Highest Paid College Athletes by NIL Valuation in 2025-26

For years, fans and followers of college football and other college sports have known one thing to be true: With the popularity of college sports, the players who compete in them should be paid for their efforts.

In 2021, the NCAA changed the rules to allow student players to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) which would allow them compensation via endorsement deals for their play.

Almost immediately, players were signing with everything from national brands to local car dealerships. Bronny James, Livvy Dunne, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter were just a few of the college athletes that signed major brand deals and, thanks to their social media following, became some of the biggest influencers in college athletics.

So, which college athletes make the most money? Here are the top paid college athletes in college sports in 2026-27.

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Highest Paid Men’s College Athletes in 2026

Unsurprisingly, football players dominate this list, especially quarterbacks. College football remains the most watched of all college sports and these NIL valuations only support that.

Here’s the table of highest-paid college athletes based on the most recent 2026 NIL data:

1. Darian Mensah – Miami Hurricanes · QB · $6.5M

A frequent flyer in the transfer portal, Mensah is on his third team in three seasons, a phenomenon that is perfectly familiar in the NIL era. Last year at Duke, he led the ACC in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He was an obvious fit for a QB-needy Hurricanes team searching for its first National Championship in more than 20 years.

2. Milan Momcilovic – Kentucky Wildcats · PF · $6M

A rising senior, Milan Momcilovic earned a huge payday from Kentucky to help get on a deep March Madness run. Last year at Iowa State, the 6’8″ forward averaged 16.9 points on a nation-leading 49% shooting from three-point range.

3. Flory Bidunga – Louisville Cardinals · C · $6M

After two seasons at Kansas, Bidunga is headed to another college basketball powerhouse impatient for another national title. Bidunga led the Big 12 with 2.6 blocks per game to go along with 13.3 points and nine rebounds on 64% from the field.

4. Dante Moore – Oregon Ducks · QB · $5M

Dante Moore was a top-5 pick in just about every 2026 NFL Mock Draft. But after fading slightly in the college football playoff, Moore decided to return to Eugene for his redshirt junior (and likely, final) season. Moore has a chance to retain his elite draft stock while getting another crack at the Heisman and a National Championship with the top-ranked Ducks.

5. Jeremiah Smith – Ohio State Buckeyes · WR · $5M

One of the best playmakers in college football, Jeremiah Smith has put together one of the best collegiate careers for a wide receiver in recent memory. He joins a long line of impressive Ohio State wideouts and has led the Big Ten in receiving yards in both of his seasons. All that to say, he might be the most impressive. He might not get the same media coverage as the quarterbacks on this list, but that’ll change come NFL draft time next year.

6. Tounde Yessoufou – St. Johns Red Storm · SF · $5M

Yessoufou put together an immensely impressive freshman season at Baylor that was overshadowed by a slew of impressive freshman seasons across college basketball. The 6’5″ guard returned for his sophomore season, but this year, he’ll be headed to St. Johns where he will look to cement himself as top 10 pick in next year’s draft and help the Red Storm win their first national title.

7. Thomas Haugh – Florida Gators · PF · $5M

After helping Florida win a National Championship in 2025, Haugh earned All-American honors in his junior season. He averaged 17 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block per game.

8. Massamba Diop – Gonzaga Bulldogs · C · $5M

As a freshman at Arizona St., Diop averaged 13.6 points and 2.1 blocks per game with an effective field goal percentage of 58%. Now, he’s headed to Gonzaga where he’ll have a legit shot at a deep tournament run and more of a national spotlight for next year’s NBA draft.

9. Trinidad Chambliss – Ole Miss Rebels · QB · $5M

Chambliss earned another year of eligibility and he’ll get a chance to take the Rebels back to the College Football Playoff. Chambliss finished eighth in last year’s Heisman voting after leading the SEC in passing yards and combining for 30 touchdowns against just three interceptions.

10. Tyran Stokes – Kansas Jayhawks · SF · $5M

The highest ranked player in the 2026 recruiting class, Stokes is the highest paid freshman entering the 2026-27 collegiate year. The McDonald’s All-American is already at the top of 2027 NBA mock drafts.

What About Arch Manning?

Arch Manning, the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, starting quarterback of the Texas Longhorns and one of the most recognizable college athletes in the world, was 2025’s top paid college athlete, but he dropped to 52nd place in this year’s rankings after reportedly taking a revenue-sharing pay cut from Texas to help the team bolster their roster.

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