Since 2021, college athletes have been allowed to earn money from their name, image and likeness, and since then the internet has been full of stories that make it sound like every specialist is driving a car that a booster gave them. Almost none of those stories are about kickers. Let me give you the honest version of what NIL actually looks like from the specialist side of the roster — and the boring-but-important part first.
The rules are not one rule. They vary by state, by school, by conference, and they keep changing. What was not allowed when a recruit signed may be allowed by the time they arrive, and vice versa. High school NIL is its own separate question: some state athletic associations permit it, many do not, and a few allow it with restrictions. So treat this post as a map of the territory, not legal advice — the people who know your exact situation are your future school’s compliance office, your parents, and your high school athletic association.
What NIL Actually Is
Nothing about NIL means the school pays you to play. It means you can be paid for the commercial use of who you are — a local restaurant paying you to post about their wings, a camp paying you to appear, a brand paying you to feature their product, or ad revenue from content you make yourself. The money flows because of your likeness, not because of your roster spot. That distinction matters for specialists, because our market value comes almost entirely from what we build outside the team: an audience, a reputation, a skill people want to learn.
The Honest Picture for Specialists
Here is the reality I want you to walk in with. The seven-figure collective deals you read about mostly flow toward quarterbacks and star position players. Kickers and punters are the least visible specialists on the field, and nobody buys a jersey with a punter’s number on it expecting him to sign it at a mall. That is not pessimism — it is useful information, because it tells you where the realistic opportunities actually sit:
- Local businesses. The most common real specialist deal: a restaurant, gym, driving range or auto shop in a college town that wants a recognizable local athlete. Modest money, often product plus a few hundred dollars, and often the easiest deal to actually get approved.
- Teaching and camps. Where it is permitted by your state, school and eligibility rules, a college kicker running lessons for younger kickers is the most natural NIL income there is — you are monetizing a skill, not a fanbase.
- Content. A kicking channel, a form-review account, a punting-tip series. The money starts small or at zero, but you own it, and it is the only deal type that grows while you sleep.
- Group deals and collectives. Possible, but most collectives spend on offensive skill positions. Do not build a college decision around a collective promise. If a school’s pitch leans heavily on NIL money aimed at a specialist, ask precise questions and get answers in writing.
The Questions to Ask Before Anything Else
1. Is it allowed where I am — at this moment?
State law, school policy and conference rules stack on top of each other, and any one of them can block a deal. Some states restrict NIL during recruiting or before enrollment; some schools ban certain categories entirely. Nothing here replaces asking your compliance office in writing before you sign anything. A deal your school has not approved is not a deal — it is a risk to your eligibility.
2. Does this need to be reported?
Most programs require athletes to disclose agreements, and some states require it too. Treat reporting as part of the job, not an obstacle. The athletes who get in trouble are almost never the ones earning money — they are the ones who skipped the paperwork.
3. What is this actually worth after costs?
NIL income is generally taxable income. A $500 deal is not $500 in your pocket, and nobody withholds taxes for you. Keep records, put a percentage aside, and talk to a parent or a tax professional before your first invoice goes out. If money is new territory for you, start with the basics in budgeting money as an athlete so the first dollars you earn do not evaporate.
Build the Asset Before You Need It
Here is the part that is genuinely in your control, whether or not you ever sign a deal: the asset behind every NIL opportunity is proof that you exist and that people care what you know. A film account with honest clips. A channel where you break down your own misses. A highlight tape that a coach can evaluate in ninety seconds — the same one recruiters need, by the way, which is why the principles in structuring a highlight reel and the outreach habits in getting recruited without a camp budget double as NIL groundwork.
Start embarrassingly small. Film your kicks on a phone. Post one clip a week with a caption that teaches something. Reply to the younger kickers who ask you questions. Twelve months of that builds a body of work, and a body of work is what a local business, a camp director, or a compliance office can actually work with. There is no version of NIL where a stranger hands money to an anonymous athlete.
Keep It in Its Place
I will leave you with the priority list I would hand any specialist: your eligibility first, your operation second, your content third. A kicker who gets $400 for a restaurant post but loses his job to the transfer behind him made a bad trade, and those trades happen every semester. NIL is a bonus that rewards the work — it does not replace the work. The specialists who build real audiences are, almost without exception, the ones who became worth watching on the field first.
And when you wonder what the ceiling of this profession looks like, remember that the top of the specialist world is a paid job too — here is what an NFL kicker actually gets paid. That is the target. NIL is the side door. Walk in through the main one.
