Indiana high school athletes just got a major win off the field. The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) board of directors voted Monday to pass a groundbreaking proposal called "Personal Branding Activity," allowing student-athletes to finally monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

This move puts Indiana in line with the vast majority of states across the country. Michigan became the 46th state to allow high school NIL back in January, meaning Indiana was one of the last holdouts. Now, Hoosier athletes can start earning from their personal brand while still competing at the high school level.

"It fits within our amateur rule we currently have," IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig explained last month. "You own your own name. I think people understand that. The proposal is very similar to what a lot of states do."

Neidig and the IHSAA spent the last two weeks making eight visits around the state to discuss the proposal, which gained support from roughly half of the administrators they spoke with.

So, what does this actually mean for athletes? There are some important guardrails in place. Athletes can use their NIL to promote products or services, but they cannot show any affiliation with their school. That means no wearing school uniforms, using school facilities, or referencing their team in promotional content.

"If I'm an athlete and an apparel company comes to me and asks me to use my social media to promote our product and an athlete does that, that would be fine as long as they don't say, 'I'm the point guard at this school' and I'm in uniform," Neidig said. "You own your name. You don't own the school's name."

For example, an athlete could partner with a sporting goods company to promote athletic apparel on their personal social media channels—just without any school branding. They could also offer private lessons at a local gym under their own name, not as a representative of their school.

Lawrence North five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales, a top recruit considering Indiana, Alabama, Miami, Ohio State, and Tennessee, said the rule is long overdue. "I think it should happen," Sales said last week. "It's only fair that Indiana offers the same opportunities as other states."

This is a game-changer for Indiana high school sports, opening up new opportunities for athletes to build their personal brands and earn income while still in high school. As the landscape of amateur athletics continues to evolve, Indiana is finally catching up to the national trend.