HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky University will help student-athletes receive compensation for their name, image and likeness (NIL) after a change was approved by the university’s Board of Regents in January. 

What You Need To Know

  • Northern Kentucky University's Board of Regents voted to approve name, image and likeness deals for student-athletes 

  • As a non-Power Five Division I school, NKU can choose to opt in or out of NIL deals for student-athletes every 10 years

  • Christina Roybal, NKU vice president and director of athletics, said men's and women's basketball are the two main focuses 

  • She added the goal would be $300,000 to $500,000 for each program

As part of the NCAA's changing structure, non-Power Five Division I schools like NKU can choose to opt in or out of NIL deals for student-athletes every year for the next 10 years. 

“I think not only does a student-athlete benefit from (NIL), but if aligned correctly with business partners, if values are aligned correctly, it’s beneficial for both parties,” said Christina Roybal, NKU vice president and director of athletics. “We do hear some that really remember and value amateur college athletics the way it was, and then we have others that really understand that it’s ventured in a different direction now with NIL payments."

"Ultimately, here at Northern Kentucky University, we are reminded that (for) our student-athletes, this is an opportunity for them to build their brand.”

Schools that opt into NIL also opt in to new imposed roster caps for all sports programs. Previous caps on scholarships are also eliminated. Roybal said she thinks NKU will benefit from other schools’ NIL programs in addition to its own.

“They’re already making reductions, so that means more students are going to be looking for opportunities, and it could be a possibility of us getting higher talent to come to our institution,” she said.

Roybal said NKU won’t have to make any cuts to its rosters.

Not every athlete will benefit from NIL, however. Starting out, two big focuses will be men’s and women’s basketball. Roybal said the goal would be $300,000 to $500,000 for each program.

“At this point, what’s permissible is that we can help promote some activity that’s either done by the collective, which is Highland Heights Hype, or done outside with community partners," she said. "We can help promote and put a student-athlete with a business leader together. That’s the extent of it."

“It’s not to say, necessarily, that the institution has funds to distribute this. But it means that if we have the ability to find the funds, through a variety of different means, that then we have the flexibility to actually make those payments.”

She said if a federal judge approves in April, NKU could provide the funds. One example of a partnership that can be seen now is between men's basketball player Sam Vinson and St. Elizabeth Healthcare.

“It's been happening at different levels; some of it very organically based off a student-athlete’s interest in their social media posting, things that they value," Roybal said. "And they might be going out to a business that they frequent and making a connection there. Then there are other ones that we’ve helped facilitate a conversation between a sponsor and a student-athlete." 

She said it’s also a learning tool. Student-athletes can build career skills like financial literacy, negotiating a contract, social media engagement and how to present themselves in the community.

NKU Athletics have grown since becoming a Division I school in 2012, Roybal said, adding NKU is working with donors and community partners to make sure student-athletes get paid. Any future NIL deals from the university would require additional fundraising.

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