At the college level, paying athletes for their name, image and likeness is now just how things work. The question hanging over Texas is whether the same money is about to arrive under the Friday night lights, and most of the coaches who run those programs are dreading it.
NIL deals for high schoolers are permitted in some form in nearly every state, but Texas has one of the most restrictive laws in the country. A high school athlete who is 17 or older can sign an NIL agreement with a college, but cannot be paid while competing in University Interscholastic League sports. If the Texas Legislature, which next meets in January, changes that, coaches would inherit the same tangled NIL headaches that have upended the college game.
A Profession Already Losing People
The stakes land on a job that is already hard to keep people in. The Texas High School Coaches Association estimates roughly a 20% attrition rate in the profession each year, long attributed to burnout and mental health strain. Coaches worry NIL would become one more reason to walk away.
Antonio Wiley, the football coach at Coppell High School, put it bluntly. "I've got 13 or 14 years left. Hopefully I can fight it off," he said. "It would kill our game and the way we look at neighborhood-based programs. Community-based programs would go out the window. It would go to who has the biggest backing and the biggest social media presence and who is spending the most money on marketing."
The Fear: Super Teams and an Uneven Field
Many Dallas-area coaches share that worry. They believe NIL would create a lopsided playing field where only programs in affluent communities, the ones that could raise the money to pay athletes, would come out ahead. A handful of those programs, they fear, could lure elite recruits as transfers and build super teams while everyone else falls behind.
Jeramy Burleson, the football coach and athletic director at Kaufman High School, sees it as importing a broken system. "The NIL and transfer portal have ruined college athletics. I certainly don't think starting this at the high school level would help," he said. "We already have issues with rules being broken and some getting away with it and others not. I don't think adding to what we can't manage is a good idea. Places like where I am would struggle from lack of NIL donors, and there would be even more recruiting happening than there already is."
Wiley says there is one argument in favor: letting the state's premier athletes earn NIL money in Texas might keep them from leaving to chase paydays elsewhere, and he thinks Texas coaches should at least prepare for the possibility. He is still against it. "I don't want any part of that. I could do something else that doesn't involve that kind of stress," he said. "Once you open that Pandora's box, what are the limits on it? How much are community members willing to pay to bring home a state championship or the possibility of a state championship?"
The Schools That Could Not Keep Up
Jesse Perales, the football coach at Naaman Forest High School in Garland, said his school would be among those unable to find the money. He thinks Naaman Forest would lose players to transfers, though he suspects they would land at other Texas schools rather than leave the state, because they would not find the same facilities, competition, media coverage, recruiting or coaching anywhere else.
"We are stretched so thin with the little money we do raise. I don't think we could do it," Perales said. "If it were to pass, I see a lot of coaches retiring or leaving the profession. Especially in lower socioeconomic areas."
Where the money would even come from is an open question. Many schools lean on nonprofit booster clubs to fill budget gaps, but those have limits. Would booster clubs be allowed to raise money for NIL? Would it have to come from local businesses, social media partnerships, camps, appearances and community sponsorships? Nobody has clear answers.
Austin Kaehn, the football coach at Timber Creek High School in the Keller district, framed it as a fight for the soul of the sport. "The world is so driven by money. Where do you draw the line on developing young men and playing for the love of the game versus playing for greed and buying wins?" he said. "Greed is a nasty thing. I think Texas high school coaches' jobs are hard enough as it is. Asking them to conjure up money to pay players is absurd."
Who Would Even Run It
There could be an upside for players. High school NIL might teach athletes about contracts, taxes, branding, financial literacy and business relationships before college. But coaches point out that only a small share of players will ever earn meaningful money, so the education might end up being worth more than the paychecks.
Then there is the matter of oversight. Would the University Interscholastic League, which governs public school athletics in Texas, be the one to police it? The league already strains to enforce strict transfer rules in a state where thousands of athletes switch schools every year.
That is why even the coaches willing to entertain NIL want guardrails: reasonable limits, real oversight, and some kind of cap to keep high school sports from becoming a bidding war. Cody Stutts, the football coach and athletic director at Sunnyvale High School, tried to hold both ideas at once. "While I understand that elite athletes create value and should have opportunities to benefit from their personal brand, I believe high school sports should remain focused on education, development, and community," he said. "My concern is that unrestricted NIL at the high school level would create significant competitive imbalances, increase recruiting concerns and place additional pressure on young athletes and families."
For now, Texas law keeps the money out of the huddle. Whether it stays that way is up to the Legislature in January, and if the coaches who spoke up are any measure, they will not go quietly.
