NIL

The 10 Highest Paid Quarterbacks In College Football

Published

4 months ago

August 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

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In the NIL Era of college football, you’d better be willing to spend big if you’re a program looking to have a star quarterback calling the shots.

But just how much does it cost to acquire and keep one of those big-time QBs these days? Pete Nakos of On3 Sports has been ahead of the curve throughout the offseason, tracking down the answer to that question.

The result is a list of the highest-paid signal callers in college football, highlighted by some of the sport’s biggest stars, as well as some names you may not have expected.

10 Highest-Paid Quarterbacks In College Football

By now, everyone has heard about the massive NIL deal the Michigan Wolverines handed five-star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, backed by billionaire Larry Ellison

But Underwood doesn’t top the list of highest-paid signal callers. In fact, this average annual value falls right in line with some of the other top quarterbacks in the country.

In this list, we take a look at Underwood as well as nine other field generals who make up the 10 highest-paid QBs in the nation.

10) Josh Hoover – TCU

The first quarterback on our list is perhaps the least well-known. But don’t sleep on TCU redshirt junior Josh Hoover.

According to Nakos, Hoover is in line to make $1.75 million this year after the Horned Frogs fended off inquiries from Tennessee to get Hoover into the transfer portal.

That’s money well-earned, too. Last season, Hoover completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,949 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. If Hoover can cut down on the turnovers in his third year as a starter for head coach Sonny Dykes, the Horned Frogs could well be a contender to win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff.

9) LaNorris Sellers – South Carolina

South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers runs with the ball

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers is everything that NFL scouts dream of. He’s big, strong, athletic, and intelligent. Which is exactly why Sellers is set to make around $1.8 million this year in hopes of leading the Gamecocks to the College Football Playoff.

Sellers was inconsistent as a redshirt freshman in 2024, but his good was very good. The Florence, South Carolina native threw for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions while adding a further 674 yards and seven scores on the ground.

There’s a feeling around some in the college football world that he may not have even scratched the surface of his potential. If that’s true, Sellers could well more than repay the sizable payday he’s getting from the Gamecocks and their boosters.

8) Avery Johnson – Kansas State

Much like Sellers, Avery Johnson is an elite athlete who is still learning to use all of his tools. He came into Kansas State as a highly touted recruit and immediately saw the field as a true freshman.

Last year, Johnson took the starting job after Will Howard left Manhattan for Ohio State. He proceeded to throw for 2,712 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a further 605 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

There’s an expectation that he could be due for a big breakout in 2025, which is why the Wildcats are reportedly paying the star quarterback north of $2 million.

7) Diego Pavia – Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia

Diego Pavia became the breakout star of the college football world a year ago when he led the Vanderbilt Commodores to their first win over Alabama in four decades.

Now, after winning a court battle with the NCAA, Pavia returns for what is, presumably, his final year of college football.

Like Johnson, the former JuCo product is set to make just north of $2 million this year, and the Commodores are hoping he can build upon a strong 2024 season, where he threw for 2,293 yards, 20 touchdowns, and four interceptions in addition to 801 rushing yards and eight scores.

6) John Mateer – Oklahoma

According to Nakos, the Oklahoma Sooners are set to pay Mateer anywhere from $2.5 million to $3 million in 2025 after prying him away from Washington State.

Mateer, like offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, comes over from Pullman after lighting it up for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions a year ago.

The Texas native is now tasked with saving a Sooner program that has floundered a bit since Lincoln Riley left for USC. If he can have a big year, it may just keep head coach Brent Venables in a job and keep Oklahoma among the elites in college football.

5) Drew Allar – Penn State

The lasting memory of Drew Allar for many fans nationally is the late interception he threw in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame. But in two seasons at the helm for Penn State, Allar has thrown for 5,958 yards, 49 touchdowns, and just 10 interceptions.

Had he entered the NFL Draft earlier this year, there’s a good chance the former five-star would’ve been selected in the top 10.

Instead, he returned to the Nittany Lions and received at least a $3 million payday to do so. Allar and Penn State, who welcomed three transfer wide receivers to the fold in the offseason in hopes of fixing a previously broken position group, begin the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and with serious national title aspirations.

4) Dylan Raiola – Nebraska

Dylan Raiola Patrick Mahomes Haircut Cosplay Identical Look

By now, every college football fan knows the name Dylan Raiola. The former five-star recruit was committed to Ohio State, then Georgia, before eventually signing with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on a deal that will see him make north of $3 million this season.

