Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Texas Christian University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Texas Christian University, its conference, the state of Texas and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 21, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at TCU
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | The NIL section of TCU's "2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook" (file dated 2025-10-22), linked from the compliance Forms and Documents page, and TCU's "Name, Image, and Likeness Education" page, first posted in 2021 and now pointing athletes to NIL Go. The handbook says "For an exhaustive list of TCU conflicts and restrictions and full details on TCU NIL rules and procedures, please review TCU's NIL Policy"; no document by that name was found in gofrogs.com's document list, only a 2021 illustrated "NIL Policies" poster | TCU Athletics, 2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook; TCU Name, Image, and Likeness Education page |
| How deals are disclosed | TCU's handbook: "Prior to receiving compensation or engaging in any NIL activity a student-athlete is required to disclose the activity and any associated contract or professional representative through the NILGO platform"; compliance reviews submissions, and an athlete contacted about a conflict has 10 days to resolve it. The NIL Education page adds that "accepting compensation prior to clearance from NILGO can result in loss of eligibility". Texas law: disclosure to the school before entering the contract, in the manner the school prescribes (§ 51.9246(g)(1)). NCAA: noninstitutional deals of $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2) | TCU Athletics, 2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook and NIL Education page; Tex. Educ. Code § 51.9246; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27 |
| Banned categories | Texas law bars pay for athletic performance and for endorsing alcohol, tobacco products, e-cigarettes or other nicotine delivery devices, anabolic steroids, sports betting, casino gambling, a firearm the athlete cannot legally buy, or a sexually oriented business (§ 51.9246(g)(2)(B)). TCU's handbook adds CBD products, online gambling, firearms, firearm manufacturers, firearm shooting ranges and firearm accessories; protein drinks, bars and powders and energy or recovery drinks that conflict with institutional sponsors; supplements without third-party certification and all NCAA banned substances; and the companies Adidas, Under Armour, Rawlings, Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper. A deal also may not conflict with a team contract, an institutional contract, an athletics policy or the honor code | Tex. Educ. Code § 51.9246; TCU Athletics, 2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook |
| School marks and group licensing | TCU's handbook says TCU "does not permit a student-athlete to utilize TCU trademarks, logos, merchandise, memorabilia, or any institutionally produced content (e.g., image, videos)". The NIL Education page adds that NIL activities "should not occur on TCU's campus" and that TCU facilities may not be used in a way that implies TCU endorses a third party. Texas law lets a school permit its marks only under its licensing requirements and at market rates (§ 51.9246(g)(5), (g-2)). A 2024-10-24 TCU release mentions buying athletes' jerseys "with proceeds of the sales going back to them"; no group licensing program is described on the pages reviewed | TCU Athletics, 2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook, NIL Education page and release (2024-10-24) |
| Revenue sharing | On 2025-10-27 Director of Athletics Mike Buddie said "TCU remains committed to fully funding the revenue share limit", with the LEAP Agency seeking "above-the-cap" NIL funding. In his February 2026 newsletter Buddie wrote that "TCU is fully committed to remaining at that cap" and to supporting the College Sports Commission, and in April 2026 that TCU is "meeting the maximum revenue-sharing allotment allowed by the NCAA". A 2024-10-24 release said then-athletic director Jeremiah Donati had announced TCU would "fully participate at the maximum level" in revenue sharing. The College Sports Commission lists TCU for 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school". TCU publishes no breakdown by sport | TCU Athletics, LEAP Agency launch (2025-10-27), The Buddie System (2026-02-17, 2026-04-15) and Priority Points release (2024-10-24); College Sports Commission, Revenue Sharing and Participating Schools |
