to represent a college athlete on NIL contracts (s. 468.453(8)) | USF Athletics, NIL Policy and NIL Guidelines; /nil/college/florida |
| Compliance contact | USF Athletics Compliance, Brendan Armitage, Senior Associate Athletics Director / Compliance, (813) 974-6885, barmitage1@usf.edu (staff directory). NIL staff page lists Ansel Triebe-Pay, Director of NIL Administration, ansel@usf.edu. The Compliance page links EthicsPoint for confidential questions and tips | USF Athletics, Compliance, Staff Directory and NIL Staff pages |
| State law | Florida's s. 1006.74, cut back in 2023, requires at least two financial literacy, life skills and entrepreneurship workshops of at least 5 hours each before graduation and shields schools from damages over routine athletics decisions, and s. 468.453(8) requires a Florida license for NIL agents; in force | /nil/college/florida |
What is specific to South Florida
USF built an NIL office inside the athletics department before revenue sharing began. In July 2024 it created an NIL Strategy unit with an NIL general manager and an initial staff of four, tasked with "identification of NIL opportunities, NIL marketing, fundraising, education, scheduling and execution of NIL commitments" for "nearly 500 student-athletes across 21 sports", and in June 2025 it moved ticketing, sponsorship and media rights into Bulls Athletic Properties, a new division launched with Elevate's support that works "in close coordination with" the NIL programs. As of 2026-10-23 the staff directory lists a Director of NIL, a Director of NIL Engagement and a Director of NIL Community Development. The NIL policy file USF still posts dates from 2021 and bars NIL pay from entities that support USF athletics, a rule that tracked Florida's 2020 statute, which the 2023 rewrite deleted. A 2023 USF Athletics release adds a local detail: it says the Fowler Ave Collective's co-founder, then a legislative chief of staff, wrote "the State of Florida's initial NIL legislation".
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 South Florida
Does South Florida pay its athletes?
USF is on the College Sports Commission's list of schools sharing revenue with athletes in 2026-27, where the cap is about $21.58 million per school. USF has not published how much it shares or how it splits the money among sports, and no per-athlete figures are public.
How do USF athletes report NIL deals?
Two ways. NCAA rules require reporting outside deals of $600 or more to NIL Go within five business days. USF's posted policy also asks for disclosure through the INFLCR app "within 5 days"; its 2022 guidelines page says "within four days" in one place and "within five days" in another.
What NIL collective works with USF?
The Fowler Avenue Collective. In July 2024 USF Athletics called it "the exclusive collective of South Florida Athletics" and said it is independent of the athletics department. USF's current NIL pages do not mention it, and its present status was not confirmed on the athletics site.
Can a USF athlete use the Bulls logo in an NIL deal?
Not on their own. USF's policy allows a mention of USF but not its marks, except in co-branded deals with USF's licensees or sponsors, and its guidelines require written permission for marks, team colors, team photos and uniforms. Athletes who mention USF add a disclaimer that the views are their own.
Does an NIL agent need a Florida license to represent a USF athlete?
Yes under Florida law, which requires a Florida athlete agent license to represent a college athlete on NIL contracts. USF's policy says any agent or attorney must be licensed under state law; its 2022 guidelines also mention Florida Bar membership for attorneys, a requirement the state removed in 2023.
Be your own agent. Leave.