Raiola flashed at times as a true freshman starter for the Huskers. He threw for 2,819 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But head coach Matt Rhule and the Nebraska faithful will be hoping for much more from him in year two, especially when he’s paid like one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

Maybe the fact that Raiola stopped trying to look like Patrick Mahomes in the offseason will help him play more like Mahomes on the field.

3) Carson Beck – Miami

This time last year, Carson Beck was the starting quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, a Heisman Trophy favorite, and the leader of a team that many felt would win the national championship.

Instead, Beck and the Bulldogs struggled, capped by the quarterback tearing the UCL in his throwing arm in the SEC Championship Game. Gunnar Stockton then took over, and one month later, Beck was in the transfer portal.

The Miami Hurricanes then stepped in and over Beck a deal worth in the range of $3-3.2 million in 2025, with incentives that could reportedly take that number far higher. Will Beck live up to that investment? Only time will tell.

2) Bryce Underwood – Michigan

The aforementioned prince who was promised, Bryce Underwood, is set to earn upwards of $3 million this season as part of a four-year deal he signed with the Michigan Wolverines.

The five-star recruit and Michigan native is currently locked in a battle with Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene to determine the Wolverines’ week one starter.

Underwood is as highly touted as they come at the quarterback position despite being extremely young for his class. If he comes anywhere close to living up to expectations in Ann Arbor, it will be money well spent.

1) Darian Mensah – Duke

Of course, as everybody expected, the highest-paid quarterback in college football in 2025 goes to…Duke?

That’s right. Mensah joins the Blue Devils and head coach Manny Diaz after a breakout redshirt freshman campaign for Tulane. The California native threw for 2,723 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions for a Green Wave team that spent most of the season on the fringes of the Top 25.

Mensah then signed one of the highest-paying NIL deals in the sport, which will pay him a minimum of $4 million over the next two seasons and up to $5 million per year with incentives.

By comparison, Oregon State is set to pay Maalik Murphy, whom Mensah is replacing, $1.5 million to be their starting quarterback in 2025. Murphy threw for 2,933 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions for the Blue Devils last season.

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NIL

Michigan NIL collective Champions Circle hits ground running after Kyle Whittingham hire

Published

27 minutes ago

December 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The coaching search is over, but the work is just beginning. Michigan Wolverines football has a new leader in Kyle Whittingham, the 22nd head coach in program history, and he’s already hard at work in Orlando as the Maize and Blue prepare for the Dec. 31 Citrus Bowl against Texas.

Michigan’s official NIL collective, Champions Circle, has launched its ‘Membership 2.0,’ an opportunity for fans to receive “new benefits, new opportunities to engage with players and coaches and new ways to support those who wear the Maize and Blue.”

“As Coach Whittingham takes the helm to lead the next chapter in Michigan football history, one thing is clear: success in today’s college football landscape requires support from each and every fan,” the collective shared in a press release.

By becoming a Champions Circle member, Michigan fans are “directly supporting NIL opportunities that help:

• Empower our new coach to establish the next great era of Michigan Football
• Build championship-level depth at every position
• Prevent rivals from poaching our top talent

The First 100 New Yearly Victors & Valiant Members will receive a football signed by Whittingham and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood AND an invitation to a first-of-its-kind “Meet Coach Whittingham” webinar in 2026.

Here are details on membership tiers for Champions Circle:

The 66-year-old Whittingham is already in Orlando connecting with Michigan staff, players and their families. The Wolverines have one game remaining but are also focused on next season.

Whittingham was introduced to Michigan fans on social media Saturday evening and will hold his introductory press conference Sunday morning at 11 o’clock from the team hotel.

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NIL

Super-sized conferences are breaking college football

Published

1 hour ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BEST 9.6 vs Bethune-Cookman University-12 — Makena Wong, Photo Editor, The University of Miami football team takes the field for its game against Bethune-Cookman University on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

The dawn of NIL has forced a realignment of college conferences, putting pressure on the structure of conference championships. When you look at the Power Four football conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and SEC), each have expanded somewhere between 16 and 18 members.

The past two seasons have demonstrated that the current conference championship format is not equipped to corral the super-sized power conferences. Deciding the top teams in the country is left to too many qualitative metrics (strength of schedule, head to head, and common opponents).

Something needs to change.

Texas A&M’s path to CFP

Looking at the SEC, Texas A&M had a historic 11-1 regular season, good for one of the best records in the nation. However it featured in-conference wins against seven out of the nine worst teams in the SEC; and every team they beat had a conference win percentage of .500 or worse.

The Aggies season would end in disappointing fashion as they lost twice in a row, against in-state rival the Texas Longhorns 27-17 and in the first round of the College Football Playoff against the Miami Hurricanes 10-3.

