The Supreme Court decision that allowed NCAA athletes to profit off of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has become a transformative ruling in the world of collegiate athletics, to say the least.
With the opportunity to make money while competing for their schools in one of the most popular sports in the country, the question remains: Just how much are college football players paid?
What College Football Position Makes the Most Money?
While players are not directly compensated for performance, which complicates the reporting of exact figures in terms of compensation, there are still sources of information out there that can give us some guidance as to how much a player might make.
Much like professional football players at the NFL level, college athletes are compensated, first and foremost, based on position.
The following figures show just how much an athlete can make based on the position they play:
10) The @nytimes illustrated how little most NCAA athletes actually earn from NIL.
It pales in comparison to what D-1 athletes get in scholarship/room/board.
But those are the athletes who stand to lose the most in college sports’ shift to football-focused regulation. pic.twitter.com/4wO2oAgX3L
— Noah Pransky (@noahpransky) September 2, 2024
Notably, college football players make substantially more than other athletes in what are commonly known as the Olympic sports, but it is also telling to see just how varied the structure of payment is for football.
Quarterbacks sit at the top of the list in terms of expected compensation, just a shade under $1 million at $820,000. Not far behind is wide receiver, which sits at $610,000 dollars in expected annual compensation.
Perhaps most surprising is the offensive line at third on the list, with roughly $500,000. Defensive linemen expect to earn around $470,000, with linebackers and defensive backs following behind at $440,000 and $410,000, respectively.
The running back position, with $340,000, and the tight end spot, with $140,000, are at the bottom of the list. Specialists, such as kickers and punters, reportedly seek $60,000 in annual compensation.
It is important to note that all the above figures are based on the expected compensation of Power Four conference athletes, which specifically include players in the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.
Players who play for Group of Five conference schools earn substantially less money, although exact figures were not available at the time of publication.
Which College Football Players Make the Most Money?
Much like professional football players, the top performers at the college level tend to earn more than their peers.
While college football programs and players are not subject to a salary cap because there isn’t a collectively bargained agreement between schools and players, market value still dictates which players make more money.
According to recruiting and NIL website On3 Sports, the highest-paid athlete is Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who coincidentally happens to be one of the top prospects for the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Sandes’ reported NIL valuation is $4.7 million, and he is followed by Texas quarterback Arch Manning at $3.1 million. While Manning is not the starter for Texas, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning is one of the most highly sought-after prospects at the position.
Behind Manning is Sanders’ teammate, Travis Hunter, who lands on the list at a reported $2.7 million valuation. Hunter is the only non-quarterback in the top five, and considering that the electric Hunter plays both on offense and defense at an incredible rate, it may actually be a bargain.
The remainder of the list is filled with more quarterbacks: Quinn Ewers of Texas ($1.7 million), Carson Beck from Georgia ($1.4 million), Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss ($1.3 million), Dillon Gabriel from Oregon ($1.2 million), and Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee ($1.2 million).
Evan Stewart, a wide receiver at Oregon, is the only non-quarterback besides Hunter to make the top 10 at $1.3 million.
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