Biggest NIL deals in college football history
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The largest NIL deals reported for college football players, and what happened to them. Most of these figures come from reporters' sources or from agents. Schools and collectives rarely publish contracts, and several of the biggest deals were never fully paid.
Reported deals · Valuation highs · What's not here
Largest reported deals
| # | Player | School | Reported value | Term | What the figure is | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaden Rashada | Florida (Gator Collective) | $13.85M | 4 years | Contract alleged in Rashada's federal lawsuit | Never paid: the $500,000 signing bonus due Dec. 5, 2022, was not paid, and the Gator Collective moved to terminate the contract on Dec. 6, 2022. Rashada later sued. | U.S. District Court order, N.D. Fla., Dec. 25, 2025; The Athletic, Feb. 6, 2023 (paywalled) |
| 2 | Bryce Underwood | Michigan | $10M–$12M | 4 years | Reported deal (range) | Exact terms not public. | Fortune, Aug. 28, 2025 |
| 3 | Darian Mensah | Miami | About $10M | 2026 | Reported by “some reports” | Soft figure that may include the cost of his Duke settlement. CBS Sports reported only that Miami paid “considerably more” than his Duke deal. | Sports Illustrated, Aug. 26, 2026; CBS Sports, June 3, 2026 |
| 4 | Carson Beck | Georgia, then Miami | Nearly $10M | 12 months | Agent's claim (all NIL deals combined) | Includes brand deals and collective money; a figure from his agent, not a single contract. | Front Office Sports, Jan. 2025 |
| 5 | Jaden Rashada | Miami (booster) | $9.5M | Multi-year | Reported agreement | The booster denied involvement. Rashada later flipped to Florida (above). | On3, June 27, 2022 |
| 6 | Darian Mensah | Duke | $8M | 2 years (2025–26) | Reported contract | The second year ended with his transfer and a settlement with Duke. | CBS Sports, June 3, 2026 |
| 7 | Nico Iamaleava | Tennessee | $8M | 3 years | Reported contract | The deal ran through December 2025, but he left Tennessee for UCLA in April 2025. | CBS Sports, Apr. 2025; Front Office Sports, Apr. 16, 2025 |
| 8 | Drew Mestemaker | Oklahoma State (from North Texas) | $7M | 2 years | Reported deal | Sporting News, Aug. 2026 | |
| 9 | Brendan Sorsby | Texas Tech (from Cincinnati) | Close to $6M | 1 year (final season) | Agent's claim | His agent said all of it was guaranteed and due by Jan. 1, 2027. | Boardroom, Jan. 6, 2026 |
Ordered by headline value. Multi-year totals and one-year deals are not directly comparable.
Highest On3 NIL Valuations on record
On3's NIL Valuation is an estimate, not a contract. Until July 1, 2026, it was an algorithm projecting market value. Since then it has been a deal-based estimate of a player's current contract value (On3, updated July 14, 2026), so old and new figures measure different things.
| Player | School | On3 NIL Valuation | As of | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Manning | Texas | $6.8M | July–Aug. 2025 | Record high under On3's old model. Now $2.5M under the new deal-based model. | Sports Business Journal, Aug. 28, 2025 |
| Darian Mensah | Miami | $6.5M | Oct. 30, 2026 | Highest under the new deal-based model (since July 1, 2026). | On3 NIL 100, read Oct. 30, 2026 |
| Shedeur Sanders | Colorado | $6.5M | 2024 | Led the country in 2024, per On3. | Sports Illustrated, Mar. 6, 2025 |
| Travis Hunter | Colorado | $5.7M | Jan. 16, 2025 | Second in 2024 behind Sanders. | On3 profile, updated Jan. 16, 2025 |
| Jeremiah Smith | Ohio State | $5M | Oct. 30, 2026 | $4.2M in July 2025. He has said he turned down an offer of more than $10M to transfer; that was an offer, not a deal. | On3 NIL 100, read Oct. 30, 2026; Bleacher Report citing On3, July 16, 2025; On3, July 14, 2026 |
| Carson Beck | Miami | $4.3M | July 16, 2025 | Bleacher Report citing On3, July 16, 2025 |
What's not here
- John Mateer (Oklahoma): reported only as similar to Mensah's Duke deal, with no figure. Left out until a number is reported.
- Revenue-sharing payments from schools are not itemized publicly and are not included.
- Current valuations: Top 25 NIL valuations, 2026. Who negotiated these deals: Top NIL agents, 2026.
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