- High school NIL
- Restricted. Open to athletes admitted to or signed with an Arkansas college
- High school authority
- Arkansas Activities Association (AAA)
- High school rule
- AAA amateur bylaws, with Arkansas Act 589 of 2023 (HB 1649) overriding them for qualifying athletes
- High school effective
- Act 589 signed April 2023, effective April 11, 2023.
- College NIL
- Permitted, with schools and foundations allowed to source deals
- College law
- Arkansas Student-Athlete Publicity Rights Act (HB 1671, 2021), amended by HB 1649 / Act 589 (2023) and HB 1717 (2025)
- College effective
- HB 1671 effective January 1, 2022. Act 589 effective April 11, 2023. HB 1717 tax exemption effective January 1, 2026.
- Paperwork
- Confirm your status: admitted or signed with an Arkansas institution, or not
- Penalty
- Violations of AAA amateur bylaws cost eligibility. Act 589 protects only qualifying athletes.
Where high school NIL stands in Arkansas.
Arkansas is a split case. The Arkansas Activities Association's amateur bylaws restrict high school athletes from monetizing NIL, and in October 2021 the association stated that a student may not profit from NIL while wearing the school uniform. Some national trackers list Arkansas as permitting NIL unaffiliated with the school; confirm the current AAA position before relying on that.
State law opened a specific path. Act 589 of 2023, passed as HB 1649, allows a high school athlete who has been admitted to, or has signed a National Letter of Intent with, an Arkansas college or university to pursue NIL deals, and the law supersedes the AAA amateur rule for those athletes. It was passed alongside changes letting Arkansas schools and their fundraising foundations source deals for athletes.
Effective: Act 589 signed April 2023, effective April 11, 2023.
What a high school athlete can and can't do.
Allowed
- ✓For athletes admitted to or signed with an Arkansas college: NIL deals under Act 589, including with the institution's supporting foundation
- ✓Building a personal brand and audience with no compensation attached
- ✓Activities the AAA confirms in writing are permitted in an individual capacity
Not allowed
- ×Profiting from NIL while wearing the school uniform or using school marks
- ×NIL compensation for athletes who have not been admitted to or signed with an Arkansas college, unless the AAA confirms otherwise
- ×Deals arranged through the high school or used to recruit
The high school checklist.
- →Confirm your status: admitted or signed with an Arkansas institution, or not
- →Get the AAA's current position in writing before any deal outside the Act 589 path
- →Keep school uniforms and marks out of all content regardless of path
- →Under Act 589, review any foundation or collective agreement carefully; the money can flow before enrollment
Agents and advisors
Arkansas regulates athlete agents under its Uniform Athlete Agents Act. For a high school athlete on the Act 589 path, representation on the institutional or foundation agreement is where the value is; outside that path, the working rule is caution until the AAA confirms what is permitted. MSG works with Arkansas athletes on both.
Penalties
Violations of AAA amateur bylaws cost eligibility. Act 589 protects only qualifying athletes.
College NIL in Arkansas.
Arkansas's college NIL law took effect January 1, 2022. In April 2023 the legislature amended it to let schools and their fundraising foundations identify and source NIL deals for athletes, give 501(c)(3) collectives including athletics foundations the right to enter deals, and extend NIL to high school athletes admitted to or signed with an Arkansas institution.
In 2025 the legislature passed HB 1717 exempting NIL income from state income tax effective January 1, 2026, according to available summaries. Since July 2025, Arkansas and other opted-in schools may pay athletes directly under the House settlement.
Effective: HB 1671 effective January 1, 2022. Act 589 effective April 11, 2023. HB 1717 tax exemption effective January 1, 2026.
Arkansas law: key points
- ✓Schools and their foundations may source and facilitate NIL deals (Act 589)
- ✓501(c)(3) collectives and athletics foundations may enter NIL deals
- ✓High school athletes admitted to or signed with an Arkansas institution may earn NIL before enrollment
- ✓NIL income exempt from Arkansas state income tax from January 1, 2026, per available summaries
- ✓Direct school payments permitted under the House settlement for opted-in schools
- ✓Agents must register under Arkansas's Uniform Athlete Agents Act
National framework (House settlement)
Since July 1, 2025, college NIL runs on two tracks. Third-party deals with brands and businesses remain open, and the House v. NCAA settlement now lets Division I schools that opted in pay athletes directly, capped at roughly $20.5 million per school in the first year and rising annually. State law sits on top of that framework and can add rules, but cannot take the federal settlement terms away.
- →Third-party NIL deals of $600 or more must be reported through the NIL Go clearinghouse, generally within five business days, and are reviewed for fair market value
- →Direct payments from a school count against that school's revenue-sharing cap; third-party deals do not
- →The College Sports Commission handles enforcement tied to settlement rules; the NCAA still governs eligibility
- →Every school also has its own NIL policy on disclosure, prohibited categories, and use of school marks, and it applies alongside state law
- →Federal NIL legislation has been proposed repeatedly and remains unresolved
Major Sports Group
What this means for a Arkansas athlete.
Arkansas built its rule to keep in-state recruits home: sign with an Arkansas school and NIL opens immediately, before graduation. For a committed athlete that is a real advantage, and for an uncommitted one it is a reason to read the AAA rule carefully.
MSG's Arkansas work splits by path: for Act 589 athletes, negotiating the institutional and foundation agreements; for everyone else, building the brand while confirming with the AAA exactly what is allowed.
Arkansas NIL FAQ.
Can high school athletes in Arkansas do NIL deals?
Only on a specific path. Act 589 of 2023 allows athletes who have been admitted to or signed a National Letter of Intent with an Arkansas college to pursue NIL deals, overriding the AAA amateur rule for them. For other athletes, the AAA bylaws restrict NIL, and families should confirm the current position with the association.
What is Arkansas Act 589?
The 2023 law, passed as HB 1649, that lets high school athletes admitted to or signed with an Arkansas institution pursue NIL deals, and lets Arkansas schools and their fundraising foundations source deals for athletes.
Can an Arkansas high school athlete wear a school uniform in a sponsored post?
No. The AAA has stated that a student may not profit from NIL while wearing the school uniform.
Can an Arkansas recruit get paid before enrolling in college?
Yes, if admitted to or signed with an Arkansas college. Act 589 allows NIL deals, including with the institution's foundation, before enrollment.
Can an Arkansas high school athlete have an agent?
Arkansas requires athlete agents to register under its Uniform Athlete Agents Act. Representation is most relevant for athletes on the Act 589 path.
What is Arkansas's college NIL law?
The Student-Athlete Publicity Rights Act (HB 1671), effective January 1, 2022, amended by Act 589 in 2023 to let schools and foundations source deals and extend NIL to committed high school athletes, and by HB 1717 in 2025 to exempt NIL income from state tax from 2026.
Can Arkansas pay athletes directly?
Yes. Act 589 lets the school's foundation source deals, and the House settlement allows direct revenue sharing for opted-in schools since July 1, 2025.
- Arkansas state NIL summary (Eccker Sports Group)
- High school NIL rules by state, Arkansas HB 1649 (On3)
- Oklahoma legislature sends NIL bill to governor, noting Arkansas changes (On3, April 2023)
- NIL laws by state, Arkansas HB 1717 (Athlete Agent Labs)
- NIL Rules in 2026: updated guide (Sportsepreneur, June 2026)
Rules change, sometimes mid-season. This page reflects the sources above as of August 2026 and is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the current position of the Arkansas Activities Association, your college\u2019s NIL policy, and your school before signing anything.