Youngkin signs NIL law allowing Virginia schools to directly pay athletes

A bill Gov. Youngkin signed into law on Thursday makes it illegal for the NCAA to punish Virginia schools for paying their student-athletes .

Why it matters: No other state in the U.S. has done this, which could give Virginia schools like UVA, Tech and JMU a recruiting advantage, according to ESPN .

The big picture: The legislation allows Virginia universities to compensate athletes through name, image and likeness (NIL) deals starting July 1.

• They can't be paid for their athletic performance but can be paid for marketing campaigns they're used in with university dollars.

Zoom in: The move overrides the NCAA's rules, which ban schools from directly signing NIL deals with their student-athletes.

What's next: Virginia could be the catalyst to other states following suit, per Sports Illustrated .

• Virginia Tech's athletic director Whit Babcock told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Tech might start charging for spring football tickets and use the money as NIL proceeds.