The NCAA Division I Board of Directors issued guidance Monday regarding Name, Image and Likeness and the recruiting environment.

NIL has basically turned college athletics into the wild wild west, and the NCAA is playing a bit of catchup on how to guide schools through the current environment. The NCAA is attempting to get a grip on the collectives, pay for play and NIL with respect to recruiting.

Below is the skinny from the NCAA’s release:

The guidance was developed by a task force of national leaders with student-athlete opportunity at the forefront of discussions. Specifically, the guidance defines as a booster any third-party entity that promotes an athletics program, assists with recruiting or assists with providing benefits to recruits, enrolled student-athletes or their family members. The definition could include “collectives” set up to funnel name, image and likeness deals to prospective student-athletes or enrolled student-athletes who might be considering transferring. NCAA recruiting rules preclude boosters from recruiting and/or providing benefits to prospective student-athletes.

The guidance is effective immediately, according to the NCAA’s release. Any other violations that may have occurred prior to May 9, 2022, the board directed the enforcement staff to review the cases for the most severe violations.

“Today, the Division I Board of Directors took a significant first step to address some of the challenges and improper behaviors that exist in the name, image and likeness environment that may violate our long-established recruiting rules. While the NCAA may pursue the most outrageous violations that were clearly contrary to the interim policy adopted last summer, our focus is on the future. The new guidance establishes a common set of expectations for the Division I institutions moving forward, and the board expects all Division I institutions to follow our recruiting rules and operate within these reasonable expectations,” said board chair Jere Morehead, president, University of Georgia.