Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of North Carolina Wilmington, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what University of North Carolina Wilmington, its conference, the state of North Carolina 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 UNCW
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | UNCW posts three NIL documents. The 2026-27 Student-Athlete Handbook (posted 2026-10-21) says athletes may accept pay for third-party NIL "subject to NCAA bylaws and disclosure requirements" and "Effective July 1, 2026, this policy extended to institutional NIL"; it bars NIL activity during official team activities or institution-sponsored events, requires a quid pro quo excluding athletic performance and pay at market value, and bars UNCW Athletics employees from personally taking part in athletes' NIL activities. The "UNCW Student-Athlete NIL Policy" "Updated January 30th, 2024" (linked from UNCW's NIL hub) and the policy dated "As of July 1, 2021" (linked from the compliance page) both say they guide athletes until North Carolina or the federal government adopts NIL legislation. The 2024 policy says "UNCW shall not provide payments to a student-athlete in relation to their Name, Image, or Likeness"; the 2021 policy says "payments or benefits" | UNCW Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27; NIL Policy (updated 2024-01-30); NIL Policy (2021-07-01) |
| 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). UNCW's 2024 policy says athletes "must disclose the NIL activities that they will participate to the athletics department", that disclosure "should occur prior to participation in an activity and must be submitted through the mobile app: INFLCR", and that failing to disclose could lead to team discipline up to removal and cancellation of athletics aid. The 2026-27 handbook refers to "disclosure requirements" without naming a platform. North Carolina law sets no disclosure duty to the school | UNCW Athletics, NIL Policy (2024-01-30) and Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27; /nil/college/north-carolina |
| Banned categories | North Carolina law lists none. UNCW's 2024 policy bars endorsements "in the following areas: tobacco, alcohol, illegal substances or activities, banned athletic substances, pornography and gambling", and activities that conflict with NCAA or CAA rules, law, or UNC System or university policies | UNCW Athletics, NIL Policy (2024-01-30); /nil/college/north-carolina |
| School marks and group licensing | UNCW's 2024 policy has two marks clauses that read against each other: one says athletes may use UNCW logos and trademarks "unless approved by the university and the student-athlete pays any licensing fees", the next says they may use them "without permission from the Department of Athletics". Athletes may borrow a game jersey for NIL activity through the Equipment Services Director one day ahead. An undated NIL FAQ linked from UNCW's NIL hub (posted 2023-12-01) says "Per the policy, student-athletes are not allowed to wear any team-issued gear when participating in NIL activities." On 2024-09-10 UNCW Athletics reported the launch of the UNCW NIL Store by Campus Ink, whose merchandise "is officially licensed by the University of North Carolina Wilmington" | UNCW Athletics, NIL Policy (2024-01-30), NIL FAQ (posted 2023-12-01) and NIL Store release (2024-09-10) |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission lists the University of North Carolina Wilmington (Coastal Athletic Association) as participating in 2026-27 and puts the cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" (read 2026-10-24). UNCW's 2025-09-25 release says the settlement "allows schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes" and that the Seahawk Club's sport-specific support funds address program priorities including "student-athlete revenue sharing". A UNCW release of 2026-08-19 refers to "the department's NIL/Revenue Share program", supported by its Senior Associate Athletics Director for Governance and Eligibility. No UNCW allocation is published | College Sports Commission; UNCW Athletics, "New Era In UNCW Athletics Ushered In" (2025-09-25) and leadership restructure release (2026-08-19) |
| Collective or NIL group | OneSeahawk, described by UNCW in 2023 as "a collective that operates independently from UNCW Athletics", was "the primary outlet for UNCW's NIL efforts since the 2022-23 academic year"; on 2025-09-25 UNCW reported that OneSeahawk "has announced it will hand off operations to the UNCW Athletics Department" and that "the efforts that the OneSeahawk Collective started will continue under the Seahawk Club". The OneSeahawk site (read 2026-10-24) thanks supporters and points them to a Seahawk Club membership. UNCW's FLIGHT program (2023-07-25) and the Seahawk Exchange on INFLCR connect athletes with businesses | UNCW Athletics, New Era release (2025-09-25) and FLIGHT release (2023-07-25); OneSeahawk |