| Collective or NIL group | A 2024-10-24 TCU release called the Flying T Club "the lone collective partner of TCU Athletics" and gave its donors Frog Club priority points. TCU's 2025-10-27 release says its in-house LEAP Agency "serves as the spiritual successor to the Flying T Collective which was integral in helping TCU navigate the initial years of NIL activation". The LEAP Agency, with athletics department staff and leadership from Learfield (Horned Frog Sports Properties) and the Neeley School of Business, facilitates third-party NIL partnerships and offers businesses NIL partnership programs. In a 2026-03-10 Learfield extension, TCU said Horned Frog Sports Properties would add NIL content and NIL partnership staff to work with the LEAP Agency | TCU Athletics, releases (2024-10-24, 2025-10-27, 2026-03-10) and LEAP Agency page (2026) |
| Agents and representation | The handbook allows an agent for NIL "provided they have a written agreement with the agent that is specific to NIL activities and not for sport-related representation", and the representative is disclosed through NIL Go. TCU's NIL professional representative registration form (2021) says it "must be completed in its entirety prior to representing a student-athlete". For professional sports, agents register with the Texas Secretary of State and TCU to take part in TCU's agent interview program. Texas law bars a school from preventing professional representation, including a Texas-licensed attorney (§ 51.9246(c)(2)) | TCU Athletics, 2025-26 Student-Athlete Handbook, NIL Professional Representative Registration form and Agents page; Tex. Educ. Code § 51.9246 |
| Compliance contact | TCU Office of Athletics Compliance, whose page lists its staff; NIL partnership questions go to the LEAP Agency at NIL@tcu.edu | TCU Athletics, Compliance page; LEAP Agency page |
| State law | Tex. Educ. Code § 51.9246 reaches athletes at private or independent institutions as defined in § 61.003, so its disclosure before signing, banned categories, 10-day conflict rule, school marks rule and first-year financial literacy course apply at TCU, and since HB 126 (2025-06-05) it allows what an athletic association, conference or final court order authorizes; its confidentiality rule (l) is written as an exception to the Public Information Act, and the Texas page does not address how that applies to a private university; in force | /nil/college/texas |
What is specific to TCU
TCU describes its LEAP Agency, launched 2025-10-27, as a "front-office-style unit": staff from revenue generation, compliance, loyalty giving, cap management, content creation and contract services, with Learfield and the Neeley School, working with coaches on roster and cap management and offering NIL programs to businesses. TCU calls it the "spiritual successor" to the Flying T Collective. TCU's written restrictions go beyond the statute: it bars CBD, online gambling, firearms, firearm makers and shooting ranges, sponsor-conflicting protein and energy drinks, uncertified supplements and five named brands, and it keeps all TCU marks and athletics-produced photos and video out of NIL deals. Its 2025-26 handbook summary of Texas law still lists pay "by an institution" and workshops in the first and third years, wording the Legislature changed in 2025 and 2023.
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 TCU
Does TCU pay its athletes?
TCU says it does. Its athletic director said on 2025-10-27 that TCU "remains committed to fully funding the revenue share limit" and wrote in April 2026 that TCU is meeting the maximum allotment, and the College Sports Commission lists TCU for 2026-27, when the cap is about $21.58 million per school. TCU has not published how the money is split by sport.
How do TCU athletes report NIL deals?
Through NIL Go. TCU's 2025-26 handbook says each NIL activity and any contract or representative is disclosed there before any pay or activity, and TCU's NIL page warns that taking pay before NIL Go clearance can cost eligibility. Texas law separately says disclosure comes before signing, and NCAA rules set a five-business-day report for third-party deals of $600 or more.
What NIL collective works with TCU?
TCU called the Flying T Club its lone collective partner in 2024. In October 2025 TCU launched its own LEAP Agency and called it the "spiritual successor" to the Flying T Collective. TCU's LEAP Agency page lists NIL@tcu.edu for businesses.
Can TCU athletes use the TCU logo in NIL deals?
Not under TCU's handbook, which bars TCU trademarks, logos, merchandise, memorabilia and athletics-produced photos and video in NIL activity, and TCU's NIL page says NIL activities should not take place on campus. Texas law would let a school allow its marks at market rates; TCU's published rules do not.
Which brands can't TCU athletes endorse?
Texas law bans alcohol, tobacco and nicotine products, anabolic steroids, sports betting, casino gambling, some firearms and sexually oriented businesses. TCU adds CBD, online gambling, firearms, firearm makers, shooting ranges and accessories, protein and energy drinks that conflict with its sponsors, uncertified supplements and NCAA banned substances, and the companies Adidas, Under Armour, Rawlings, Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper.
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