Sports & Entertainment · NIL
Act 810, SB 389, and Trump's Executive Order: Louisiana High School NIL Compliance
The federal executive order opened a nationwide NIL conversation. Louisiana answered with Act 810 for high school athletes and SB 389 for athlete agents. Here is what families, schools, and athletic departments across Acadiana need to understand.
By Jaylen Sinegal · September 7, 2026 · 10 min read
President Donald Trump's executive order “Urgent National Action To Save College Sports” put college sports, NIL, athlete eligibility, revenue sharing, and federal oversight back in the center of the national conversation. But for families in Louisiana, the order is not the whole story. Two Louisiana laws are the local story: Act 810, which extends NIL rights to high school athletes, and SB 389 (Act 895), which rewrites the rules for athlete agents.
Here is the straightforward version: this is not just a sports policy story. It is also a compliance story, a branding story, a business story, and a family story. And for Louisiana parents, coaches, and school leaders, it is worth understanding before, not after, a deal gets signed.
Trump's Executive Order on College Sports and NIL: What Athletes Should Know
The official Federal Register text describes a college-sports system disrupted by lawsuits, conflicting state laws, changing eligibility rules, and new financial arrangements. It directs federal agencies to examine how athletic programs operate and urges consistent national rules around eligibility, transfers, revenue sharing, and NIL activity.
The order also raises concerns about improper financial activity, fraudulent NIL arrangements, and the use of federal funds for payments that do not fit the rules. The Government Publishing Office PDF is the best place to read the order itself rather than rely on a headline or social-media summary.
The important shift for Louisiana families is below the federal level. Washington set the national conversation. The Louisiana Legislature answered with rules that directly affect high school athletes, their parents, and the schools that serve them.
Federal to Local: Louisiana Act 810 and High School NIL Compliance
Louisiana Act 810 (HB 513) extends name, image, and likeness rights to interscholastic (high school) athletes, subject to LHSAA amateur status media licensing rules. For Louisiana high school NIL compliance, the key requirements are:
- Parental consent comes first. Before a minor signs any NIL agreement, a parent or legal guardian must provide written consent. No consent, no deal, no exceptions.
- Compensation must be for actual NIL use. The athlete gets paid for promotion, appearance, or endorsement work that really happens, not just for being an athlete.
- New jerseys and apparel of an athlete are equivalent across the team. Schools are prohibited from vesting exclusively in an athlete's NIL, and jerseys sold in the school's name must remain equal across the roster.
- Schools and districts must adopt NIL policies with a single point of contact for compliance, so families and staff know who to ask before a deal moves.
- No course of study, recruiting-motive, or incentive-based NIL offers. Compensation cannot be contingent on enrollment at a particular school or on any specific athletic performance.
In other words, for a Lafayette or Acadiana high school athlete, buildable NIL income is real, but the compliance wall around it is taller. A violator-style agreement could jeopardize LHSAA amateur status and high school eligibility, which is why athletic departments and families need a Louisiana high school NIL compliance working relationship with someone who understands the process.
The Problem: SB 389 (Act 895) and the Athlete Agent Registration Requirement
Act 810 extends NIL rights to high school athletes. SB 389 (Act 895), in force since June 9, 2026, changes who may help them navigate it. The law, captured in writing from the Louisiana Attorney General's office, applies to anyone acting as an athlete agent for a Louisiana student-athlete, including a high school one.
- Registration is mandatory. Athlete agents must register with the Louisiana Attorney General. The registration deadline was August 1, 2026, with an annual fee and renewal requirement.
- Backdrop checks are required. The AG conducts a state and federal background check on every registrant before registration is approved.
- Training is mandatory. The AG prescribes an approved educational course, and agents must complete and attest to it during registration.
- Nonresident agents need a local touchpoint. Agents who do not live in Louisiana must appoint the Secretary of State to receive service of process.
- Unregistered agents take financial risk. An athlete can sue an agent for SB 389 violations, and the agent may forfeit any compensation from the relationship.
This matters to a family for one question: Who is actually helping with the deal, and are they registered with the Louisiana Attorney General? If a "counselor," "advisor," or "recruiting consultant" is acting as an athlete agent in Louisiana without SB 389 registration, the athlete, and the family, may be holding the wrong end of that arrangement.
The Solution: Education, Not Representation
The cleanest path for most high school athletes is not a conventional agent at all. It is education and media strategy that respects Act 810 and keeps the family in control of every decision.
