High School Football Star Suing North Carolina Over NIL
Name, Image, and Likeness or NIL money has changed the landscape of amateur athletics forever. Freshman college quarterbacks and point guards are now being made instant millionaires for applying their…
Name, Image, and Likeness or NIL money has changed the landscape of amateur athletics forever. Freshman college quarterbacks and point guards are now being made instant millionaires for applying their talents for a college or university. However, this hasn't penetrated high school athletics...yet! Grimsley High School's (Greensboro) Faizon Brandon is looking to change all that.
Who Is Faizon Brandon?
Faizon Brandon is not just a star quarterback. No, Faizon Brandon is the number one high school recruit in the nation for the class of 2026. Faizon also boasts a GPA of 4.3/5. And his family feels like he's being deprived of millions of dollars in NIL money-NOW!
Why Can't Faizon Brandon Get NIL Money?
Look, I've got to be honest here. I've got ZERO problem with college athletes getting paid. The revenue generated off their labors far exceeded just the free education they received. That being said, even in my home state of Texas, where football is KING, the revenue generated barely keeps a school's athletics program in the black on a good year. So, how can NIL money be justified? Well, I'm not thinking big picture enough according to Faizon Brandon's parents. From WXII-TV, the lawsuit states that Brandon was approached by a prominent national trading card company to sign memorabilia for a "substantial sum of money." The lawsuit states the amount would bring the family "financial security for years to come." But due to the North Carolina State Board of Education's policy prohibiting high school athletes from profiting off their name, image and likeness, Brandon and his family can't accept the deal.
Will Faizon Brandon And Other HS Athletes Get Paid?
That's, no pun intended, the million-dollar question, isn't it? If I'm a betting man, I bet on the answer being, "Yes, high school athletes in North Carolina (and elsewhere) will eventually get the opportunity to get paid. However, will it be the wild west that college NIL is? I doubt it. I envision money being put into trust and limits being put upon totals allowed. It will be interesting to see.
These Are The 25 Best High Schools For Athletes In North Carolina
Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It's a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. And when your child is an athlete, regardless of it they are looking to play in college, that makes the decision that much harder. If your child has the potential to be a college athlete and potentially get a scholarship, you want to make sure they are in the best place possible to develop their skills and get noticed. Even if they are in it for fun, you still want them to have good coaches, and facilities and winning is nice too! How do you know the best High Schools for athletes in the state of North Carolina? Of course, you can look at the success of a specific team or program. State championships and players signed to college programs are certainly a reflection.
But we want to help you narrow it down. And Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. One of those is a listing of the best high schools in for athletes in North Carolina. Which schools topped the list? Let's find out.
For this list, we are including public, private, and charter schools. And the overwhelming majority are actually public schools! Though the top 2 are private with one being in Charlotte. But where did these rankings come from you may ask? According to Niche:
If you're looking for the best school to send your athlete to hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the 25 best schools in North Carolina for athletes.
25. James B. Dudley High School
District: Guilford County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Greensboro, NC
Division: 4A (All-Metro)
Total Number of Sports: 17
24. Jacksonville High School
District: Onslow County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Jacksonville, NC
Division: 3A (Big Carolina)
Total Number of Sports: 22
23. Wilkes Central High School
District: Wilkes County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Wilkesboro, NC
Division: 2A (Foothills)
Total Number of Sports: 19
22. Page High School
District: Guilford County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Greensboro, NC
Division: 4A (Metro)
Total Number of Sports: 24
21. Southeast Guilford High School
District: Guilford County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Greensboro, NC
Division: 4A (Metro)
Total Number of Sports: 23
20. West Forsyth High School
District: Forsyth County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Division: 4A (Central Piedmont)
Total Number of Sports: 12
19. Hibriten High School
District: Caldwell County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Lenoir
Division: 3A (Northwestern)
Total Number of Sports: 11
18. Mount Tabor High School
District: Forsyth County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Winston-Salem
Division: 4A (Central Piedmont)
Total Number of Sports: 14
17. North Davidson High School
District: Davidson County School
Type: Public
Location: Lexington
Division: 3A (Mid Piedmont)
Total Number of Sports: 9
16. Myers Park High School
District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Type: Public
Location: Charlotte
Division: 4A (So. Meck)
Total Number of Sports: 11
15. Asheville High School
District: Asheville City Schools
Type: Public
Location: Asheville
Division: 4A (The Mountain)
Total Number of Sports: 22
14. Lincoln Charter School
District: N/A
Type: Public Charter School
Location: Lincolnton
Division: 2A (Catawba Shores)
Total Number of Sports: 21
13. Northern Guilford High School
District: Guilford County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Greensboro
Division: 4A (Metro)
Total Number of Sports: 23
12. Leesville Road High School
District: Wake County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Raleigh
Division: 4A (Cap 6)
Total Number of Sports: 25
11. South Point High School
District: Gaston County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Belmont
Division: 3A (Big South)
Total Number of Sports: 20
10. Cuthbertson High School
District: Union County Public Schools
Type: Public
Location: Waxhaw
Division: 4A (Southern California)
Total Number of Sports: 25
9. A.C. Reynolds High School
District: Buncombe County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Asheville
Division: 4A (The Mountain)
Total Number of Sports: 21
8. Mount Airy High School
District: Mount Airy City Schools
Type: Public
Location: Mount Airy
Division: 1A (Northwest)
Total Number of Sports: 20
7. Middle Creek High School
District: Wake County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Apex
Division: 4A (Southwest Wake)
Total Number of Sports: 25
6. Green Hope High School
District: Wake County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Cary
Division: 4A (Southwest Wake)
Total Number of Sports: 25
5. Marvin Ridge High School
District: Union County Public Schools
Type: Public
Location: Waxhaw
Division: 4A (Southern Carolina)
Total Number of Sports: 25
4. Wake Forest High School
District: Wake County Schools
Type: Public
Location: Wake Forest
Division: 4A (Northern Athletic)
Total Number of Sports: 25
3. Weddington High School
District: Union County Public Schools
Type: Public
Location: Weddington
Division: 4A (Southern Carolina)
Total Number of Sports: 25
2. Charlotte Catholic High School
District: N/A
Type: Private
Location: Charlotte
Division: 4A (Southwestern)
Total Number of Sports: 20
1. Cardinal Gibbons High School
District: N/A
Type: Private
Location: Raleigh
Division: 4A (Cap 6)
Total Number of Sports: 29
