On Nov. 24, 2025, the Ohio High School Athletic Association, or OHSAA, passed an emergency referendum allowing the use of name, image and likeness in high school athletics. A total of 447 schools voted in favor, 121 voted against and 241 abstained. This rule represents a major shift in high school athletics.
With the new rule in place, Chillicothe head coach TJ Carper called his team together for a routine meeting. Postseason meetings are not uncommon in high school football; teams often gather several times after the season to discuss ordinary team happenings. This particular meeting, however, was anything but ordinary.
This time, Carper was responsible for addressing his team about a topic that could change high school football in Ohio forever.
As defined on OHSAA’s website, NIL is “allowing Ohio student-athletes to enter into agreements and receive compensation for the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). This includes payments for appearances, licensing, social media content, endorsements and other forms of personal branding linked to their public recognition.”
Ohio became the 45th state to pass a similar referendum.
B. David Ridpath, a sports management professor at Ohio University with a background in college athletics, says people should not be surprised to see this change coming to the high school level.
Since 2021, college athletes have been able to profit from NIL, and Ridpath says trends at the college level will eventually trickle down to high school sports. Many high school football rules regarding safety and penalties originated from NCAA policies adopted shortly before. NIL rules are just another example.
So, what does this mean? Will high school football athletes become millionaires in Southeast Ohio? Probably not.
Most high school NIL deals range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. For some deals, money is not even involved, as companies can use an athlete’s likeness in exchange for free food, merchandise or other material benefits.
That does not mean earning a seven-figure contract before 18 is impossible for some high school athletes. In fact, it’s already happening in other states, like California.
The potential for high school athletes to become millionaires before age 18 has become a contentious topic throughout the country. In Ohio, the debate has caught the attention of lawmakers.
Republican state Reps. Adam Bird and Mike Odioso recently introduced House Bill 661, which would “prohibit a middle or high school athlete from earning compensation from the athlete’s name, image, or likeness.” If passed, the bill would overturn the OHSAA referendum.
“We should not be turning our students into influencers,” Bird said during an Ohio House Education meeting Feb. 4. “Our students should not have to hire an agent [or] hire a tax advisor.”
However, professionals like Ridpath and coaches like Carper see no issue with high school athletes outearning their parents, teachers or coaches thanks to their athletic ability.
Ridpath shared that his own daughter has been rewarded with money for her talents in high school – just not in sports. She entered a singing competition and left with a cash prize.
“She won $5,000,” Ridpath says. “Nobody blinked. In fact, people thought it was pretty awesome.”
For Carper, he believes that if students could put themselves in the public eye, they should be able to profit from it. In Southeast Ohio, high school football has been in the public eye for decades, with nationally recognized athletes like Joe Burrow getting their start in the area.
However, with financial incentives lingering, there is a steady fear that high school athletes will transfer out of their schools in Southeast Ohio for more attention elsewhere. Locals care about athletics in the region, but money talks. Larger programs in Columbus or Cincinnati may outshine the schools in the area and draw students away from local school districts.
For some coaches, however, the possibility of their athletes transferring for bigger opportunities isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“If a kid and his family can benefit from it, then by all means, let them benefit from it and go make a living,” Carper says.
Legislators in Ohio are confident that not all coaches will share Carper’s views on the matter. Bird claimed that the bill has 13 co-sponsors, and he expects that varsity coaches across the state will testify in its favor.
Another concern among coaches across the state is how NIL will open the door for harmful recruiting practices. Recruiting scandals aren’t foreign to Ohio high schools, with programs receiving penalties for unlawful recruiting practices in which alumni secretly pay high schoolers to play at certain schools.
“This NIL change will undoubtedly make (recruiting problems) way worse,” Bird said during the Feb. 4 meeting. “This is about protecting our children from what I would believe are some predators out there that would like to take advantage of that child’s athletic ability.”
However, shady recruiting practices are a key factor the OHSAA has already accounted for. The referendum states that athletes cannot receive payment directly from their school. In college, a university has the right to pay players directly. If a coach really wants a specific player, the program can negotiate a lawful contract. In high school, this isn’t allowed, and the new NIL rule will not change that fact.
Recruiting is just one of several concerns for those supporting House Bill 661. Reps. Odioso and Bird are equally concerned about how the referendum will affect academics. With students earning lump sums for their athletic abilities, the two fear their focus will be pulled away from their schoolwork.
“High school sports are an extension of the classroom,” Bird said in a Feb. 3 press release. “They teach character, discipline, leadership, work ethic, and fitness … This bill is about protecting kids, keeping the focus on learning and development, and ensuring students across Ohio compete on a level playing field.”
Rather than place blame on the student-athletes for being swept away from their classes, Ridpath says if that does happen, he will look toward school districts for not adapting to change. He thinks that if high school athletes are being paid greater sums of money, then schools should be responsible for implementing a more in-depth curriculum about finances and money management.
It’s unlikely that House Bill 661 will come to fruition anytime soon, but for now, NIL is here, and coaches across the state will have to learn how to adapt.
For Ridpath, he’s pessimistic that the state will succeed in banning NIL at the high school level, and he’s ready for what he calls a much-needed change to occur.
“We just have to kind of let go of the old views and realize that things do change, and we’re going to watch the sports regardless, so let’s just be fair to the athletes,” Ridpath says.
As for Carper and his team, the one emotion that was clear by the end of his team meeting was confusion. Students were asking, “What’s going to happen next?” and “Where will we go from here?” Though he can’t predict how much the game will change, Carper remains hopeful.
“Man, I’m excited for the kids of the state to be able to experience it,” Carper says. “It kind of broadens the game for Ohio.”
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