| Agents and representation | UNCW's handbook allows legal counsel and representation "strictly limited to NIL activity", through third-party providers "as opposed to sports agents", and says an agreement with an agent for professional athletics makes an athlete ineligible. UNCW's agent page says agents and advisors "must register with both the State of North Carolina and the UNCW Department of Athletics prior to contacting the student-athlete(s)". North Carolina law: an NIL agency contract is an agency contract under G.S. 78C; agents register with the Secretary of State, the athlete may cancel within 14 days, and an agent tied to UNCW within the past two years may not sign UNCW athletes to NIL agency contracts | UNCW Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27 and Agent Registration page; /nil/college/north-carolina |
| Compliance contact | UNCW Athletics Compliance Office, Nixon Annex; athcompliance@uncw.edu (handbook 2026-27). Staff directory (read 2026-10-24): Kiersten Klekner-Alt, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Governance and Eligibility, who per UNCW's 2026-08-19 release oversees "all aspects of NCAA Compliance"; Samantha Fishel, Compliance Specialist. The NIL hub names Laura Pearson (now Associate Athletics Director for Administration) for NIL questions | UNCW Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook 2026-27, Staff Directory, NIL hub and leadership restructure release (2026-08-19) |
| State law | North Carolina has no general college NIL statute; S.L. 2025-46 (in force 2025-07-01) brings NIL agency contracts under the Uniform Athlete Agents Act and makes records of an athlete's NIL contract confidential, and Executive Order 223 was rescinded on 2024-03-08. Narrow law | /nil/college/north-carolina |
What is specific to UNCW
UNCW, a public UNC System campus on the coast with no football program, has moved its NIL work in-house in stages. In 2023 it launched FLIGHT, an NIL platform with INFLCR, and promoted a staff member to Assistant AD for Administration in a role it called "the first in the conference specifically dedicated to NIL"; in November 2024 it hired an Assistant Director of NIL and Revenue Generation. In September 2025, after the House settlement, UNCW reported that the OneSeahawk collective, founded by former Seahawk athletes, had announced it would hand off operations to the athletics department, and UNCW pointed donors to sports-specific Seahawk Club funds that include revenue sharing among their priorities. In August 2026 UNCW described a department "NIL/Revenue Share program" and moved compliance under a Senior Associate AD for Governance and Eligibility. The 2026-27 handbook says UNCW's NIL policy "extended to institutional NIL" from 2026-07-01, while the older 2021 and 2024 policy documents, still posted, say UNCW shall not provide payments to athletes for NIL.
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 UNCW
Does UNCW pay its athletes?
The College Sports Commission lists UNCW among schools in revenue sharing for 2026-27, when the cap is about $21.58 million per school. UNCW said in September 2025 that the settlement lets schools share revenue directly with athletes and that Seahawk Club sport funds support revenue sharing. Its 2026-27 handbook says the NIL policy was extended to institutional NIL from 2026-07-01. UNCW has not published how it divides the money.
What happened to the OneSeahawk collective?
UNCW Athletics reported on 2025-09-25 that OneSeahawk, founded by former Seahawk athletes and the main outlet for UNCW NIL since 2022-23, would hand off operations to the athletics department, with its work continuing under the Seahawk Club. The OneSeahawk website now points supporters to a Seahawk Club membership.
How do UNCW athletes report NIL deals?
Third-party deals worth $600 or more go to NIL Go within five business days under NCAA rules. UNCW's 2024 NIL policy also asks athletes to disclose NIL activity to the athletics department through INFLCR before taking part.
What NIL deals are banned at UNCW?
UNCW's 2024 policy bars endorsements of tobacco, alcohol, illegal substances or activities, banned athletic substances, pornography and gambling, and activities that conflict with NCAA or CAA rules or UNC System or UNCW policies. North Carolina law adds no list.
Are UNCW athletes' NIL contracts public records?
No. Since 2025-07-01, North Carolina's Public Records Act does not require or authorize disclosure of records related to a student-athlete's NIL contract, including older records a school holds (G.S. 132-1.2(11)).
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