Updated Saturday, September 5, 2026. Figures are On3 NIL Valuations as of September 4, 2026, and reflect reported compensation from schools and collectives, not endorsement earnings. This page refreshes monthly and after each transfer portal window.
The highest paid player in college football this season is a quarterback who was at Duke nine months ago. Darian Mensah’s move to Miami on the final day of the January portal window set the market at $6.5 million, and the rest of the top of the list is quarterbacks who turned down the NFL or turned down other schools. Arch Manning, the most famous player in the sport, is 19th.
One thing to understand before reading the table: On3 changed how it counts on July 1, 2026. The valuation is now deal based, meaning it tracks what a school or collective is actually paying a player this year. It no longer projects brand value or endorsement potential, which is why players with huge national ad deals (Manning, Jeremiah Smith) can rank below players whose money comes almost entirely from their program.
| Rank | Player | Pos | School | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darian Mensah | QB | Miami | $6.5M |
| 2 | Dante Moore | QB | Oregon | $5M |
| 3 | Jeremiah Smith | WR | Ohio State | $5M |
| 4 | Trinidad Chambliss | QB | Ole Miss | $5M |
| 5 | Sam Leavitt | QB | LSU | $4.5M |
| 6 | Demond Williams Jr. | QB | Washington | $4M |
| 7 | Jordan Seaton | OT | LSU | $4M |
| 8 | Josh Hoover | QB | Indiana | $4M |
| 9 | Drew Mestemaker | QB | Oklahoma State | $3.5M |
| 10 | Bryce Underwood | QB | Michigan | $3M |
| 11 | Byrum Brown | QB | Auburn | $3M |
| 12 | CJ Carr | QB | Notre Dame | $3M |
| 13 | Marcel Reed | QB | Texas A&M | $3M |
| 14 | Kevin Jennings | QB | SMU | $3M |
| 15 | Cam Coleman | WR | Texas | $3M |
| 16 | Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele | QB | California | $3M |
| 17 | Mason Heintschel | QB | Pittsburgh | $3M |
| 18 | Colin Simmons | EDGE | Texas | $2.5M |
| 19 | Arch Manning | QB | Texas | $2.5M |
| 20 | Julian Sayin | QB | Ohio State | $2.5M |
| 21 | Jackson Cantwell | OT | Miami | $2.5M |
| 22 | Damon Wilson II | EDGE | Miami | $2M |
| 23 | Anthony Colandrea | QB | Nebraska | $2M |
| 24 | Gunner Stockton | QB | Georgia | $2M |
| 25 | DJ Lagway | QB | Baylor | $2M |
Also at $2 million: Devon Dampier (Utah), Matayo Uiagalelei (Oregon), Noah Fifita (Arizona), John Henry Daley (Michigan), Kenny Minchey (Kentucky), Dylan Stewart and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss), Nico Iamaleava (UCLA), Austin Simmons (Missouri), Avery Johnson and Wendell Gregory (Kansas State), Howard Sampson (Texas Tech), Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville), Bear Bachmeier (BYU), CJ Bailey (NC State), Ethan Grunkemeyer (Virginia Tech), Lance Heard (Kentucky), Jared Curtis (Vanderbilt), Koi Perich (Oregon), Malachi Toney (Miami), Keelon Russell (Alabama), Chaz Coleman (Tennessee). Players with the same valuation are listed in On3’s order.
What the Top of the List Tells You
Quarterbacks own the market. Nineteen of the top 25 are quarterbacks, and the only non quarterbacks above $3 million are Jeremiah Smith and Jordan Seaton, a receiver considered the best in the country and an offensive tackle LSU pulled from Colorado. Opendorse data reported by the Houston Chronicle put an above average Power Four starting quarterback at $2.5 million to $3 million, with a top running back starting near $620,000 and elite linemen around $725,000.
The portal sets the price. Mensah’s $6.5 million came from a bidding situation on the last day of the January window; Miami was reported to have spent $8 million to $10 million to get him, which is why the valuation and the reported cost do not always match. Leavitt and Seaton both arrived at LSU in Lane Kiffin’s first portal class. Ole Miss signed Chambliss to a revenue share deal reported at more than $5 million a year specifically to keep him from following Kiffin to Baton Rouge.
Staying can pay too. Dante Moore passed on a likely first round NFL pick to return to Oregon at $5 million, with Nike among his outside deals. Jeremiah Smith told On3 he had an offer of more than $10 million to enter the portal and stayed at Ohio State anyway.
Why Arch Manning Is Only 19th
Under the old algorithm model, Manning peaked at $6.8 million and led every athlete in every sport. Under the deal based model he is at $2.5 million, and the reason is his own choice: he took a reduced share of Texas’ revenue sharing pool for 2026 so the Longhorns could spend on the offensive line and transfers like Cam Coleman. Steve Sarkisian said Manning could have asked for six or seven million. Manning still made more than $3.5 million in verified endorsement deals in 2025 per Opendorse, from Red Bull, Uber, Vuori, Raising Cane’s, Warby Parker and others, but that money is not what this list measures. His full deal list is on our Arch Manning NIL page.
How to Read These Numbers
No public database exists for college football contracts. On3’s figures come from reporting on deals; other outlets and the schools themselves sometimes cite different numbers, and incentives can move a total by millions. Treat the valuations as the best available estimate of what a program is paying, not audited payroll. Team level spending is on our most expensive rosters page, and how the money flows is explained in how NIL works and how revenue sharing works.
The Bottom Line
Darian Mensah at $6.5 million is the highest paid player in college football in 2026, followed by Dante Moore, Jeremiah Smith and Trinidad Chambliss at $5 million. Nineteen of the top 25 are quarterbacks. Arch Manning is 19th at $2.5 million because he voluntarily took less from Texas, not because he is worth less.