LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan high school athletes can now profit from their own name, just not the way college stars do.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) approved on Jan. 27 an expansion of its personal branding activities policy, allowing student-athletes to pursue more individual name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities.

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Under the updated rules, athletes may now earn money through activities such as social media promotions, personal appearances, autograph signings, modeling, merchandise sales and other endorsements—provided the deals are tied to the individual athlete and not team performance.

The rules draw a hard line against pay-for-play, booster-backed deals and NIL-style collectives, which MHSAA says would undermine competitive balance.

The association previously allowed limited branding activities, but spent years debating whether—and how—to expand those permissions without importing the college sports model into high school gyms.

That caution remains built into the rules. 

Student-athletes may not use school logos, uniforms or facilities, and branding activity is barred during school hours, practices or MHSAA events. Coaches and school employees are prohibited from brokering deals, and off-limits categories—including “gambling, alcoholic beverages and banned substances”—stay off-limits.

All branding arrangements must be reported to the MHSAA within a week, and school districts remain free to enforce tighter rules of their own.

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“This is the essence of what NIL was supposed to allow in the first place,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said.