College Football Players Who Make the Most NIL Money

These college football players have made millions off name, image and likeness (NIL) deals over the last few years.

Few things have changed the landscape of college athletics like the Supreme Court’s decision in 2021 to allow amateur athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). No sport has felt the decision’s impact more than the high stakes world of college football.

Simply put, there is now no way to compete at the highest level of college football without an extensive war chest of NIL money and the right infrastructure of NIL collectives to lure the top recruits and pay players coming out of the transfer portal.

Excluding players who just finished their eligibility or will be in the 2024 NFL Draft, here’s a look at college football players who make the most NIL money.

30. Caleb Downs, S, Alabama — $640,000

Vasha Hunt / AP Photo

High school: Mill Creek High School (Hoschton, Georgia)

Bottom line: Caleb Downs was the best high school defensive player in the country in 2022 and became one of the best college defensive backs in the country in 2023 for Alabama.

Downs was the opening-day starter at safety and helped lead the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff and earned All-American honors. This is the type of player for which the NFL should reconsider its requirement that you have to be three years out of high school before you can be eligible for the draft.

Downs won’t be the first NFL player in his family — his father, Gary, played running back for the New York Giants and his uncle, Dre Bly, was a Pro Bowl cornerback.

29. Luther Burden, WR, Missouri — $690,000

Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III

Richard W. Rodriguez / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 12, 2003 (St. Louis, Missouri)

High school: East St. Louis High School (East St. Louis, Illinois)

Bottom line: Luther Burden had a breakout season for Missouri as a sophomore in 2023 with 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns — at a clip of 14.4 yards per catch. Burden earned All-SEC honors and will be one of the elite players in college football in 2024.

28. Zachariah Branch, WR, USC — $700,000

Southern California wide receiver Zachariah Branch

Ryan Sun / AP Photo

Born: March 29, 2004 (Las Vegas, Nevada)

High school: Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Bottom line: USC freshman wide receiver Zachariah Branch was one of the fastest college football players in the nation from the moment he stepped on campus and used his elite speed to rack up 1,164 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns in 2023. Branch led the nation in punt returns and scored touchdowns four different ways — rushing, receiving, kick return and punt return.

27. Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Wisconsin — $706,000

Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

Born: March 1, 2001 (Glastonbury, Connecticut)

High school: Suffield Academy (Suffield, Connecticut)

Bottom line: Tyler Van Dyke started the majority of the games for Miami the last three seasons and entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season, landing at Wisconsin — which leads us to believe Wisconsin won’t be very good in 2024. Van Dyke went 14-11 as a starter for the Hurricanes and only threw for over 2,000 yards once in 2021.

26. K.J. Jefferson, QB, Central Florida — $715,000

Michael Woods / AP Photo

Born: May 20, 2001 (Sardis, Mississippi)

High school: North Panola High School (Sardis, Mississippi)

Bottom line: K.J. Jefferson started every game the last three seasons for Arkansas and became one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in school history — that includes earning MVP honors in each of the Razorbacks’ last two bowl games.

Jefferson will be playing his sixth year of college football in 2024 but won’t be in Fayetteville after transferring to UCF in the offseason. At 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, he’ll be a load for Big 12 defenses to deal with — great pickup for UCF head coach Gus Malzahn.

25. Dequan Finn, QB, Baylor — $722,000

Carlos Osorio / AP Photo

Born: April 21, 2001 (Detroit, Michigan)

High school: Martin Luther King High School (Detroit, Michigan)

Bottom line: Dequan Finn barely played in his first two seasons at Toledo, was a part-time starter in 2021 and became one of the nation’s top college quarterbacks the last two seasons as the former Mr. Michigan Football led the Rockets to a MAC Championship in 2022 and was named MAC Most Valuable Player in 2023.

The dual-threat star will get his chance to show he belongs in big-time college football in 2024 after transferring to Baylor — Finn already has 8,907 yards of career total offense and 88 touchdowns.

24. Jackson Arnold, QB, Oklahoma — $761,000

Alonzo Adams / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 2, 2004 (Atlanta, Georgia)

High school: Guyer High School (Denton, Texas)

Bottom line: All of Oklahoma’s hopes and dreams in 2024 as they enter the SEC rest with quarterback Jackson Arnold, who was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2022 at Denton Guyer High School. Arnold got a chance to show his wares with a start in the Alamo Bowl, but he was kind of all over the place — he went 26-of-45 passing for 361 yards and two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions in a 38-24 loss to Arizona.

23. Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas — $802,000

Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks, Jr.

