Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of Virginia, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what University of Virginia, its conference, the state of Virginia 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 Virginia
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Board of Visitors policy BOV-022, "Compensating Student-Athletes for Their Name, Image, and Likeness," dated 2025-03-07, contact office Athletics Compliance Office, adopted under Va. Code § 23.1-408.1, which requires a board-approved policy. It says "The University, or an entity acting on its behalf, may enter into an NIL-related agreement with a student-athlete to compensate the student-athlete for the use of their NIL and/or the right to use their NIL"; that an athlete who signs one "will grant an irrevocable non-exclusive right and license to use their NIL"; that the University or an entity acting for it "can identify, create, negotiate, facilitate, support, engage with, assist with, or otherwise enable an NIL opportunity"; that NIL pay from the University is "separate from an athletic scholarship"; that no student fees are used; and that nothing in it creates an employment relationship. Changes need Board of Visitors approval. UVA's athletics compliance NIL page says NIL "cannot be pay-for-play (that is, in return for athletics participation or achievement), and cannot be an inducement to attend the University of Virginia," and that an NIL agreement "cannot be predicated on performance or being on a team" | UVA Policy Directory, BOV-022 (2025-03-07, Last Revised blank, read 2026-10-21); UVA Athletics Compliance, Information on NIL |
| How deals are disclosed | BOV-022 says "A student-athlete must disclose NIL-related activity that is $600 and above to the Athletic Department, consistent with the Athletic Department's policies and procedures, NCAA or ACC rules, or the regulatory provisions adopted by any other governing body with authority over intercollegiate athletics." Virginia law says that before executing an NIL agreement, an athlete discloses it to the school "in a manner designated by the institution" (§ 23.1-408.1(I)). Under NCAA rules, third-party deals of $600 or more are reported in NIL Go within five business days (Bylaws 22.2.2, 22.2.2.2). The UVA compliance pages read on 2026-10-21 point questions to athleticscompliance@virginia.edu | UVA Policy Directory, BOV-022 (2025-03-07); /nil/college/virginia; NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27 |
| Banned categories | BOV-022 bars NIL pay in connection with "(1) casinos or gambling, including sports betting; (2) alcohol products; (3) adult entertainment; (4) cannabis, cannabinoids, cannabidiol, or other derivatives; (5) dangerous or controlled substances; (6) performance enhancing drugs or substances (e.g., steroids, human growth hormone); (7) drug paraphernalia; (8) tobacco and electronic smoking products and devices; or (9) weapons, including firearms and ammunition," the same nine categories as Virginia law (§ 23.1-408.1(F)). It adds that the University "has authority to preclude a student-athlete from engaging in NIL activities that conflict with existing University arrangements," and the compliance page says the University may bar NIL activity during academic, department or official team activities | UVA Policy Directory, BOV-022 (2025-03-07); UVA Athletics Compliance, Information on NIL; /nil/college/virginia |
| School marks and group licensing | BOV-022 says the University's intellectual property, including trademarks, logos, colors, uniforms and copyrightable photos or videos, "may be utilized for NIL activities, as long as the use has been approved by the University." Approval for marks, logos, colors and uniforms comes from University Communications under policy GOV-004, "unless an outside entity, such as a multimedia rights partner, has contractual rights to use federally registered marks," and the University approves the creative brief, script, media assets and plans for use. UVA's compliance NIL page says athletes who wish to use University logos or marks contact the Director of Licensing. No group licensing program or athlete merchandise store is described on the UVA pages read | UVA Policy Directory, BOV-022 (2025-03-07); UVA Athletics Compliance, Information on NIL |
| Revenue sharing | Carla Williams wrote on 2025-06-12 that the settlement permits "additional financial support for student-athletes in the form of revenue sharing (rev share) and scholarships" and that "UVA will distribute the maximum allowable, $20.5 million, to our student-athletes," naming revenue sharing, scholarships, commercial NIL and operations as the four areas of investment. UVA is on the College Sports Commission's list of schools participating in revenue sharing for 2026-27, where the cap is "approximately $21.58 million per school." No UVA figure for 2026-27 was found on the pages read. BOV-022 and Virginia law bar using student fees to pay athletes for NIL | Virginia Athletics, An Update from Carla Williams on the House Settlement (2025-06-12); College Sports Commission, Participating Schools and Revenue Sharing (2026-27); UVA Policy Directory, BOV-022 (2025-03-07) |
| Collective or NIL group | UVA's compliance NIL page says athletes "will have the opportunity to engage with CavFutures, the official NIL Collective of the University of Virginia." UVA's NIL FAQ points supporters to the Cav Futures Foundation and says certain gifts to it count toward lifetime athletics giving since 2024-07-01; CavFutures Marketing Inc. calls itself "UVA's official NIL partner" on its own site. On 2026-03-24 UVA announced UVA NIL, "a division of the athletic department's official multimedia rights holder, Playfly Sports and Virginia Sports Properties (VSP)," "dedicated to generating third-party NIL opportunities for University of Virginia student-athletes," with Clay Walker as General Manager | UVA Athletics Compliance, Information on NIL; Virginia Athletics, NIL FAQ and UVA NIL release (2026-03-24); CavFutures site |
