Kaden Coleman-Bennett was 10 when youth football coaches started pressing envelopes with thousands of dollars into his mom’s hand, asking for Kaden to play for their club teams. Brittany Coleman always refused. Payments for top players, an open secret in youth sports, weren’t allowed, and she didn’t want to tarnish her son. But there was another, potentially far more lucrative, way for Kaden, who became one of the best eighth-grade football players in the nation, to profit from his talent.

Coleman allowed her son to sign sponsorship deals with a local fashion brand and an athletic gear company. Now a 14-year-old freshman at the national football powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, Kaden also has an agent to help him with future deals.

“The goal is for him to reach a million dollars his freshman year,” his mom says.

Just as college athletes can now accept payment for their athletic talent through name, image, and likeness, or N.I.L., deals—which compensate players for the use of their image in commercials and other promotional material—so can high school students. Since 2021, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) began allowing N.I.L. deals for college athletes, high school athletic associations in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia have implemented their own N.I.L. policies. Major brands such as Reebok, Gatorade, and Leaf Trading Cards have offered deals to a handful of high school football and basketball stars, and local businesses including real estate companies and restaurants participate as well. The deals can range from modest—free clothing and food—to multimillion-dollar signing bonuses.

The idea of student athletes profiting from high school sports has raised concerns. State association rules tend to leave it to the students and their families to negotiate contracts—schools aren’t involved—and missteps could lead to predatory deals or even a student’s losing eligibility to participate in school sports.

“In compensating minors, you just hope that they have someone responsible acting on their behalf,” says David Ridpath, a professor of sports business at Ohio University.

But the potential for some of the bigger deals to bring financial security to families and lucrative recruitment offers from colleges is too good to pass up, say proponents. Keith Hardy, the founder of clothing company Second N Six, sees his deal with Kaden as a win for both of their futures.

“It is a bet on Kaden’s future,” Hardy says, “that he is going to blow up even more in high school and wherever he goes to college.”

Kaden Coleman-Bennett was 10 when youth football coaches started pressing envelopes with thousands of dollars into his mom’s hand. They wanted Kaden to play for their club teams. Brittany Coleman always refused. She knew that payments for top players, an open secret in youth sports, weren’t allowed. She didn’t want to harm her son’s reputation. But there was another way for Kaden, who became one of the best eighth-grade football players in the nation, to profit from his talent.

Coleman allowed her son to sign sponsorship deals with a local fashion brand and an athletic gear company. Kaden is now a 14-year-old freshman at the national football powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He also has an agent to help him with future deals.

“The goal is for him to reach a million dollars his freshman year,” his mom says.

College and high school athletes can now accept payment for their athletic talent through name, image, and likeness, or N.I.L., deals. These deals compensate players for the use of their image in commercials and other promotional material. Since 2021, when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N.C.A.A.) began allowing N.I.L. deals for college athletes, high school athletic associations in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia have implemented their own N.I.L. policies. Major brands such as Reebok, Gatorade, and Leaf Trading Cards have offered deals to a handful of high school football and basketball stars. Local businesses including real estate companies and restaurants participate as well. The deals can range from free clothing and food to multimillion-dollar signing bonuses.

The idea of student athletes profiting from high school sports has raised concerns. State association rules tend to leave it to the students and their families to negotiate contracts. The schools aren’t involved in making deals. However, mistakes could lead to predatory deals or even a student’s losing eligibility to participate in school sports.

“In compensating minors, you just hope that they have someone responsible acting on their behalf,” says David Ridpath, a professor of sports business at Ohio University.

But the potential for some of the bigger deals to bring financial security to families and profitable recruitment offers from colleges is too good to pass up, say proponents. Keith Hardy, the founder of clothing company Second N Six, sees his deal with Kaden as a win for both of their futures.

“It is a bet on Kaden’s future,” Hardy says, “that he is going to blow up even more in high school and wherever he goes to college.”

While a student at Summit High School in Breckenridge, Colorado, last year, Hagen became the first female high school student to sign an N.I.L. deal with running shoe brand Hoka, and she has also signed with watchmaker Coros.

Hagen says the N.I.L. deals have mainly helped her become a better athlete, with no downsides. In addition to receiving running gear and sports watches, she’s been paid to run in brand-sponsored races in the U.S. and France. (Her father, Michael, declined to say how much.) Through Coros, she’s had the mentorship of pro athletes representing the brand.

“It just felt like having the brands by my side while I was training and competing made me more motivated,” Hagen says.

The companies see an opportunity to establish relationships with future stars while getting their wares in front of other teens, says Ryan Poland, the Coros representative who approached Hagen.

