The folks at the NIL Standard have put together a handy chart showing where the market stands heading into the 2026 college football season. NIL contracts, of course, are not publicly released, and so these numbers are estimated values based upon media reporting -- not official documents.
They're also the best we're going to get, unless and until player compensation fully moves under the purview of schools via either collective bargaining and/or an act of Congress.
While each positional number should be taken with a grain of salt, what I find most interesting is how the college market compares with the guys upstairs in the NFL. What you'll find is that the players with the most direct effect on the passing game -- quarterbacks, edge rushers, wide receivers -- make the most money. That's followed by defensive tackle, the position on the field most driven by scarcity, i.e., there just aren't that many human beings walking the earth that can do the job. After that, things start to get a little fuzzy.
However, running back is a more highly-valued position at the college level compared to the NFL, while off-ball linebacker is viewed as less valuable.
NFL earnings by highest-paid player, per Spotrac
1. Quarterback, $63 million
2. Edge rusher/defensive end, $50 million
3. Wide receiver, $42 million
4. Defensive tackle, $32 million
5. Cornerback, $31 million
6. Offensive tackle, $28.5 million
7. Linebacker, $28.25 million
8. Interior offensive lineman, $27 million
9. Safety, $25.1 million
10. Running back, $20.6 million
11. Tight end, $19.1 million
12. Kicker/punter, $7 million
Power 4 earnings for elite players, per NIL Standard
1. Quarterback, $3.5 million
2. Wide receiver, $2 million
3. Edge rusher/defensive end, $1.7 million
4. Defensive tackle, $1.5 million
5. Offensive tackle, $1 million
6. Running back, $1 million
7. Cornerback, $1 million
8. Safety, $1 million
9. Tight end, $800,000
10. Interior offensive lineman, $800,000
11. Linebacker, $700,000
12. Kicker/punter, $200,000
We'd all love to see further breakdowns -- conference to conference, Power 4 to Group of 6, FBS to FCS -- but unfortunately that's unlikely to happen under the current system.
What jumps out to you?