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Whether it was the No. 1 high school recruit in the country skipping his senior season or the public feud that played out last week between Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban, the Name, Image and Likeness era has produced plenty of ripples across high school and college athletics since its inception last summer.
Now the Texas High School Coaches Association — the largest organization of its kind with nearly 25,000 members — has made a move to ensure coaches statewide have the tools they need to navigate these uncharted waters.
The THSCA announced Monday a partnership with Eccker Sports to provide coaches, administrators, parents and student-athletes with educational services and other resources in relation to the new NIL landscape.
Eccker Sports offers a comprehensive service, including an online video curriculum, that will provide information on the history of NIL, key terms and concepts and best practices. It also provides a resource hub with articles, state laws, abstracts, summaries, bylaws and interpretations, as well as college and university policies and procedures.
Schools throughout the state can register for an annual license at www.ecckersports.com. It costs $1,500 and provides access to all administrators and coaches. Licenses can also be provided to individual families for $25.
“Understanding NIL can be a real challenge for high school coaches and educators,” THSCA executive director Joe Martin said. “It is essential to have up-to-date information on this quickly evolving issue. We have turned to Eccker Sports to provide this information to help our coaches help our kids in Texas.”
The Supreme Court ruled last summer the NCAA could not bar college athletes from earning money through NIL endorsements. That decision has created several ripples throughout college athletics, but it has also come to the forefront in discussions about high school athletes and recruiting tactics.
Texas state law currently prohibits high school students from making money through NIL contracts. Doing so would violate Section J of the Texas NIL bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. That subject most notably came to light last summer when now-University of Texas quarterback and former Southlake Carroll star Quinn Ewers decided to forgo his last year of high school eligibility to enroll at Ohio State early and freely pursue NIL opportunities.
Texas is one of 26 states that prohibit the practice, according to a press release from the THSCA. Nine states have laws permitting their student-athletes to pursue NIL deals, and several others are considering legislation to allow just that.
“Our goal as a company is to help guide, protect, and inform high school student-athletes and their families so that they can thrive on their NIL journey,” Eccker Sports CEO and founder Randy Eccker said. “Our team wakes up every day living and breathing NIL, so as things change from state to state, our courses and resources are always up to date. That keeps the coaches armed with the most relevant information to help guide their student-athletes in real time. We are proud of this partnership and look forward to serving all of the coaches, administrators, student-athletes and their families throughout the state of Texas.”
Among the schools already registered for the Eccker Sports services are North Shore and Summer Creek.
North Shore head football coach Jon Kay, whose program won its fifth state championship in December, said having the correct resources on NIL is increasingly important.
“The focus for us right now in the state of Texas is our kids in college or trying to get to the next level,” Kay said. “I anticipate some changes in that as well. We’re just trying to stay in front of the curve and provide the right information to people that are thoroughly confused by what they see in the media.”
Summer Creek head football coach Kenny Harrison echoed those sentiments and said the aim is for high school coaches to be the primary sources for information.
“If we can get accurate information and educate our parents, it would be huge,” Harrison said. “I think the main question kids would like to know is when they get to college and sign an NIL (deal), how does that affect grants and things of that nature? There’s a lot of information that kids will be looking to get before college, as well as parents.”
While the future of NIL and Texas high school athletics remains uncertain, Kay said having everyone prepared and armed with knowledge is essential.
“We’ll deal with it one day at a time,” Kay said. “Hopefully a little bit more of an organized and efficient manner than we saw from our college counterparts. It is so new that we’re just trying to make sure that we have the right information to make those decisions, if and when the time comes.”
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