“It’s a cool brand story when you can start supporting someone when they’re 16, 17 years old and—I would hope—continue to support them when they’re chasing an Olympic dream or something like that,” he says.

Last year, Hagen was a student at Summit High School in Breckenridge, Colorado. She became the first female high school student to sign an N.I.L. deal with running shoe brand Hoka. She has also signed with watchmaker Coros.

Hagen says the N.I.L. deals have mainly helped her become a better athlete, with no downsides. In addition to receiving running gear and sports watches, she’s been paid to run in brand-sponsored races in the U.S. and France. (Her father, Michael, declined to say how much she’s been paid.) She’s had the mentorship of pro athletes who also represent Coros.

“It just felt like having the brands by my side while I was training and competing made me more motivated,” Hagen says.

The companies see an opportunity to establish relationships with future stars while getting their wares in front of other teens, says Ryan Poland, the Coros representative who approached Hagen.

“It’s a cool brand story when you can start supporting someone when they’re 16, 17 years old and—I would hope—continue to support them when they’re chasing an Olympic dream or something like that,” he says.

Some teen athletes do dream of getting lucrative deals. The kind of money the top N.I.L. earners are bringing in could go a long way toward securing their financial futures.

“It’s such an opportunity for their families and themselves,” says Anayeli Guzman, 16, a junior softball player at Evangelical Christian School in Fort Myers, Florida. Earlier this year, she signed with a local gym, D1 Training, which uses videos of her training for promotion.

“I hope someday that could be me,” she says of the headline-making deals, “that I can provide that opportunity for my family.”

Her father, Leon, calls the athletic gear and free training D1 provides Anayeli—worth between $160 and $240 a week—“a blessing.”

Around school, where she’s the first student to get an N.I.L. deal, Anayeli’s known as “N-I-L-ee.” Her teammates seem to be taking it in stride, says the athletic director, Chris Harris.

“We don’t want any jealousy,” he says. “If you have a school culture that celebrates success, that’s going to motivate more student athletes to seek their own N.I.L. deal or scholarship.”

Some teen athletes do dream of getting big money deals. The kind of money the top N.I.L. earners are bringing in could go a long way toward securing their financial futures.

“It’s such an opportunity for their families and themselves,” says Anayeli Guzman, 16, a junior softball player at Evangelical Christian School in Fort Myers, Florida. Earlier this year, she signed with a local gym, D1 Training. The gym uses  videos of her training for promotion.

“I hope someday that could be me,” she says of the headline-making deals, “that I can provide that opportunity for my family.”

Her father, Leon, calls the athletic gear and free training D1 provides Anayeli—worth between $160 and $240 a week—“a blessing.”

Around school, she’s the first student to get an N.I.L. deal. Anayeli is now known as “N-I-L-ee.” Her teammates seem to be taking it in stride, says the athletic director, Chris Harris.

“We don’t want any jealousy,” he says. “If you have a school culture that celebrates success, that’s going to motivate more student athletes to seek their own N.I.L. deal or scholarship.”

As for Kaden, who once preferred drawing and science to football, he’s still adjusting to his newfound celebrity. While he was outside his school one day this spring, a group of high school students passed by and called out to him. He didn’t know them.

“They were like, ‘There’s number 0,’” referring to Kaden’s uniform number, his mom says, “and making a fuss over him. It is so unreal.”

For now, Kaden’s agent isn’t taking a commission, which for N.I.L. agents can range from 10 to 20 percent. He’s getting to know his new client and working on a marketing plan.

Kaden knows that the $1 million goal might be aspirational, but he’s promised his mother to continue making his grades, doing his homework, and being a good son.

“The only people out there who touch a million dollars are in the N.F.L. or in college,” he says. “With a lot of help, I have hit all my goals so far. I know how to stay focused.”

As for Kaden, who once preferred drawing and science to football, he’s still adjusting to his newfound celebrity. While he was outside his school one day this spring, a group of high school students passed by and called out to him. He didn’t know them.

“They were like, ‘There’s number 0,’” his mom says, referring to Kaden’s uniform number, “and making a fuss over him. It is so unreal.”

For now, Kaden’s agent isn’t taking a commission. (The commission for N.I.L agents can range from 10 to 20 percent.) He’s getting to know his new client and working on a marketing plan.

Kaden knows that the $1 million goal might be a stretch, but he’s promised his mother to continue making his grades, doing his homework, and being a good son.

“The only people out there who touch a million dollars are in the N.F.L. or in college,” he says. “With a lot of help, I have hit all my goals so far. I know how to stay focused.”

Joe Drape is a sports reporter for The New York Times.

Joe Drape is a sports reporter for The New York Times.