Updated Saturday, September 5, 2026. Roster figures are the OutKick May 2026 valuations; player figures are On3 NIL Valuations as of September 4, 2026, deal based model. Refreshes after each portal window.
Eight of the 15 most expensive rosters in college football are in the SEC. Four are in the Big Ten. The Big 12 has one, and the ACC has one plus independent Notre Dame. That imbalance, more than any single deal, is the NIL story of 2026. Here is how each league stacks up.
SEC
| Team | Reported roster cost | National rank | Top valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $47.9M | 1 | Cam Coleman $3M |
| LSU | $42.8M (up to $50M plus) | 4 | Sam Leavitt $4.5M |
| Texas A&M | $38.9M | 7 | Marcel Reed $3M |
| Alabama | $37.2M | 8 | Keelon Russell $2M |
| Tennessee | $35.7M | 10 | Chaz Coleman $2M |
| Ole Miss | $35.2M | 11 | Trinidad Chambliss $5M |
| Georgia | $34.2M | 12 | Gunner Stockton $2M |
| Oklahoma | $33.0M | 14 | None in the NIL 100 |
The SEC’s highest paid player is Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss at $5 million, followed by LSU’s Sam Leavitt ($4.5 million) and Jordan Seaton ($4 million). The league has 22 football players in the NIL 100, more than any other conference, spread across 12 schools; South Carolina (Dylan Stewart, LaNorris Sellers), Kentucky (Kenny Minchey, Lance Heard), Missouri (Austin Simmons) and Vanderbilt (Jared Curtis) all have $2 million players despite not appearing in the roster top 15.
Big Ten
| Team | Reported roster cost | National rank | Top valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | $43.5M | 3 | Jeremiah Smith $5M |
| Oregon | $42.8M | 5 | Dante Moore $5M |
| USC | $34.2M | 13 | Honor Fa’alave Johnson (2027 recruit) $2.4M |
| Michigan | $32.4M | 15 | Bryce Underwood $3M |
The Big Ten has the most expensive non quarterback in the sport (Smith) and the second most expensive quarterback (Moore), plus Washington’s Demond Williams Jr. and Indiana’s Josh Hoover at $4 million each. Indiana, the defending national champion, is not in the roster top 15 despite Hoover’s deal, which is the strongest efficiency argument in the sport.
Big 12
| Team | Reported roster cost | National rank | Top valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech | $36.3M | 9 | Howard Sampson $2M |
Texas Tech is the only Big 12 roster in the national top 15. The league’s highest paid player is Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker at $3.5 million, and its $2 million tier includes DJ Lagway (Baylor), Devon Dampier (Utah), Noah Fifita (Arizona), Avery Johnson and Wendell Gregory (Kansas State) and Bear Bachmeier (BYU). The Big 12 is a quarterback league at the top of its NIL list and a bargain league everywhere else.
ACC and Notre Dame
| Team | Reported roster cost | National rank | Top valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | $44.0M | 2 | Darian Mensah $6.5M |
| Notre Dame (independent) | $40.4M | 6 | CJ Carr $3M |
Miami carries the ACC on its own: the most expensive player in the sport, seven athletes in the NIL 100 and the No. 2 roster. Behind it, the league’s money is in quarterbacks: SMU’s Kevin Jennings, Cal’s Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele and Pittsburgh’s Mason Heintschel are all at $3 million, with NC State’s CJ Bailey, Virginia Tech’s Ethan Grunkemeyer and Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz at $2 million.
The Bottom Line
The SEC has more $30 million rosters than the other three power conferences combined, the Big Ten has the two biggest individual stars outside Miami, the Big 12 runs through Texas Tech and its quarterbacks, and the ACC is Miami plus everyone else. The full national list is on most expensive rosters, and every top player is on highest NIL valuations.