NIL law in Ohio — Executive Order 2021-10D and the Buckeye framework

State: Ohio (OH)

Last reviewed 2026-05-18

[Reviewed by Darren Heitner or contracted NIL counsel — TBD]

Implemented via executive order

Ohio's NIL framework was implemented by Governor Mike DeWine through Executive Order 2021-10D in June 2021, and reinforced through provisions in HB 110. It governs NIL at Ohio State, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and every other Ohio postsecondary institution with an intercollegiate athletics program.

Statute citation

Ohio NIL Executive Order

Executive Order 2021-10D / HB 110 — Ohio Exec. Order 2021-10D (2021); see also Ohio Rev. Code provisions adopted via HB 110

Enacted 2021 — effective 2021-07-01

Executive Order 2021-10D permits Ohio postsecondary student-athletes to earn NIL compensation, prohibits the relevant athletic associations and institutions from punishing them for it, and was reinforced through statutory language in HB 110.

Read the statute on the official source

What the law actually says

Governor Mike DeWine issued Executive Order 2021-10D on June 28, 2021, and Ohio's NIL framework took effect on July 1, 2021. Statutory reinforcement came through HB 110. The framework allows student-athletes at Ohio postsecondary institutions to earn NIL compensation, retain professional representation, and not be punished by their school or athletic association for accepting compensation. As with all executive-order states, the binding operational reading tends to live in each school's NIL policy. Ohio's framework was deliberately permissive at the state level — the executive order is short, and the heavier lifting happens at Ohio State, Cincinnati, and Ohio's other Power-conference programs. Ohio State in particular has built one of the most operationally mature institutional NIL programs in the country, with a designated office, a disclosure platform, and a formal review pathway for category conflicts against the school's substantial athletic-department sponsorship roster.

Allowed NIL activities

Endorsement, sponsorship, and influencer deals.
Group licensing, autograph signings, camps, and clinics.
Hiring an agent or attorney for NIL representation.
Personal appearances and speaking engagements.
Use of NIL in athlete-owned media, subject to school marks restrictions.

Restricted or prohibited NIL activities

NIL compensation conditioned on attendance at a particular institution.
Endorsements of categorically restricted products (alcohol, tobacco, gambling, controlled substances, adult entertainment).
Use of school marks, uniforms, or facilities without an institutional license.
NIL activity that violates the school's conduct standards.
Contracts that conflict with the school's existing sponsorship roster.

How individual schools layer their own policies

Ohio State's NIL policy is one of the most operationally mature in the country, reflecting both the scale of OSU's athletics program and the institutional weight of Big Ten standards. Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, and Ohio's other programs layer their own policies on top, and the operating rules vary by campus.

Ohio State University

OSU operates a designated NIL office and a disclosure platform. The school's policy frames every NIL deal against existing athletic-department sponsorships and Big Ten institutional standards. Use of OSU marks is licensed separately.

University of Cincinnati

UC's NIL policy aligns with the Big 12 institutional framework and adds school-specific category restrictions on top of the executive order. Disclosure is handled through the school's designated platform.

How RevU covers Ohio

RevU's analysis treats Ohio deals as Big Ten / Big 12 institutional reviews first and executive-order reviews second. The engine flags exclusivity scopes that conflict with school sponsors, disclosure language that does not match the school's platform, and conduct clauses calibrated to brand rather than to school conduct standards. See /methodology for grounding.

RevU is a software tool, not a law firm. The output is meant to make the conversation with your attorney more efficient — not to replace it. For binding legal advice on a Ohio NIL contract, engage a licensed attorney in your state.

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