Leave is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Washington State University, its athletics department or its conference. Everything here comes from what Washington State University, its conference, the state of Washington and the NCAA have published, linked under Sources and read on October 22, 2026. "Not published" means the school has not published it.
The rules at Washington State
| Question | What is published | Source |
|---|---|---|
| School NIL policy | Not published. The "WSU Name, Image, Likeness" link in WSU Athletics' menu (/feature/NIL) returned "not found" on 2026-10-22, as did the revamped NIL website WSU announced on 2025-10-31 (/feature/nil-wsu), and no written NIL policy was found on the athletics site. The Student-Athlete Handbook posted in June 2026 (its file dates from 2021) describes a Personal Branding Program and lists NIL marketplaces and merchandise partners, and refers NIL questions to an athletics staff member | WSU Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook (posted 2026-06-16) |
| 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). WSU's 2025-07-31 release says its Director of NIL Services will "Ensure that coaches and student-athletes are informed of the many third-party NIL platforms/resources and are reporting third-party deals through the new NILGO platform". WSU's "How NIL Works" graphic shows a step where the athlete "discloses NIL opportunity" before completion and payment, without naming a tool or deadline. A 2022 release described disclosure through Icon Source's Icon Suite; on 2025-09-30 WSU announced a Washington State NIL Marketplace powered by Opendorse. No Washington statute sets a disclosure rule | WSU Athletics, NIL release (2025-07-31) and Know the Difference page; WSU Athletics, Icon Source release (2022-03-28) and Opendorse release (2025-09-30); NCAA Division I Manual 2026-27 |
| Banned categories | Not published. No Washington statute lists NIL categories, and no WSU category list was found on the athletics site | WSU Athletics (read 2026-10-22); /nil/college/washington |
| School marks and group licensing | Not published for individual NIL deals. WSU Athletics' NIL menu links "WSU X Athlete Branded Apparel" (Fanatics) and NIL trading cards (Athletes Thread), and WSU's Trademark Licensing office reviews requests to put the university's marks on products. From 2026-07-01 the Pac-12 says footage captured in its venues is Pac-12 copyright, and NIL activations using it need a license through Veritone | WSU Athletics, NIL menu; WSU Trademark Licensing; Pac-12 Conference, About the Pac-12 |
| Revenue sharing | The College Sports Commission puts the 2026-27 cap at "approximately $21.58 million per school" and lists WSU as participating. WSU's graphics (uploaded 2026-10-06) say institutional revenue sharing comes from the "Athletic Department's internal resources including donor support", flows from the department to each program and then to the player, and that "Athletics partners with student-athletes through documented revenue sharing agreements. Amounts are determined by coaches." Donors give through the Cougar Athletic Fund's "WSU Athletics General Institutional Revenue Share Fund" and sport specific excellence funds; gifts "are often tax deductible". The athletic director's 2026-08-25 newsletter also points supporters to "institutional revenue sharing through the Cougar Athletic Fund" | College Sports Commission; WSU Athletics, Know the Difference between NIL and Rev-Share; WSU Athletics, From the Desk of Jon Haarlow (2026-08-25) |
| Collective or NIL group | WSU announced on 2025-01-31 a partnership "to make the Cougar Collective the official Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) collective of Cougar Athletics"; the collective was founded in February 2022 and runs the 1890 Club membership. WSU Athletics' menu links "Cougar Auctions" at cougarnilhq.com under "Institutional Revenue Share"; that site carries the name Cougar NIL Collective and calls itself "The premier NIL collective for Washington State athletics". Whether that is the same entity as the Cougar Collective was not confirmed. WSU's graphics say Cougar Sports Properties (Playfly) "develops NIL partnerships between businesses and Washington State student-athletes", and its Opendorse NIL marketplace (2025-09-30) "helps individuals and businesses work directly with student-athletes" | WSU Athletics, Cougar Collective release (2025-01-31), NIL release (2025-07-31), Opendorse release (2025-09-30) and Know the Difference page; Cougar NIL Collective site (read 2026-10-22) |
| Agents and representation | WSU's handbook section on agents covers professional representation under NCAA Bylaw 12.3; no WSU rule on NIL agents was found. Washington does not register athlete agents. An agent delivers a signed disclosure form at first contact, an agency contract includes one to negotiate an endorsement contract, the athlete may cancel within 14 days, and athlete and agent notify the athletic director at least 72 hours before signing and again within 72 hours after (chapter 19.225 RCW) | WSU Athletics, Student-Athlete Handbook; /nil/college/washington |
| Compliance contact | WSU Office of Athletics Compliance, page wsucougars.com/compliance-home; staff are listed in the WSU Athletics staff directory under Compliance | WSU Athletics, Compliance; WSU Athletics, Staff Directory |
| State law | Narrow law. Washington has no general college NIL statute; RCW 42.52.807 (2024) lets state university employees use public resources to advise, facilitate, acknowledge or educate athletes on NIL within the national organization's rules, and chapter 19.225 RCW governs agents | /nil/college/washington |
What is specific to Washington State
WSU helped write the state rule its staff now work under. Its Government Relations office called SB 5913 a "WSU-backed NIL bill", advanced by WSU and the University of Washington to clarify that athletic department employees may use public resources to advise and educate athletes about NIL; it became RCW 42.52.807 in 2024. WSU has also put its money explanations into a set of four graphics rather than a written policy. They separate institutional revenue sharing, paid from department resources and donor gifts through documented agreements whose amounts coaches set, from NIL, a direct exchange with an outside business that runs through Cougar Sports Properties or the Opendorse marketplace. The same menu that links those graphics lists "Cougar Auctions" on the Cougar NIL Collective's site under institutional revenue share, while WSU's own releases describe the Cougar Collective as an NIL collective that funds fair-market-value endorsement opportunities.
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 Washington State
Does Washington State pay its athletes?
Yes. The College Sports Commission lists WSU as a revenue-sharing school for 2026-27, with a cap of about $21.58 million per school. WSU Athletics says it "partners with student-athletes through documented revenue sharing agreements" and that "Amounts are determined by coaches". WSU publishes no breakdown by athlete.
What NIL collective works with Washington State?
The Cougar Collective, which WSU named its official NIL collective on 2025-01-31. The collective was founded in February 2022 and runs the 1890 Club. The cougarnilhq.com site linked from WSU Athletics carries the name Cougar NIL Collective.
How do WSU athletes report NIL deals?
NCAA Bylaws 22.2.2 and 22.2.2.2 call for reporting third-party deals of $600 or more to NIL Go within five business days, and WSU's NIL Services director is charged with making sure deals are reported there. WSU has not published a written disclosure rule of its own.
What is the difference between NIL and revenue sharing at WSU?
WSU's graphics describe revenue sharing as money from the athletic department's resources, including donor gifts, paid under documented agreements, and NIL as a direct exchange between the athlete and an outside business or person, through Cougar Sports Properties or the Opendorse marketplace.
Can WSU staff help athletes find NIL deals?
Washington's RCW 42.52.807, a bill WSU backed in 2024, says state ethics law does not bar state university employees from using public resources to advise, facilitate, acknowledge or educate athletes on NIL, within the national organization's rules. WSU created a Director of NIL Services post in 2025 (its staff directory lists a Director of NIL), and its graphics say Cougar Sports Properties (Playfly) develops NIL partnerships.
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