Despite transfer trend, No. 1 recruit Sophee Peterson still pursuing lofty goals in Texas

Trophy Club Byron Nelson superstar Sophee Peterson could have moved almost anywhere in the country to capitalize on name, image and likeness opportunities that could have materialized for the best high school volleyball player in the United States.

Instead, the reigning Gatorade and MaxPreps national player of the year stayed in Texas, which has one of the most restrictive NIL laws in the nation. The No. 1-ranked setter in the Class of 2027 isn’t in this for the money.

“It has never crossed my mind,” Peterson said. “I think you will get your money as you go, and it’s just not that serious.”

The Texas A&M pledge has already gotten a revenue-share deal with Texas A&M, but she won’t be able to start collecting money until she starts college, which she plans to do in January. She wouldn’t discuss numbers but said it will be on a year-by-year basis, not a multi-year deal as some athletes are receiving.

“I think that’s such a cool opportunity, especially for girls,” she said. “It’s a great way to grow the game, and so many athletes are working so hard. To be compensated for it a little bit is so cool.”

At a time when some elite athletes are leaving Texas to move to states that allow NIL, Peterson stayed in the Lone Star State, a hotbed for high school volleyball. The senior will try to lead Byron Nelson, ranked No. 12 nationally by MaxPreps, to a third consecutive state title.

Peterson is away from the team right now, in Nicaragua, where she's playing in the NORCECA U23 Pan American Cup that runs through Sunday. The U.S. sent 14 players in the U19 and U21 age groups to compete in the international competition because older athletes had a conflict with the NCAA season. LSU pledge Nyla Livings from Plano Prestonwood Christian is also on the U.S. team.

“How it worked out this year, sending my age group to the U23 competition, will be great competition for us,” Peterson said. “This is a good opportunity to learn, and playing international volleyball for my first time will definitely be a cool experience. It’s a great honor and great privilege [to represent the United States].”

Peterson is having another great season, averaging 12.2 assists per set for an 18-3 team while also doing some hitting for the first time since she was in the 14s age group. That became necessary after Byron Nelson lost All-American outside hitters Kylie Kleckner and Ashlyn Seay to graduation, but it allows Peterson to play alongside her younger sister, Saydee Peterson, a freshman who has shared some of the setting duties.

“The season is going good,” Peterson said. “Obviously losing our offense is a huge challenge, but I think we have some girls rising to the occasion. In practice we are just trying to push and get 1% better every day.”

Peterson, The Dallas Morning News All-Area Player of the Year in 2025, was named MVP of the USA Volleyball 17 Open Junior National Championships this summer after leading her TAV club team to the title. But an injury almost prevented her from competing — and threatened to derail her senior year of high school ball.

Six weeks before that national tournament, Peterson learned that she had a tear in the meniscus in her left knee — an injury that she had played through up until then because she didn’t know what it was. The recovery timeline was six to eight weeks, but if it had been a complete tear, she would have been looking at a six- to nine-month recovery.

“It was definitely stressful in the moment,” Peterson said. “But I worked really hard to come back and was able to compete at nationals, then turn around in four days and go try out for the national team. I definitely had to push myself and really stay focused in a time of adversity, but it paid off.”

She had surgery and took two months off from volleyball. But she was back for the start of the high school season, ready to lead a Byron Nelson team that has been No. 1 in the final MaxPreps national rankings two straight years.

Peterson has lofty goals and wants to play professional volleyball. But first, she plans to major in business or finance in college. She hopes to one day open her own business.

“I would love to stay in the realm of girls in sports and try to create good opportunities for young girls to be successful,” she said.

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This article originally published at Despite transfer trend, No. 1 recruit Sophee Peterson still pursuing lofty goals in Texas.