Were The 10 Most Expensive College Basketball Players Worth The Price?

The 2025-26 college basketball season is coming to an end. The regular season slate will wrap up next week. Conference tournaments are set to follow before we gear up for March Madness.

The introduction of NIL into the sport has created opportunities for postseason hopefuls to bolster their rosters with financial incentive. The most talented prospects come with the highest price tags.

Prior to season’s start, we listed the 10 most expensive players in the sport based on On3’s preseason NIL valuations. Now, we’ll decide whether the investments paid off.

How did college basketball’s highest paid players perform?

For this list, we will use only the players named in our previous list as those are the additions believed to the most valuable before the start of the year.

We’ll recap NIL income estimations, a brief player background, and 2025-26 production. We start on the West Coast with a talented transfer guard.

Donovan Dent (UCLA)

NIL Valuation: $1.5 million

Dent spent three seasons at New Mexico, leading the Lobos to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. As a junior, he paced the Mountain West Conference in scoring at a 20.4-point clip.

The guard entered the transfer portal after the ’24 campaign and signed with the Bruins in the offseason.

He was projected to be the 10th-most highly paid player in the country. That investment has paid dividends for the Bruins.

While Dent has seen a dip in scoring (13.5 ppg), he leads the team in assists, steals, and minutes played. With the senior leading the charge, the Bruins have positioned themselves to make the NCAA Tournament.

Labaron Philon (Alabama)

NIL Valuation: $1.5 million

Philon is in Year 2 at Alabama after helping the Crimson Tide reach an Elite Eight. As a freshman, he averaged 10.6 points per contest while dishing out 3.8 assists.

His production has jumped as a sophomore. He’s more than doubled his scoring total (21.4 ppg) while also leading the Crimson Tide in steals and assists.

Philon will likely be an NBA player next season. Alabama’s $1.5 million NIL gamble paid off as the guard’s blossomed into the team’s top star.

His production has the program in line to make a sixth straight March Madness appearance.

Josh Dix (Creighton)

NIL Valuation: $1.5 million

Dix is a senior guard in his first season with a new program. The former Hawkeye left Iowa City after the departure of head coach Fran McCaffery.

He was expected to make major offensive impacts. He may not be living up to the bill.

Dix was paid seven figures to transfer to Creighton. He’s experienced dips in scoring, assists, and three-point shooting while recording a career-high turnover rate.

The Bluejays are 14-16 on the year and will likely be home for the postseason to end a streak of five consecutive NCAA Tournament trips.

Braden Smith (Purdue)

NIL Valuation: $1.6 million

Smith is a seasoned veteran that’s been around the Big Ten for years. Purdue made sure the All-American returned for his final season as point guard with a seven-figure NIL salary.

The senior has led the conference in assists each of the last two years. He’s on a similar pace in 2025-26.

Smith is averaging 15 points and 8.7 dimes per night. Both totals lead the Boilermakers.

As a result of his production, Purdue is positioned to book another ticket to the Big Dance after 10 successful tries dating back to 2015.

Bennett Stirtz (Iowa)

NIL Valuation: $1.7 million

Stirtz left Drake to follow head coach Ben McCollum to Iowa. He was paid highly to bring a dangerous offensive arsenal with him.

In his final season with the Bulldogs, he averaged 19.2 points and 5.7 assists a night. He also led the MVC in steals.

He hasn’t disappointed in Iowa City. Despite the move from mid-major to power conference, he’s boosted his scoring totals.

The guard is scoring at a 20.2-point clip while shooting over 39% from beyond the arc. In doing so, he’s helped the Hawkeyes win 20 games which should be enough to make the March Madness field.

Darryn Peterson (Kansas)

NIL Valuation: $1.9 million

Peterson is the first freshman on the list, but that youth did not prevent him from becoming one of college basketball’s highest paid players.

The rookie guard was regarded as the nation’s top recruit. He’s showed why with an incredible ability to score. Peterson is averaging .71 points per minute, a mark that ranks fifth in the sport.

Unfortunately, his availability has led to controversy. Peterson has been in the headlines as a freshman with many believing he’s protecting his NBA stock.

Injuries and cramping have kept him off the court for much of the year. As a result, the Jayhawks have not gotten the full return on investment.

Still, he leads the team with a 19.7 point per game scoring output. Kansas hopes he’ll be at full strength for an NCAA Tournament run.

Cameron Boozer (Duke)

NIL Valuation: $2.1 million

Boozer, the son of former pro Carlos, is another freshman that cashed in with a college basketball blue blood. The forward has shined in his first year at Duke.

As a rookie, he leads the ACC in rebounding while scoring 22.6 points a game. He’s currently averaging a double-double while helping the Blue Devils position themselves for conference title and No. 1 overall seed.

Boozer is an all-around threat. He boasts Top 10 standing among ACC players in points, rebounds, steals, assists, and shooting.

The first-year star has certainly been worth his lofty price tag.

Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan)

NIL Valuation: $2.3 million

Lendeborg brings us back to the veterans following a run of high-paid freshmen. Michigan lured the forward away from UAB and the NBA with an NIL deal exceeding $2 million.

The investment has paid off tremendously. The Wolverines are the nation’s third-ranked team. They will be a national championship threat after winning the Big Ten’s regular season title.

Their seasoned transfer is a big reason why. He ranks Top 2 on the team in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and assists.

JT Toppin (Texas Tech)

Much like Michigan with Lendeborg, Texas Tech opened up its checkbook to keep Toppin from entering the NBA Draft. The Red Raiders matched his potential rookie salary, and then some.

He repaid his team with production. The forward was first on the team in scoring and first in the Big 12 in rebounding before suffering a season-ending injury.

Toppin was having a career year, with bests in every major statistical category. His unexpected exit crushed most college basketball fans.

His on-court contributions have positioned the Red Raiders nicely for a Big Dance appearance. Hopefully, he experiences a full recovery looking ahead to next season.

AJ Dybantsa (BYU)

NIL Valuation: $4.4 million

The BYU freshman is the highest paid player in college basketball. It is estimated that he secured an NIL deal north of $4 million to sign with the Cougars.

The future first-round NBA Draft pick has not disappointed in what expects to be his only NCAA season. Dybantsa is averaging 24.9 points per game to lead the nation.

He’s also chipped in 6.8 boards and 3.7 assists per outing to position the Cougars for an NCAA Tournament run.

Despite the high price tag, he’s exceeded expectations. The nation’s most expensive player is arguably its best, too.