COLLEGE football revenue sharing has boomed in recent years, and players are reaping the rewards.
In the 2025 season, players are projected to double their earnings from last year.
College football players are earning a massive amount of money in 2025[/caption]
Players are expected to earn nearly $2 billion this season[/caption]
According to NIL data platform Opendorse, college football players are projected to earn $1.9 billion in 2025.
Last year, players were estimated to have earned around $1 billion from NIL deals.
Opendorse estimates that in last year’s season, players made $853.1 billion from deals facilitated by school collectives and $150.5 billion from commercial deals.
Things are much different this year though.
While commercial deals are expected to reach $290 million, collective money is expected to drop by $213.4 million.
However, athletic departments are now allowed to share up to $20.5 million of revenue with athletes.
This new money is projected to add $1.4 billion to the amount of money players make.
With this new money, players are expected to make $2.4 billion in 2026 and $2.6 billion in 2027.
According to Opendorse, Power 4 players are projected to earn 13.1 percent of their school’s revenue.
Based on how much each player earns, here is how the revenue is split among the highest paid players on each team:
- Quarterbacks: 18 percent
- Receivers: 15.13 percent
- Offensive linemen: 14.35 percent
- Defensive linemen: 13.1 percent
- Defensive backs: 12.23 percent
Linebackers receiver just over 10 percent while running backs get just over nine percent.
Quarterbacks being the highest earners on teams is reflected in the top five earners in all of college football.
Of the top five earners in college football, four are quarterbacks.
These are the top five NIL earners in college football, according to On3:
- Arch Manning, QB Texas – $6.8 million
- Carson Beck, QB Miami – $4.3 million
- Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State – $4.2 million
- Garrett Nussmeier, QB LSU – $3.8 million
- LaNorris Sellers, QB South Carolina – $3.7 million
Among the top earners in all of college sports, nine of the top 10 players are football players.
Of those nine players, eight are quarterbacks.
Players are now making many of their decisions over where to go to school based on money.
Whoever is the highest bidder often ends up winning a player’s commitment.