That is where my Sports IP and NIL Compliance Clinics come in. The sessions are education, not representation: schools and mentors teach athletes to build brand assets, audit media use, and understand LHSAA amateur status, gambling rules, and the essentials of Should families brand kids early? before signing anything. Education and licensed-agent work are different lanes in Louisiana law, and the clinic stays in the education lane on purpose.
Building Through Training: FlightTime Athletics and Youth Brand Value
Brand equity in Louisiana youth athletics does not stop at a camera phone. It is built in the training facility. FlightTime Athletics in Lafayette combines BlazePod reactive light training, Vital Tanks sleds, standardized speed and combine testing, and a growing media library of athlete highlights and branded content.
Every recorded rep, documented test, and properly licensed highlight is a digital asset that protects LHSAA amateur status while building a recruit's public record before a single NIL offer. Training on measurable metrics plus a media footprint built on compliance can signal "grown brand, regulated correctly" to coaches and brands. Start or continue the conversation about FlightTime Athletics memberships.
Why Personal Branding Matters More Than Money: Jaylen Sinegal on NIL Strategy
NIL is often reduced to money. That is too small a definition.
Name, image, and likeness are about the public meaning attached to a person. A student-athlete is not only asking, “How much is this post worth?” The stronger questions are:
- What do I want to be known for?
- Who do I help or influence?
- Can people find proof of my character and work?
- Will this partnership make sense six months from now?
- Does this opportunity build my name or only rent my attention?
That is why the order matters to families and athletes who are building a reputation before college. Should families brand kids early? Here is Jaylen Sinegal's research-backed case for why brand-building starts before the biggest opportunity arrives. The point is not to turn childhood into a sales funnel. The point is to help a young person develop substance before the spotlight shows up.
Building Your Athletic Brand in 2026: Jaylen Sinegal's Strategy Framework
Do not panic. Do not chase every offer. Do not treat a follower count like a career plan.
Build the fundamentals:
- Clarify your lane. Decide what you want your name to be associated with beyond a stat line.
- Document your work. Keep proof of training, service, leadership, results, and the people you help.
- Protect your reputation. A careless post can travel farther than a highlight reel.
- Learn the rules. Review every deal with the appropriate school, family, and legal professionals.
- Choose alignment over noise. The right partnership should make sense for your audience and your character.
Family Guide to Personal Branding: Jaylen Sinegal's Approach to Youth Reputation
Parents do not need to manufacture a child’s identity. They need to help the child recognize and develop it.
That means teaching consistency, communication, responsibility, and the difference between attention and trust. A young person who can perform but cannot keep a promise is not ready for a serious brand partnership. A young person who understands preparation, service, and character has something valuable to build on. For a deeper look at when and how to start, read Should Families Brand Kids Early?, which walks through the research on goal-setting, resilience, and identity for kids of any age.
Authentic NIL Partnerships: How Brands Should Work with Athletes (Jaylen Sinegal)
Brands should stop treating NIL as a shortcut to rent someone’s audience. The best partnerships connect a real person, a real community, and a real reason to believe.
Ask whether the athlete’s story, audience, values, and work actually fit the brand. Then create something useful. A campaign should give the athlete a credible platform and give the audience a reason to care. Otherwise, it is just a logo exchange with better lighting.
The Order Does Not Replace Strategy
An executive order can change the rules around college sports. It cannot build an athlete’s character, clarify a family’s values, or create trust where none exists.
Policy creates the environment. Strategy determines how a person moves inside it.
That is the real NIL playbook: build a name with substance, make the association clear, and let the opportunity follow the work.
Hell yes, the landscape is changing. But the athletes who will last are not necessarily the loudest ones. They are the ones people can recognize, understand, trust, and remember.
Want more ideas worth branding? Go back to Jay’s Blog for more original thinking on family, ambition, character, and building a name with substance.
Is Your Athletic Department Act 810 Compliant?
Louisiana Act 810 mandates parental consent, school NIL policies, and a compliance point of contact for every interscholastic athlete deal. SB 389 ups the stakes for anyone acting as an agent. Don't leave your school's eligibility or media footprint to chance. I educate Louisiana schools, athletic departments, and families on navigating NIL reality, national rule shifts, and the video and music licensing behind every highlight. Education, not representation: I am a brand strategist, not a licensed athlete agent.
▶ Host a Sports IP & NIL Compliance Clinic at Your School