Michael Thomas / AP Photo

High school: Summer Creek High School (Houston, Texas)

Bottom line: Texas will be one of the favorites to win a national championship in 2024 and a big reason for that — literally — will be 6-foot-4, 318-pound sophomore offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, who is a two-time All-Big 12 pick in his first two seasons. Banks is a bad, bad man on the football field.

22. Brady Cook, QB, Missouri — $837,000

Julio Cortez / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 12, 2001 (St. Louis, Missouri)

High school: Chaminade Prep (Creve Coeur, Missouri)

Bottom line: Missouri found a star in unheralded quarterback recruit Brady Cook, who played high school football right outside of St. Louis at Chaminade Prep. Cook has started every game for Missouri the last two seasons and led the Tigers to an 11-2 record in 2023, along with being named Cotton Bowl MVP after a 14-3 win over Ohio State. Cook’s breakout year included 3,317 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and six interceptions, along with 319 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

21. Aidan Chiles, QB, Michigan State — $863,000

David Zalubowski / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 12, 2005 (Long Beach, California)

High school: Downey High School (Downey, California)

Bottom line: Aidan Chiles was a backup quarterback as a true freshman at Oregon State in 2023 and followed his head coach, Jonathan Smith, after he took the job at Michigan State. Chiles, 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, looks to be the starter for the Spartans in 2024 and seems to have all the tools to be a star in the Big Ten.

20. Maalik Murphy, QB, Duke — $867,000

Eric Gay / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 13, 2004 (Inglewood, California)

High school: Junipero Serra High School (Gardena, California)

Bottom line: One of three Texas quarterbacks on the Longhorns’ 2023 roster to make the list, Maalik Murphy could be one of the breakout stars in college football in 2024 after transferring to Duke from Texas following the season. Murphy went 2-0 in two starts while replacing an injured Quinn Ewers in 2023 and is a load to take down in the pocket at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds.

19. Brock Vandagriff, QB, Kentucky — $890,000

John Bazemore / AP Photo

Born: May 30, 2002 (Bogart, Georgia)

High school: Prince Avenue Christian School (Bogart, Georgia)

Bottom line: Brock Vandagriff was a five-star quarterback in the Class of 2021 and spent the last three seasons as a backup at Georgia, where he won two national championships playing behind Stetson Bennett but was beaten out by Carson Beck in the race to replace Bennett in 2023.

Vandagriff transferred to Kentucky following the 2023 season, where it appears he’ll finally get a chance to show what he’s got against SEC competition. This is an interesting case study of how NIL works because Vandagriff remains close to a $1 million valuation despite throwing for just 165 yards and making zero starts through his first three seasons. The potential to be good is everything.

18. Shilo Sanders, S, Colorado — $910,000

David Zalubowski / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 9, 2000 (Tyler, Texas)

High school: Trinity Christian School (Cedar Hill, Texas)

Bottom line: One of just three non-quarterbacks to make the list, Colorado safety Shilo Sanders saw his NIL value go through the roof after his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, became the head coach at Colorado following the 2022 season.

Colorado is Sanders’ third college after starting his career at South Carolina, then following his father to Jackson State and then to Colorado. Sanders had one of the more exciting plays of the 2023 college football season with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown against Colorado State and seems like a lock to come back for his final year of eligibility in 2024.

17. Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame — $912,000

Phelan M. Ebenhack / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 13, 2002 (Fairhope, Alabama)

High school: Fairhope High School (Fairhope, Alabama)

Bottom line: Riley Leonard was the singular prize in the 2023 transfer portal after showing he was one of the nation’s top quarterbacks over the last two seasons at Duke. The 6-foot-4, 212-pound Leonard will play for Notre Dame in 2024 and is part of an interesting pattern — for the second straight season, the Irish will start a transfer quarterback from a middling ACC school after bringing in Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman to be the starter in 2023.

16. Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss — $922,000

Brynn Anderson / AP Photo

Born: May 13, 2003 (Kaysville, Utah)

High school: Corner Canyon High School (Draper, Utah)

Bottom line: One of two former USC quarterbacks to make this list, former Gatorade National High School Player of the Year Jaxson Dart spent one season with the Trojans in 2021 before transferring to Ole Miss, where he’s been the starter the last two seasons.

Dart led Ole Miss to a win over Penn State in the 2023 Peach Bowl and has announced he will return to Ole Miss in 2024, where he could turn himself into one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft with a big senior season.

