The money talk is the most rehearsable conversation in recruiting and the least rehearsed. Coaches have it every week. Most recruits have it never, then improvise it live. Here's when to raise NIL, the exact wording that sounds prepared, and what the three kinds of money actually are.
When to raise it
Not on the first call. The first call decides whether there's a fit worth talking money about, and a coach who hears NIL questions before position questions files you under shopping. There's nothing to discuss yet anyway: no program prices a recruit they haven't decided they want.
The cleanest path is to let the coach open the money door, and most coaches who are serious about you will, usually around offers, visits, or roster conversations. When they open it, walk through calmly. Ask your process questions, take notes, and don't negotiate anything on the spot.
If the recruitment is clearly real, calls are regular, film is being watched, a visit is on the table, and money still hasn't come up, you can raise it yourself. Raise the process, not a number. Asking how it works is mature. Asking what you'll get, before an offer exists, is premature by definition.
NIL, revenue share, and scholarships: three different pots
NIL is third-party money: brands, local businesses, and collectives paying you for your name, image, and likeness through posts, appearances, camps, and endorsements. The school doesn't pay it, though many programs have staff or partners who help athletes find and manage deals. At schools covered by the House settlement, third-party deals over $600 get reported to a clearinghouse that reviews them against fair market value. High school NIL varies by state: most states allow it with limits, a few still don't, and your state athletic association's rules decide, so check them before signing anything.
Revenue share is newer, and it's the school itself paying you. Since the House settlement took effect in 2025, Division I schools that opted in can pay athletes directly out of athletic revenue, with each school's total capped per year; the cap started around $20.5 million per school for 2025–26 and rises over the settlement's ten-year run. That money is concentrated at bigger programs and in certain sports. Not every school opted in, and no coach owes it to any recruit, so ask whether it applies to you rather than assuming.
Scholarship money is the program covering your cost of school: tuition, housing, meals, books. Since the settlement, opted-in schools are limited by roster size rather than sport-by-sport scholarship counts, so a coach can offer anything from a small partial to a full ride. In practice, partial scholarships are still the norm in most sports, and Division III schools don't award athletic scholarships at all. The three pots can stack, and they're three different conversations, often with three different people.
The exact questions to ask
Process, people, timing. Never open with a number. These three do the work.
This tells you whether the program has a real system or a shrug, without asking anyone to commit to anything.
Bigger programs often have a general manager or staffer for exactly this. Knowing who owns the conversation tells you how seriously the program takes it.
The second half is what makes this one safe to ask. You're not demanding a figure today; you're asking when figures normally show up, and honest coaches answer that easily. The NIL DEALS track in CALLTIME rehearses exactly these conversations out loud, because knowing the question is not the same as being able to ask it with a coach on the line.
What sounds entitled vs what sounds prepared
Same information wanted. Entirely different athlete on the other end of the line.
- Entitled: "What's my NIL package going to be?"
Prepared: "How do NIL and revenue-share conversations usually work for athletes in my class?" - Entitled: "Another school said I'd get more. Can you beat it?"
Prepared: "What's realistic for someone in my position, and when does that conversation happen?" - Entitled: "I need the money figured out before I take a visit."
Prepared: "Who at the program walks recruits through the compensation side?"
The entitled versions demand a commitment before the coach has decided to make one. The prepared versions collect the same intelligence while showing the coach how you'll handle hard conversations on their roster. That's not a small thing. It's the audition inside the audition.
Your parents' role
Parents can ask the money-process questions more directly than you can, and coaches expect them to. A coach can gently deflect a seventeen-year-old; deflecting a parent who asks who handles the compensation side is harder, and most coaches won't try. So split the job on purpose. You ask the process questions on your calls, because it shows a maturity coaches remember. Your parent leads the detailed follow-through, the numbers, the caps, what's in writing, once an offer is actually forming.
Agree before any call who owns which question, so neither of you improvises. And the coach should still see you engaged in the money talk, not hiding behind your family. For the full timing ladder on the broader money conversation, see when to ask a college coach about scholarship money.
Quick answers
More on calls, DMs, and the family talk in the CALLTIME recruiting FAQ.
Should I mention NIL on a first call?
No, unless the coach raises it first. The first call is for fit: your game, their program, the timeline. Raising money before a coach knows whether they want you reads as shopping, not interest. Once there is real mutual interest, ask process questions. If a coach opens the money door early, walk through it calmly and briefly.
Can high schoolers have NIL deals?
In most states, yes, with limits. The rules come from your state athletic association, a few states still restrict or ban high school NIL, and the common conditions are strict: no deals tied to athletic performance, no school logos or uniforms, and parental consent for minors. Check your state association's current policy before signing anything, because your eligibility can be on the line.
What's the difference between NIL and revenue share?
NIL money comes from third parties, like brands, local businesses, and collectives, paying for the use of your name, image, and likeness. Revenue share is money paid directly by the school itself, which Division I schools that opted into the House settlement have been able to do since 2025, under a yearly cap. An athlete can have both, and neither one is your scholarship.
What if a coach dodges the question?
Read it as information, not an insult. A dodge can mean the program has little money at your position, or that someone other than this coach handles compensation. Ask once who does handle it and when that conversation usually happens for recruits. If two calm questions get two non-answers, plan as if the money is small and let their actions change your mind.