With the House v. NCAA case settled and new revenue-sharing payments coming to athletes, the College Sports Commission (CSC) has compiled data on 2026 football player compensation at every position on the field.
The data was shared in a school-by-school ranking table for the Power Four conferences and — in a secondary table — for athletes with qualifying name, image and likeness deals across all Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and all Football Championship Subdivision conferences.
The College Sports Commission report covers how much athletes earn from schools that share college football revenue as well as from third-party name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.
According to 247Sports, the figures provide one of the first detailed looks at how college athletes are being compensated following the House v. NCAA settlement.
Of note: CSC does not include all compensation, including the value of athletes’ scholarships, cost-of-attendance stipends, etc., in each athlete’s total. Additionally, the third-party NIL figures only account for agreements submitted to and cleared through the commission’s NIL Go system.
Quarterbacks Make The Most Money Among College Football Players
50 percent of Power Four QBs receiving revenue-sharing payments this year make at least $230,000, according to data from the College Sports Commission. Quarterbacks in the 75th percentile earn at least $675,000, and those in the 90th percentile make at least $1.611 million.
The top 10% of P4’s offensive and defensive linemen earn more than $500,000 in revenue share. Next on the list are wide receivers, where the top-paid players earn at least $456,000.
Players at each position at the Power Four schools that are in the 90th percentile for revenue-sharing and third-party NIL are earning at least the following in each category:
â–ª Quarterbacks: $1,611,000 (revenue sharing); $996,049 (third-party NIL)
â–ª Offensive linemen: $512,000; $213,500
â–ª Defensive linemen: $509,500; $231,655
â–ª Wide receivers: $456,000; $246,035
â–ª Linebackers: $425,500; $228,100
â–ª Defensive backs: $416,000; $200,000
â–ª Running backs: $383,000; $213,012
â–ª Tight ends: $300,000; $158,901
Spending More Money Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Winning More Games
A common misconception is that throwing more money at a college football team will translate into more wins on the field for top programs.
However, several programs with some of the most expensive rosters in college football have struggled to turn that spending into wins this season.
There are also questions about whether some players are actually receiving the money they’ve been promised.
Jace Feely, a former Colorado kicker for Deion Sanders, recently appeared to criticize the program via a social media post. In the post, he appeared to accuse the program of promising players NIL cash that it didn’t deliver. However, his post did not include any evidence to support the claims.