A&M arguably only faced three impressive teams all season (Miami, Notre Dame, Texas), and its only win of the three came in the form of a controversial one-point victory over ND in Week 2.

TAMU is one of multiple glaring examples of how massive conferences allow teams to waltz unscathed through their conferences thanks to scheduling issues.

UM Junior Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. breaks through the Texas A&M defense on Dec. 20. // Jake Sperling.

Is a return to Divisions the solution?

It would seem creating divisions within the conferences should be closely considered. This would stoke more fierce rivalries among inter-division opponents, ensuring more even matchups and a clearer cut conference championship.

Looking to the past, all of the Power Four conferences had divisions but were eliminated across the last decade — a division format made less sense with smaller membership.

In 2024, the Big 12 (with 16 members) had a four-way tie at the top of the conference between Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado, who all finished with a 7-2 record. By the end Arizona State and Iowa State faced off due to tiebreakers, but many thought that BYU was more deserving than Iowa State.

This season in the ACC (with 17 members), Virginia guaranteed their spot after a 7-1 conference record, but there was a 5-way tie for second place between Duke, Miami, Georgia Tech, SMU, and Pitt. As Miami fans well know, the unranked 7-5 Duke Blue Devils were awarded the second spot over a 10-2 Miami team ranked No. 12 in the country at the time.

Applying the Divisions to the ACC

When looking at the ACC, the conference has 17 members, which forces teams to play more or less games than one another. All of this would be solved if another team joined the conference.

But let’s concentrate on how the current structure of the ACC would address this issue. There would be three main things taken into consideration: rivalries, location, and talent. It might look something like this:

ACC North: Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Louisville, VT, Virginia, Clemson and Georgia Tech

ACC South: Miami, FSU, SMU, Cal, Stanford, Duke, UNC, NC State and Wake Forest

For the divisions, it would be fair to re-evaluate every five years whether the two divisions are evenly split. Currently the competition would be tight; each division would be well balanced.

The proposed system would also allow scheduling and travel to be much simpler; every division team plays one another, the north would have 7 conference games while the south would have 8. At the end of the season, the two representatives from each division would face-off for the championship.

As some guidelines here are the five hypothetical tiebreaker rules:

1 – Conference Record

Conference records always take importance over every guideline but would have more weight as every team faces each other.

2 – Head to Head

Due to everyone facing off this should solve for tiebreakers except for three (or more) way ties.

3 – Overall Record

In the case of Miami – Duke the tiebreaker was Win Percentage of Conference opponents. In the context of a 7-5 record, the overall record should have more weight.

4 – National Ranking (AP poll / CFP)

Ideally the conference championship should be settled by this point but if it goes this far National Ranking should be considered in ensuring that the best teams compete for the conference championship.

Will realignment fix everything?

Fans want more entertaining matches and teams want ease of scheduling and travel.

The answer is simple — either return to smaller conferences or implement divisions to make conferences matter.

In the end, no matter the solution, it won’t be perfect. Sports fanatics will always say that there will be a better format, but the least we can do is learn from past mistakes.

Photo Credit: @CanesFootball via X // Miami Hurricanes true freshman receiver Malachi Toney breaks a tackle against Pitt on Nov. 29, 2025.

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NIL

College football team loses three All-Americans to transfer portal

Published

2 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Texas capped a program-best 12–2 season with a New Mexico Bowl win, but quickly faced major roster turnover as quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, and wide receiver Wyatt Young all entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Mestemaker broke out as a redshirt freshman in 2025, leading the FBS with 4,379 passing yards and 34 touchdowns following Saturday’s 49–47 victory over San Diego State.

He began his North Texas career as a walk-on and earned conference offensive honors and national attention before deciding to test the portal.

Hawkins, the Mean Green’s freshman back, finished 2025 as one of the nation’s most productive rushers, totaling 1,434 rushing yards and leading the FBS with 25 rushing touchdowns, highlighted by a 198-yard, three-touchdown bowl performance to cap the year.

Young, meanwhile, paced UNT’s receiving corps with 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns (ranking among the top three nationally) and earned first-team All-American and All-Conference honors.

Losing the nation’s top passer, the FBS’s most productive freshman runner, and a top-three WR in one offseason represents an immediate top-to-bottom offensive reset for North Texas.

North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker. — North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) scrambles out of the pocket against the Tulane Green Wave | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

For the transfer market, all three are premium, high-demand assets — Mestemaker as a starting QB target for Power-Five teams, Hawkins as a feature back with breakout tape, and Young as a proven perimeter threat.

