How Much Do College Football Players Make?
Jun-28-2024 PST
College Football 25
College football completely changed overnight when it was announced by the NCAA that players can make money off their name/image/likeness while remaining eligible to play. This was a massive change for the sport as big-name athletes in the past were notably not allowed to make any money off their name, regardless of how much money/attention they brought to a school. With all of this being said, it raises multiple questions such as, “How much do college football players make?” Let’s take a second and dive deeper into NIL college football deals and how they have changed the landscape of the sport forever.
Do College Football Players Get Paid?
The answer to this question is a resounding yes. Throughout the history of college football, the sport had a rule that players weren’t able to profit off of their name and likeness. If they were to do so, they would be deemed ineligible to play. We’ve seen several past players get reprimanded for making money, no matter how small. Recently, that has all changed, and it’s been better for the sport. As of June 2021, the Supreme Court voted that the NCAA wasn’t able to legally limit payments to students, and eventually, the NCAA took that ruling, brought it to each state, and created NIL rules/regulations for the players to abide by. Now, college football players can make money off themselves. It’s something that many current and past athletes have hoped to happen for a long time. The main way that they’re able to do this and remain eligible to play is by NIL deals. NIL stands for name, image, and likeness. These are the deals where a player can use themselves and their popularity to promote others and accept money from businesses that are interested in them. So, to wrap this section up, if a player in college football wants to make money off themselves, they are certainly able to get paid.
How Can They Get Paid?
We’ve already mentioned that NIL deals can get players paid, but how exactly can it do that? Well, there are several ways for these athletes to profit. For example, they could appear in ad campaigns for other businesses, they could start their own sports camps for the youth, they could create a business for themselves, they could sell signed memorabilia, and could even arrange autograph signings. These are just some ways that they can make money, but there are even more as well that aren’t mentioned. Simply put, there are so many options available to college athletes these days. It’s easier than ever for the players to find a way to make a living outside of football, while still being able to enjoy their time on the field.
How Much Do College Football Players Make?
You might be very interested in how much money college football players can make. After all, some names are far more popular and well-known than others. Plus, the ability for athletes to make money off themselves is still relatively new, it’s not unusual to be intrigued by the money-making capabilities it offers now. To answer this question, the value depends upon two things. The position that the athlete plays on the field, and the popularity that they have off of it. There are going to be some players who are better known, even if they’re not currently playing or starting. Why? Because they have a profitable name and likeness that can be used to their advantage. Take Archie Manning for example. He didn’t start under center last season, but it didn’t matter. He was still making a good chunk of money from NIL deals. He benefitted from everybody knowing who he was off the field because he’s related to multiple great NFL quarterbacks like Peyton and Eli Manning. This is a scenario that not every single player can benefit from, and only a select few really will. Outside of that, the positions that these athletes play will determine how much they can make. It’s probably not surprising to note that quarterbacks are estimated to be making the most money on average. Quarterbacks have long been known as the most important players on the field, they touch the ball on every single offensive snap, and a team can really only go as far as their signal caller takes them. Some sources claim that, on average, a college quarterback can be making anywhere between $500,000-$800,000 from their NIL deals, especially if they’re playing for a well-known school.
Are NIL Deals Involved In Bringing Talent To Schools?
NIL deals are involved in bringing new talent over to play for a school. In the past, it was always assumed that colleges would give a little extra money under the table to the five-star recruits that they brought in. After all, they wanted to add talent and likely knew that the athletes would be worth the money. That was and still is unacceptable, though it’s just an expectation that it’s happened in the past and might have happened recently. However, NIL deals are more than just money straight-up. They are built on exposure and opportunities. Why would a college athlete, playing the quarterback position and entering the transfer portal, try and pick a school that doesn’t offer much exposure or opportunity right away? Players nowadays want to get into a spot where they can take their game to a new level, get an opportunity to play in front of tons of fans, and still benefit off the field with their NIL deals and sponsorships. It’s just something else for schools to keep track of when it comes to recruitment and bringing in new talent.
Can This Cause Problems?