15. Will Howard, QB, Ohio State — $953,000

Charlie Riedel / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 24, 2001 (West Chester, Pennsylvania)

High school: Downingtown West High School (Downingtown, Pennsylvania)

Bottom line: Will Howard spent three seasons as Kansas State’s backup with varying results — he went 3-7 over his first two seasons before going 4-1 as the starter to close out the 2022 season, including a win over national runner-up TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Howard finally became the Wildcats’ full-time starter in 2023 when he went 7-3 and was named second-team All-Big 12. But he hit the transfer portal following the season after it was clear K-State was clearing the runway for prized quarterback recruit Avery Johnson.

Howard is now headed to Ohio State, where he’s a plug-and-play starter at a Power Five program with an NIL valuation close to $1 million.

14. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, Florida State — $954,000

Mark Ylen / AP Photo

Born: April 17, 2001 (Riverside, California)

High school: St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, California)

Bottom line: Florida State will be D.J. Uiagalelei’s third stop in his college football career after he announced he’d transfer there for his final season of eligibility in 2024. Uiagalelei started his career at Clemson, where he was the starter for two seasons before being benched for Cade Klubnik at the end of 2022. He spent one year as the starter at Oregon State in 2023 and has been pretty middling his entire time as a full-time starter. Over the last three seasons, he’s gone 29-9 and averaged just over 2,400 yards passing with 52 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

None of that has stopped Uiagalelei from getting paid — he could clear $1 million in one season in Tallahassee.

13. Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse — $980,000

David Dermer / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 19, 2002 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

High school: St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Bottom line: One of the more bizarre twists to the college football offseason came after Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord entered the transfer portal after he threw for 2,899 yards, 26 touchdowns and six interceptions, as the Buckeyes went 11-1 in his first season as the full-time starter in 2023.

McCord, who backed up C.J. Stroud for his first two seasons, transferred to Syracuse to play for rookie head coach Fran Brown after Ohio State head coach Ryan Day refused to commit to McCord as the starting quarterback in 2024.

9. Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee — $1.1 Million (Tie)

John Raoux / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 2, 2004 (Long Beach, California)

High school: East Warren High School (Downey, California)

Bottom line: Nico Iamaleava was one of the top high school quarterbacks in the nation for the Class of 2023 and became the poster child for NIL riches after he reportedly signed with Tennessee on the promise of an NIL deal worth around $8 million.

Iamaleava might end up being worth the money. After backing up Joe Milton as a true freshman in 2023, Iamaleava made his first start in Tennessee’s 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, where the 6-foot-6, 200-pound freshman went 12-of-19 passing for 151 yards and one touchdown and rushed for three more touchdowns on the way to Citrus Bowl MVP honors.

9. Malachi Nelson, QB, Boise State — $1.1 Million (Tie)

John McCoy / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 7, 2004 (Los Alamitos, California)

High school: Los Alamitos High School (Los Alamitos, California)

Bottom line: The second former USC quarterback to make this list is Malachi Nelson, who was looked at as the heir apparent to Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams but hit the transfer portal after one injury-riddled season in 2023.

As a former five-star who hasn’t shown he can or can’t do it on this level, Nelson’s value (and NIL valuation) remains sky-high — now he’s going to play for Boise State.

9. Carson Beck, QB, Georgia — $1.1 Million (Tie)

Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

Born: Nov. 19, 2002 (Jacksonville, Florida)

High school: Mandarin High School (Jacksonville, Florida)

Bottom line: Georgia’s Carson Beck won two CFP national championships as the backup quarterback to Stetson Bennett in 2021 and 2022, then became the Bulldogs’ full-time starter in 2023. Beck showed he was one of the nation’s top quarterbacks after he threw for 3,941 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, as Georgia went 13-1 but failed to win a third straight national title.

Beck turned his back on the NFL Draft and announced he would return for the 2024 season, making him one of the more valuable NIL players in the country fo the upcoming season.

9. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon — $1.1 Million (Tie)

Rick Scuteri / AP Photo

Born: May 24, 2005 (East Cleveland, Ohio)

High school: Martin Luther King High School (Detroit, Michigan)

Bottom line: Dante Moore was rated as the nation’s top recruit by several outlets for the Class of 2023 and originally committed to Oregon before flipping to UCLA and becoming the Bruins’ highest-rated quarterback recruit of all time.

Moore struggled in one season at UCLA, where he threw for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine games, including a 3-2 record as the starter. Moore wasn’t happy in Westwood and entered the transfer portal after the season. He’ll likely be the backup to Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel in 2024.

8. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon — $1.2 Million

Alonzo Adams / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 28, 2003 (Mililani, Hawaii)

High school: Mililani High School (Mililani, Hawaii)

Bottom line: The second Oregon quarterback to make the list is Dillon Gabriel, who will play for the Ducks in 2024 after successful stints as the starter at Central Florida and Oklahoma, where he was an All-Big 12 pick in 2022 and 2023.

Gabriel, just 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, has been one of the more productive quarterbacks in college football since 2019. In four seasons as a full-time starter — two at UCF and two at Oklahoma — he’s thrown for 14,865 yards, 125 touchdowns and 26 interceptions to go with 1,060 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

7. J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan — $1.3 Million

Ryan Sun / AP Photo

Born: Jan. 20, 2003 (La Grange Park, Illinois)

High school: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)

Bottom line: Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy has become a household name after leading his school to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. McCarthy is a two-time All-Big Ten pick and was the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year in 2023.

He had a 26-1 record as a starter heading into the 2024 CFP championship game against Washington.

5. Evan Stewart, WR — $1.4 Million (Tie)

Sam Craft / AP Photo

Born: Sept. 4, 2003 (Memphis, Tennessee)

High school: Liberty High School (Frisco, Texas)

Bottom line: Few players in the country wield their NIL power more than wide receiver Evan Stewart, a former five-star recruit with 2.4 million followers across his social media profiles. Stewart played two injury-riddled seasons at Texas A&M in 2022 and 2023 before entering the transfer portal and throwing shade at the Aggies, seemingly inferring that the medical staff either mistreated or misdiagnosed his injuries.

Stewart was still productive at Texas A&M, with 90 receptions for over 1,100 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons.

5. Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama — $1.4 Million (Tie)

Kyusung Gong / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 13, 2002 (Katy, Texas)

High school: Tompkins High School (Katy, Texas)

Bottom line: Alabama’s Jalen Milroe was one of the great comeback stories in college football in 2023 after he lost his starting position early in the season and then regained it, leading the Crimson Tide to an SEC championship and spot in the College Football Playoff.

Milroe should be one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy heading into the 2024 season.

4. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas — $1.5 Million

Football NCAA Football Sports Alabama Football SEC FBC Texas Football

Vasha Hunt / AP Photo

Born: March 15, 2003 (San Antonio, Texas)

High school: Southlake Carroll High School (Southlake, Texas)

Bottom line: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2022 out of Southlake Carroll High but reclassified to the Class of 2021 and enrolled at Ohio State early to capitalize on lucrative NIL offers. Ewers spent one season as a backup at Ohio State before transferring to Texas, where he’s been the starter since 2022 and led the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff for the first time in 2023.

Ewers still has a big decision to make when it comes to his future — should he head to the NFL Draft or return to try and win a national championship in 2024?

3. Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado — $2.1 Million

David Zalubowski / AP Photo

Born: May 18, 2003 (West Palm Beach, Florida)

High school: Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, Georgia)

Bottom line: College football fans should try and watch Colorado’s Travis Hunter play as much as possible in 2024, as it will almost certainly be his final college season before he heads to the NFL.

Hunter, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2022, turned his back on Florida State to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State and then followed his head coach to Colorado in 2023, where he wowed the country with his ability to impact a game on offense and defense.

2. Arch Manning, QB, Texas — $2.8 Million

Tony Gutierrez / AP Photo

Born: April 27, 2005 (New Orleans, Louisiana)

High school: Isidore Newman School (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Bottom line: Few recruits in college football history have come with as much fanfare as Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of former NFL Draft No. 1 overall picks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and the grandson of College Football Hall of Famer Archie Manning, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft.

Manning’s career has been the subject of constant speculation since stepping foot on campus. He spent the 2023 season as the Longhorns’ No. 3 quarterback behind Maalik Murphy and starter Quinn Ewers when Texas made the College Football Playoff for the first time.

1. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado — $4 Million

Amanda Loman / AP Photo

Born: Feb. 7, 2002 (Tyler, Texas)

High school: Trinity Christian School (Cedar Hill, Texas)

Bottom line: The third Colorado player to make this list and the crown prince of college football NIL deals is Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the youngest son of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

Shedeur Sanders has NIL deals that would make most pro athletes green with envy — lucrative endorsements with Gatorade, Beats by Dre and Tom Brady’s signature apparel company, BRADY. What’s interesting about Shedeur Sanders’ $4 million NIL valuation is that it equals $1 million per 2023 win for the Buffs, which started the season 3-0 and finished with a 4-7 record.

For more college athletes who make serious NIL money, check out “Top 15 Student Athletes Who Make the Most NIL Money.”