UIL shares Texas high school football agent registry plans amid NIL boom

In 2021, Texas high school football went through a dramatic shift after Southlake Carroll (Texas) quarterback Quinn Ewers decided to forgo his senior year to enroll early at Ohio State due to the state’s NIL regulations. In 2025, the UIL then made it possible for student athletes over the age of 17 to sign Name, Image, and Likeness deals. “Prospective collegiate student-athletes aged 17 or older, MAY also sign name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements ONLY with postsecondary institutions in accordance with applicable state laws and NCAA rules.” The University Interscholastic League released a statement. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] Following this rule change in 2025, further discussions surrounding Name, Image, and Likeness deals occurred today during a Texas High School Coaches Association panel, where the possibility of an agent registry was discussed by UIL members, as reported by CBS Sports reporter Mike Roach. “The timeline is hopefully the next legislative session in Texas…They would have to be registered, they would have to take a little bit of a test…that’s our goal. I’d love to see a limit or a cap on what future earnings they are able to take from kids.” The UIL shared at the event. “Because there is no (agent) registry, the parents and the coaches are the last line of defense for unscrupulous perpetrators.” This discussion surrounding a potential registry for Texas high school football athletes comes just a month after Louisiana expanded its agent registry. This forced the existing sports agent registry to include anyone who represents student-athletes in NIL sponsorship deals. Currently, the top NIL earner in Louisiana high school football is class of 2027 Baton Rouge Dunham (La.) quarterback Elijah Haven, who has an approximate $1 million NIL valuation according to On3. One of the top prospects in the nation, the Alabama commit is the best quarterback to feature in the class of 2027 according to Rivals Industry Rankings. The sixteenth highest ranked prospect in the nation, also ranking second in state behind New Orleans Brother Martin (La.)’s Easton Royal. The quarterback made history earlier in the year after becoming the first varsity athlete to sign a deal with EA Sports, recently appearing in a New York Spotify campaign. He was also among a batch of eleven high school football stars who signed a historic deal with Nike this week. A full database of high school football NIL valuations can be viewed here. Following the recent discussion surrounding Texas high school football NIL regulations, the next legislative session in the state is set to take place on January 12th, 20217.