It’s common for people to wonder if these new NIL deals can cause problems for schools and certain programs in general. This is an answer that is likely different depending on who you ask, though certain coaches have been outspoken in how different the game has changed. Nick Saban is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and even he mentioned that it’s a lot different now with NIL deals being in play than it was prior. Think about it this way, these college athletes beforehand were always pushing to make it into the NFL so that they could not only achieve their dreams but achieve generational wealth. Nowadays, certain superstar athletes can earn that type of money way before they even get close to the NFL. From a coaching perspective, it has to be a whole lot different attempting to coach up a player who is making significantly more money than you are and could feel as though they are above smaller tasks that their peers might be doing at practice. This doesn’t relate to every single player, but it’s something that needs to be thought about now.
Another way to look at is this, that these college athletes could sometimes have coaches that treat them like children still. With some of them getting paid a good amount of money, most will prefer to be treated more like adults, as they would be treated in the NFL. Most of the time, coaches won’t have a problem treating their athletes with respect and dignity, though others might struggle with it more. Schools will now have to keep a closer eye on who they hire as their next head coach because it feels as though not everybody will be able to adjust to this new age of coaching given how much money these players make in college. Overall, it does feel as though these NIL deals will cause more problems. These are problems that won’t get NIL deals taken away or anything even close to that. They are more so just obstacles that people will need to learn and get adjusted to as time passes by.
Estimated Top NIL Athletes
We briefly mentioned Archie Manning earlier, but he’s far from the only top-earning NIL athlete in college football right now. Certain sources have taken into account everything about top-name players such as their name recognition, sponsors, popularity off the field, play on the field, and the school that they go to. This has helped narrow down or at least give a rough estimate of how much certain players can be making from NIL. The most notable name is Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders's son. Shedeur is a quarterback at the University of Colorado and was consistently making headlines last season. He’s been a huge talking point considering the family ties with his father being a Hall of Famer and great head coach. Oh, and he’s benefitted from having a strong social media presence, with over 2.3 million followers. Aside from that, he displayed some serious talent at quarterback, albeit he still needs some work developing if he wants to be successful at the NFL level. Sanders has gotten himself into a very good position, and it’s helped him lock down sponsorships with Oikos, Gatorade, and even Mercedes-Benz. His estimated NIL value is just under $5 million at this point, which is around twice the amount that the average NFL player makes.
As for somebody like Archie Manning, another quarterback, he’s also benefitted from family ties and popularity off the field as mentioned earlier. He doesn’t have nearly as many social media followers as Sanders, though he’s still inked multiple brand deals including one with Panini. That sponsorship saw him autograph a specific rare football card of himself, and it got auctioned off, finally selling for over $100,000. He’s got a legitimate future in the NFL but wants to take his time and learn before getting thrust into a starting job in college. By the time he gets the chance to show what he’s made of, his NIL value is going to fly through the roof. He’s already listed at a value of $2.8 million.
These are just a few good examples to showcase where NIL value is these days. It’s nothing short of unbelievable given how these same college athletes could have been making NOTHING just a few seasons ago.
NIL Collectives
Earlier we talked about how players take their potential for exposure and opportunity into account when choosing a school to play for. Well, NIL collectives take that to a new level. Collectives are a separate organization that fundraises money from numerous donors and goes towards a pot for NIL deals. These collectives aren’t *officially* tied to each school, but certain college football programs have them in place to benefit their athletes, and there’s no question that these collectives can sway where a person goes. There have even been some school officials who have openly talked about how fans should donate to certain collectives so that they could try and reel in more top-tier talent for their roster.
There is a catch to these collectives though, and that is that the players have to return some form of service for the money that they’re receiving. They don’t just get the money handed to them if they commit to a specific university, they have to do something afterward to earn it, such as signing autographs, appearing at a few public events, popping up in commercials, things of that nature.
Unfortunately, the NCAA tweaked the rules for these collectives and limited how they work. When college football NIL deals were allowed, collectives were easily used as a recruitment method. After about a year, the NCAA came out and stated that collectives weren’t allowed to be used to sway certain athletes to play in certain places. They were banned from recruitment entirely, and a college athlete isn’t able to contact a specific collective for a school until after they’ve already signed on to play for them. If you put the tinfoil hat on, one can assume that certain high-end players are still made aware of the potential NIL opportunities waiting for them, though in most cases, it’s likely not brought up in the recruitment process by the school or the collective itself.
