Paul VI’s Hannah Hidalgo signs Name, Image, Likeness deal, venturing into new landscape for N.J. high school athletes

Paul VI guard Hannah Hidalgo didn’t know much about Name, Image, and Likeness nor imagined herself getting involved. She started to take more notice of NIL opportunities when UConn guard Paige Bueckers signed a multiyear endorsement deal with Gatorade, becoming the first college athlete to sign with the brand.

Bueckers set a tone for other female athletes like Hidalgo — they also could get exposure from companies. Since NIL policies came into effect on July 1, 2021, college athletes have utilized their NIL by publicizing endorsement deals or partnering with agencies.

And now, some high school athletes can start making money off their name, changing the landscape even more for student-athletes.

Once Hidalgo, a 5-foot-7 guard, started to move up in the class of 2023 rankings (she’s now ranked at No. 5 by ESPN), agencies began to reach out to her, looking to offer NIL representation. She recently signed a one-year contract with Seven1 Sports Agency to help her find sponsorship deals.

“I thought it would be a good idea to get an agent who’s more experienced,” Hidalgo said. “Someone who could help us out, instead of doing it on our own. We didn’t really know too much about it, so it was definitely the smart route to go get an agent.”

On Jan. 1, New Jersey began to allow high school athletes to use their NIL. Sixteen states currently allow NIL deals for high schoolers, according to Opendorse.

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association signed the policy after spending months working through the framework. NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire, a Moorestown native, introduced the concept to other board directors and explained the opportunities it could provide to student-athletes if they took advantage.

“We didn’t have any state laws on the books in New Jersey that specifically dealt with student-athletes prior to entering college,” Maguire said. “We kind of first talked about it; I worked over the summer and did a lot of outreach to other states and colleges.”

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Most of New Jersey’s high school rules are similar to those at the college level. For instance, a school’s name or logo cannot be featured on a student’s endorsement deal, and coaches or administrators cannot be involved with a student-athlete’s use of their NIL.

But there are other regulations in place that differ. High schools are not allowed to have any kind of collective, which typically are founded by a school’s alumni, and, since most students are minors, there are certain categories that are prohibited, like alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and nicotine-related products.

“It’s a great opportunity. I feel like it brings a lot of equity among the genders,” Maguire said. “We know that there’s such a low percentage that actually ever get to that point of playing professional, so if student-athletes have the opportunity to make money while they can, I think you should take advantage of it.”

With the guidance from her mom, Tamara Hidalgo, who spoke with her daughter about getting involved with using her NIL, Hannah realized the opportunity could open doors financially for her as she prepares for her upcoming season with Paul VI. She also could save extra money before heading to college next year.

When Tamara helped narrow down the agencies they wanted to work with, Hannah decided on Seven1 because she related with the founders, former NBA players Jermaine O’Neal and Tracy McGrady. She also felt they looked out for her best interest and tried to build a tight-knit relationship rather than just being business partners.

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She’s working on getting her first deal while becoming more engaged on social media. While Hidalgo admitted she’s more introverted when it comes to social media, her basketball videos, on the other hand, have received quite the hype.

Hidalgo’s been competing all over the place this summer. From representing the United States at the FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Hungary to the girls’ Under Armour Next Elite 24 game in Chicago. She recently played in the SLAM Summer Classic at Rucker Park in New York City, where a video captured her stealing the ball for a quick layup that made fans go crazy.

The publicity has helped get Hidalgo’s name out there, and her mom has been looking into how they could use those videos to their advantage.

“We’re doing a few things,” Tamara said. “I just had a company contact us about profit sharing. That’s also important too, because now that Hannah is ranked so high and a few of her videos have gone viral, you get people coming out of the woodwork, so we’ve been pretty busy. It’s just, at this point, trying to figure out how we can continue to boost her social media and who we can connect her with.”

Hidalgo plans to make use of NIL next year in college. Tamara noted certain schools have used NIL as a bargaining tool in the recruiting process, but Hannah shook her head and told her mom she isn’t basing her decision around money.

“Being so young and to be able to make money is definitely a blessing to kind of have this privilege, since it wasn’t always out there,” Hannah said. “It’s also, I think, a good and bad thing, getting caught up in all the money and all the deals and stuff like that, but it’s definitely good to be able to make money off my talent.”