A 2026 estimate of player costs, the two routes money takes to athletes, and the gap between conferences. Pick a school below to see its place in the picture.
That is the combined modeled annual cost for the 68 programs published by NIL-NCAA.com. It includes school revenue sharing and estimated third-party NIL. It is neither a record of paid contracts nor a total for all college football.
The median school-paid amount is about $15.6m in each power conference. The estimated third-party NIL layer varies far more: about $5.6m at the ACC median versus $14.6m at the SEC median.
Booster gifts may support athletics budgets or NIL activity. They are a funding source, not a third payment to add to roster cost.
Conference medians describe a typical modeled roster in each group; they do not add up to the $1.77b total. Third-party NIL is estimated because contracts are generally private.
One school, two measures: modeled roster cost and movement through the portal.
Players listed “in portal” by On3 for each football cycle. These are portal entries, not confirmed school-to-school transfers.
Documented support is useful context, but the sources below measure different things. They cannot be added to estimated roster costs.
Six sourced examples include multiyear agreements, a brand partnership with undisclosed terms, and a disputed promise. Open in the ledger for the source and full context.
| Season | Record | School / movement | Detail | Source |
|---|
| School | In | Out | Reported $ |
|---|