| Agents and representation | UVA's agents page says Virginia law lets athletes use agents, attorneys or financial advisors for NIL, that an athlete agent is licensed under Va. Code 54.1-526 to 54.1-542 unless exempt, and that an agent completes the UVA Agent form before contacting a UVA athlete; each representation agreement is reviewed by the compliance office. NIL representation "cannot pursue professional athletic opportunities." Under state law, NIL agents register with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, and an athlete may cancel an agency contract within 14 days | UVA Athletics Compliance, Information for Agents and Information on NIL; /nil/college/virginia |
| Compliance contact | University of Virginia Athletics Compliance Office, P.O. Box 400830, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4830, 434.982.5018, athleticscompliance@virginia.edu | UVA Athletics Compliance, Contact Us |
| State law | Va. Code § 23.1-408.1 (2022, expanded in 2024 by HB 1505) protects athletes' NIL pay and representation, bans nine deal categories, requires disclosure to the school before signing, bars associations and conferences from stopping a Virginia school paying its athletes for NIL, and requires board-approved school NIL policies; since 2026-07-01, § 23.1-408.2 limits use of athletes' biometric data. In force | /nil/college/virginia |
What is specific to Virginia
UVA helped write the law it now operates under. A Virginia Athletics story of 2024-04-18 says that Jason Baum, deputy athletics director for legal and regulatory affairs, "helped draft the bill" that became HB 1505, and that UVA agreed to serve as "the primary contact for expertise and technical support" for it. At that signing, Carla Williams said UVA had not decided which provisions to use; the Board of Visitors policy BOV-022 followed in March 2025, using the law's room for the University "or an entity acting on its behalf" to pay athletes for NIL and to "identify, create, negotiate, facilitate" NIL opportunities, and in June 2025 she said UVA would distribute the maximum allowed. UVA's NIL work now runs through several channels: CavFutures, which the compliance office calls the official collective; UVA NIL, a division of Playfly Sports and Virginia Sports Properties led by Clay Walker since March 2026; and the Cavalier Alliance Network, launched 2026-10-13, a corporate membership starting at $25,000 a year whose credits can be used for athlete appearances and marketing campaigns that are "coordinated individually with each student-athlete and reviewed by Virginia's NIL department for compliance." UVA's NIL FAQ adds that federal immigration law and visa status, not the Virginia statute, control whether an international athlete can be paid 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 Virginia
Does UVA pay its athletes?
Yes. Carla Williams, Director of Athletics, wrote on 2025-06-12 that "UVA will distribute the maximum allowable, $20.5 million, to our student-athletes," and the College Sports Commission lists the University of Virginia among schools sharing revenue in 2026-27, under a cap of approximately $21.58 million per school. UVA has not published a 2026-27 figure or how the money is divided.
What NIL collective works with UVA?
UVA's compliance office calls CavFutures "the official NIL Collective of the University of Virginia," and its NIL FAQ points supporters to the Cav Futures Foundation. Since March 2026, UVA NIL, a division of Playfly Sports and Virginia Sports Properties, has generated third-party NIL opportunities for UVA athletes.
How do UVA athletes report NIL deals?
UVA's Board of Visitors policy BOV-022 says athletes "must disclose NIL-related activity that is $600 and above to the Athletic Department," consistent with the department's procedures and NCAA or ACC rules. Virginia law also has athletes disclose an NIL agreement to the school before executing it, in the manner the school designates, and NCAA rules have third-party deals of $600 or more reported in NIL Go within five business days. The contact is athleticscompliance@virginia.edu.
What NIL deals are banned for UVA athletes?
UVA's policy BOV-022 and Virginia law bar NIL pay connected with casinos or gambling including sports betting, alcohol, adult entertainment, cannabis and its derivatives, dangerous or controlled substances, performance enhancing drugs, drug paraphernalia, tobacco and electronic smoking products, and weapons. BOV-022 also lets UVA bar NIL activity that conflicts with existing University arrangements, and UVA's compliance page says NIL cannot be pay-for-play or an inducement to attend UVA.
Do NIL agents need to register to work with UVA athletes?
UVA's agents page says an agent completes the UVA Agent form before contacting a UVA athlete and that the compliance office reviews each representation agreement. Virginia law also requires athlete agents, including NIL agents, to register with the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation unless exempt.
What rights does UVA get to an athlete's NIL?
UVA's policy BOV-022 says that an athlete who enters an NIL-related agreement with the University, or an entity acting on its behalf, "will grant an irrevocable non-exclusive right and license to use their NIL," within Virginia law and NCAA and ACC rules. Using UVA's trademarks, logos, colors, uniforms or photos in NIL activity needs University approval.
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