Do College Football Players Get Paid?
The answer to this question is a resounding yes. Throughout the history of college football, the sport had a rule that players weren’t able to profit off of their name and likeness. If they were to do so, they would be deemed ineligible to play. We’ve seen several past players get reprimanded for making money, no matter how small. Recently, that has all changed, and it’s been better for the sport. As of June 2021, the Supreme Court voted that the NCAA wasn’t able to legally limit payments to students, and eventually, the NCAA took that ruling, brought it to each state, and created NIL rules/regulations for the players to abide by. Now, college football players can make money off themselves. It’s something that many current and past athletes have hoped to happen for a long time. The main way that they’re able to do this and remain eligible to play is by NIL deals. NIL stands for name, image, and likeness. These are the deals where a player can use themselves and their popularity to promote others and accept money from businesses that are interested in them. So, to wrap this section up, if a player in college football wants to make money off themselves, they are certainly able to get paid.
How Can They Get Paid?
We’ve already mentioned that NIL deals can get players paid, but how exactly can it do that? Well, there are several ways for these athletes to profit. For example, they could appear in ad campaigns for other businesses, they could start their own sports camps for the youth, they could create a business for themselves, they could sell signed memorabilia, and could even arrange autograph signings. These are just some ways that they can make money, but there are even more as well that aren’t mentioned. Simply put, there are so many options available to college athletes these days. It’s easier than ever for the players to find a way to make a living outside of football, while still being able to enjoy their time on the field.
How Much Do College Football Players Make?
You might be very interested in how much money college football players can make. After all, some names are far more popular and well-known than others. Plus, the ability for athletes to make money off themselves is still relatively new, it’s not unusual to be intrigued by the money-making capabilities it offers now. To answer this question, the value depends upon two things. The position that the athlete plays on the field, and the popularity that they have off of it. There are going to be some players who are better known, even if they’re not currently playing or starting. Why? Because they have a profitable name and likeness that can be used to their advantage. Take Archie Manning for example. He didn’t start under center last season, but it didn’t matter. He was still making a good chunk of money from NIL deals. He benefitted from everybody knowing who he was off the field because he’s related to multiple great NFL quarterbacks like Peyton and Eli Manning. This is a scenario that not every single player can benefit from, and only a select few really will. Outside of that, the positions that these athletes play will determine how much they can make. It’s probably not surprising to note that quarterbacks are estimated to be making the most money on average. Quarterbacks have long been known as the most important players on the field, they touch the ball on every single offensive snap, and a team can really only go as far as their signal caller takes them. Some sources claim that, on average, a college quarterback can be making anywhere between $500,000-$800,000 from their NIL deals, especially if they’re playing for a well-known school.
Are NIL Deals Involved In Bringing Talent To Schools?
NIL deals are involved in bringing new talent over to play for a school. In the past, it was always assumed that colleges would give a little extra money under the table to the five-star recruits that they brought in. After all, they wanted to add talent and likely knew that the athletes would be worth the money. That was and still is unacceptable, though it’s just an expectation that it’s happened in the past and might have happened recently. However, NIL deals are more than just money straight-up. They are built on exposure and opportunities. Why would a college athlete, playing the quarterback position and entering the transfer portal, try and pick a school that doesn’t offer much exposure or opportunity right away? Players nowadays want to get into a spot where they can take their game to a new level, get an opportunity to play in front of tons of fans, and still benefit off the field with their NIL deals and sponsorships. It’s just something else for schools to keep track of when it comes to recruitment and bringing in new talent.
Can This Cause Problems?
