High school athletes in North Carolina will soon be able to profit off their name, image, and likeness after a ruling by a Wake County Superior Court judge on Tuesday, and that means athletes across the state could soon have access to new income.

While any eligible student-athlete will be able to secure a NIL deal, the athletes who are considered elite, highly recruited, or who have committed to Division I schools are most likely to find businesses willing to compensate them.

Reidsville High School junior Kendre Harrison is one of those athletes.

Harrison was named the the MaxPreps National Player of the Year and the N.C. High School Athletic Association Male Athlete of the Year as a sophomore after leading the football and boys basketball teams to 2A state titles.

Harrison is a five-star football prospect at tight end, and four-star prospect as a forward in basketball. Now, he hopes to use his notoriety as an athlete in the world of name, image, and likeness.

“It’s a really big opportunity for me. I feel like it should have been happening in public schools, but just having the opportunity that I have now, having an opportunity to provide for my community, provide for myself, provide for my family, you know, if it happens that I get NIL deals with any company, just being in a position to have the opportunity to do those things, it’s just a blessing,” Harrison said after the ruling came down from the Wake County judge.

Harrison knows NIL in high school can be a controversial topic. But for him, it’s not about getting paid to play football or basketball, it’s about having an opportunity to help his family and not having to wait until college to do so.

“I have an opportunity to take care of my family at a young age, before college, because I’ve got two more years before I go to college,” he said. “My mom having to work three jobs, I want to have the opportunity so she ain’t gotta work again, never step into an office … to never have to worry about anything.”

Harrison said he wants the opportunity to earn NIL money now so he can help his mother, his sister, and his brother.

“As long as my family is good and happy, that’s all I care about,” he said.

Harrison made headlines earlier this year when he transferred from Reidsville to Providence Day School in Charlotte. There was speculation that he made the decision because he could profit off his name, image, and likeness at a private school, something he never said publicly. Harrison never took any NIL money at Providence Day, and just a few weeks into the football season, he transferred back to Reidsville where he was eligible immediately.

“It’s been great. I’ve been having fun. Everybody’s always just seen a smile on my face. Running out there last Friday before last, it was just great, man,” Harrison said of his return to his hometown.

He says he has no intention of leaving Reidsville before college, and even then he looks forward to coming back home frequently. There is no NIL advantage for him to go to a bigger school in a big city, he believes.

“Why leave if I have everything here? You know, NIL, that’s not a big thing, it’s a great opportunity, but I got everything that I need here,” said Harrison. “It’s that hometown, man. When you grow up playing peewee football, flag football, you know, just playing with all your friends that you grew up with. Last year, I won two state championships with my best friends.”

One of those friends Harrison mentioned was Dionte Neal, another state champion on the Reidsville football and basketball team.

“Having the opportunity to do that with him last year, why not do it again for two more years? That’s the main thing about homegrown public schools, it’s the connections that you make, the relationships that you have throughout your whole life. You really can’t give that up,” Harrison said.

Harrison knows of a few potential NIL opportunities that could come his way in the future, but there’s nothing specific on the table for him yet. However, he intends to do everything he can to find those opportunities to help take care of those around him — while playing at Reidsville High School.

“I know (NIL) is going to benefit a lot of people, because it’s definitely going to benefit me in so many ways, especially having the opportunity to do it in my hometown that I grew up in,” he said. “I know God has a plan, and everything’s going to come together.”

NIL will become legal for high school athletes in North Carolina when the judge signs the written order, which could happen in the next few weeks.

Source: highschoolot.com