Indiana board approves NIL proposal, rejects shot clock for basketball

The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) voted May 4 to allow Indiana high school athletes to monetize their NIL, or name, image and likeness, with specific guidelines and rejected a proposal that would allow a shot clock for boys and girls varsity basketball games.

NIL

The IHSAA board has approved “personal branding activity,” or PBA, meaning a student-athlete can utilize their NIL as long as they do not depict any affiliation with a member school or use school facilities or property in association with receiving PBA compensation.

The move passed 13-5 and is effective starting in the 2026-27 school year.

“Unlike the current college system, where schools often play a direct role in NIL compensation, the new rule keeps high schools out of arranging or funding deals for student-athletes,” IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig said in a news release. “Instead, it allows students to benefit independently from their school, without using school branding or representing school-sponsored endorsements. It creates a clear distinction between the college model and the educational mission of high school athletics.”

IHSAA allowable PBAs include:

• Nonschool, nonathletic PBAs. Students can engage in PBAs provided they do not represent the member school and do not perform athletic services.
• Personal brand development. Students can develop and monetize their personal brand through social media, personal appearances and endorsements unrelated to their school athletic participation.
• Skill-based services. Students can provide nonathletic services such as tutoring, personal training instruction or coaching youth sports for reasonable compensation.

Prohibited PBAs that the IHSAA says will result in ineligibility include:

• School representation. Any PBA that represents or references a member school, unless directly connected to the student’s participation in the school’s interscholastic athletic program and directed by the school.
• Prohibited activities. A student must not participate in any PBA related to products, services, individuals, companies or industries that promote gaming or gambling, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, illegal or banned substances (including performance-enhancing substances), sexually explicit material or firearms or weapons.
• Athletic services. PBAs that involve utilizing athletic skills or participation in interschool athletic contests or demonstrations that are organized, sponsored by or affiliated with a member school. A student can provide the allowable skill-based services, including individual or group instruction, lessons, clinics or camps; participation in events, exhibitions or promotional activities not tied to member schools; or private training and coaching to individuals or teams not affiliated with a member school.
• PBA collective participation. This includes participation in or acceptance of benefits from PBA collectives that work on behalf of, in conjunction with, affiliated with or for the benefit of any member school.
• Recruitment-related activities. This includes PBAs offered to entice a student to attend a particular high school for athletic purposes.

Indiana is the 47th state to allow NIL rights to high school athletes, one of the few remaining states grant approval after Michigan became the 46^th state to allow NIL in high school in January.

“We believe it is far better to be proactive and create thoughtful, education-based guidelines ourselves than to have policies forced upon high school athletics,” Neidig said. “This approach allows us to protect the values of high school sports while adapting responsibly to a changing landscape.”

Shot clock

The IHSAA board also voted against a proposal submitted on behalf of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) calling for a 35-second shot clock to be introduced to boys and girls varsity basketball games starting with the 2028-29 school year. The vote was 17-1.

According to the IBCA, 68% of its membership voted in favor of a shot clock when surveyed earlier this year.

However, the IHSAA said that during a series of eight school administrator meetings around the state in April, the proposal was presented for feedback and only 24.4% of administrators were in favor.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) approved shot clocks in 2021 and, at that time, 10 states employed a shot clock for boys and girls varsity basketball games. As of the 2025-26 school year, 32 states use a shot clock in some form.

According to a report from the IndyStar, the biggest concerns from the IHSAA are additional bench personnel needed to run the clock — about $10,000 per school, according to Neidig — and officials’ concerns over resetting the clock and coordinating with the scorer’s table.

The IBCA can bring forth another proposal as soon as 2028, while a member of the IHSAA board could submit a proposal as early as next year.