It’s common for people to wonder if these new NIL deals can cause problems for schools and certain programs in general. This is an answer that is likely different depending on who you ask, though certain coaches have been outspoken in how different the game has changed. Nick Saban is one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and even he mentioned that it’s a lot different now with NIL deals being in play than it was prior. Think about it this way, these college athletes beforehand were always pushing to make it into the NFL so that they could not only achieve their dreams but achieve generational wealth. Nowadays, certain superstar athletes can earn that type of money way before they even get close to the NFL. From a coaching perspective, it has to be a whole lot different attempting to coach up a player who is making significantly more money than you are and could feel as though they are above smaller tasks that their peers might be doing at practice. This doesn’t relate to every single player, but it’s something that needs to be thought about now.
Another way to look at is this, that these college athletes could sometimes have coaches that treat them like children still. With some of them getting paid a good amount of money, most will prefer to be treated more like adults, as they would be treated in the NFL. Most of the time, coaches won’t have a problem treating their athletes with respect and dignity, though others might struggle with it more. Schools will now have to keep a closer eye on who they hire as their next head coach because it feels as though not everybody will be able to adjust to this new age of coaching given how much money these players make in college. Overall, it does feel as though these NIL deals will cause more problems. These are problems that won’t get NIL deals taken away or anything even close to that. They are more so just obstacles that people will need to learn and get adjusted to as time passes by.
Estimated Top NIL Athletes
We briefly mentioned Archie Manning earlier, but he’s far from the only top-earning NIL athlete in college football right now. Certain sources have taken into account everything about top-name players such as their name recognition, sponsors, popularity off the field, play on the field, and the school that they go to. This has helped narrow down or at least give a rough estimate of how much certain players can be making from NIL. The most notable name is Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders's son. Shedeur is a quarterback at the University of Colorado and was consistently making headlines last season. He’s been a huge talking point considering the family ties with his father being a Hall of Famer and great head coach. Oh, and he’s benefitted from having a strong social media presence, with over 2.3 million followers. Aside from that, he displayed some serious talent at quarterback, albeit he still needs some work developing if he wants to be successful at the NFL level. Sanders has gotten himself into a very good position, and it’s helped him lock down sponsorships with Oikos, Gatorade, and even Mercedes-Benz. His estimated NIL value is just under $5 million at this point, which is around twice the amount that the average NFL player makes.
As for somebody like Archie Manning, another quarterback, he’s also benefitted from family ties and popularity off the field as mentioned earlier. He doesn’t have nearly as many social media followers as Sanders, though he’s still inked multiple brand deals including one with Panini. That sponsorship saw him autograph a specific rare football card of himself, and it got auctioned off, finally selling for over $100,000. He’s got a legitimate future in the NFL but wants to take his time and learn before getting thrust into a starting job in college. By the time he gets the chance to show what he’s made of, his NIL value is going to fly through the roof. He’s already listed at a value of $2.8 million.
These are just a few good examples to showcase where NIL value is these days. It’s nothing short of unbelievable given how these same college athletes could have been making NOTHING just a few seasons ago.
NIL Collectives
Earlier we talked about how players take their potential for exposure and opportunity into account when choosing a school to play for. Well, NIL collectives take that to a new level. Collectives are a separate organization that fundraises money from numerous donors and goes towards a pot for NIL deals. These collectives aren’t *officially* tied to each school, but certain college football programs have them in place to benefit their athletes, and there’s no question that these collectives can sway where a person goes. There have even been some school officials who have openly talked about how fans should donate to certain collectives so that they could try and reel in more top-tier talent for their roster.
There is a catch to these collectives though, and that is that the players have to return some form of service for the money that they’re receiving. They don’t just get the money handed to them if they commit to a specific university, they have to do something afterward to earn it, such as signing autographs, appearing at a few public events, popping up in commercials, things of that nature.
Unfortunately, the NCAA tweaked the rules for these collectives and limited how they work. When college football NIL deals were allowed, collectives were easily used as a recruitment method. After about a year, the NCAA came out and stated that collectives weren’t allowed to be used to sway certain athletes to play in certain places. They were banned from recruitment entirely, and a college athlete isn’t able to contact a specific collective for a school until after they’ve already signed on to play for them. If you put the tinfoil hat on, one can assume that certain high-end players are still made aware of the potential NIL opportunities waiting for them, though in most cases, it’s likely not brought up in the recruitment process by the school or the collective itself.