Mestemaker has already been linked to Oklahoma State (connection via coach Eric Morris), Indiana, Texas Tech, and Oregon, while Hawkins and Young are expected to draw attention from both Group-of-Five and Power-Five programs.

Hawkins, a three-star recruit from North Rock Creek High School (Shawnee, Oklahoma) in the 2025 class, also held offers from Emporia State and Central Oklahoma before committing to North Texas in September 2024.

Young, a three-star prospect from Katy Tompkins High School (Katy, Texas) in the 2024 class, signed with the Mean Green over offers from Rice, Arizona, Memphis, Air Force, and others.

Three top underclass producers hitting the transfer portal at once underscores how quickly the transfer era can reshape a program, leaving Group of Five teams that develop stars grappling with retention issues and the financial pressures of NIL.

NIL

College football team loses starting QB to NCAA transfer portal

Published

3 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In its first year under head coach Scott Abell, Rice finished the 2025 season 5–7 overall (2–6 in the American Conference) but still earned an Armed Forces Bowl invite, where it will face Texas State (6–6) on January 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Across 12 games in 2025, Jenkins completed 119 of 172 passes (69.2%) for 1,025 yards with nine touchdowns against two interceptions, while also carrying the ball 151 times for 531 yards and five scores.

That momentum may be short-lived, however, as Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett reported on Saturday that Jenkins plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, adding another domino to an already loaded quarterback transfer market.

A Houston, Texas product who signed with Rice in February 2023, Jenkins worked his way into the program as a multi-role quarterback/athlete, appearing in limited action early in his career before being named the 2025 starter.

In his first full year as the starting quarterback, Jenkins earned American Conference All-Academic recognition.

Prior to signing with Rice, he starred at Alief Taylor (Houston), where he threw for 4,735 yards and 46 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 22 varsity games and earned All-District 23-6A honors as a junior.

Jenkins was 247Sports’ No. 93 quarterback in the 2023 class, committing to Rice over offers from Alcorn State, East Texas A&M, Jackson State, and Lamar.

Rice Owls quarterback Chase Jenkins. — Rice Owls quarterback Chase Jenkins (4) throws the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at Rice Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With a 69.1% career completion rate and proven mobility, Jenkins profiles as a strong fit for spread-option or run-oriented Group-of-Five offenses that prioritize efficiency and quarterback movement.

He could appeal to programs seeking an experienced starter while also offering value as depth at the Power-Five level, with his Texas roots strengthening his regional appeal.

Some notable programs that have reportedly shown interest in adding a quarterback through the transfer portal include Florida State, Clemson, North Texas, TCU, Virginia Tech, and Cincinnati.

NIL

$2.4 million QB connected to major college football program in transfer portal

Published

4 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Cincinnati closed the 2025 season at 7–5 (5–4 Big 12) and will face Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, marking the Bearcats’ first bowl appearance since joining the Big 12 and since head coach Scott Satterfield took over in 2023.

Cincinnati rattled off seven straight wins midseason but dropped its final four games to close the regular slate before receiving the bowl invitation.

Quarterback Brendan Sorsby started 12 games for Cincinnati in 2025 and finished with 2,800 passing yards, 27 passing TDs, and five interceptions (61.6% completion, 155.15 passer rating), adding 100 carries for 580 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

A Denton/Lake Dallas (Texas) product, Sorsby was a three-star recruit who signed with Indiana (redshirted 2022, started in 2023) before transferring to Cincinnati in 2024.

However, Sorsby notified Cincinnati and publicly confirmed on December 15 that he will test the transfer portal while awaiting an NFL draft grade.

Since then, multiple programs have reportedly shown interest, with some NIL offers rumored to approach $5 million, a figure that would rank among the highest in college football.

On3’s NIL tracker currently values Sorsby at approximately $2.4 million, placing him among the higher-valued quarterbacks in the college game.

On Friday, Fox Sports’ Laken Litman included Oregon among the programs expected to pursue a quarterback through the transfer portal and identified Sorsby as a “top quarterback from the portal,” along with Texas Tech, Indiana, and Oklahoma.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up before the game against the James Madison Dukes | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon’s starter, Dante Moore, is widely regarded as a likely high NFL Draft selection and has not publicly committed to returning, stating that he has yet to make a final decision.

With a young and largely unproven group of quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart, speculation has been that Dan Lanning and his staff could pursue a transfer portal quarterback should Moore declare.

If Moore declares for the draft, Oregon would likely seek an experienced, pro-ready signal-caller capable of operating a tempo-based offense while sustaining recruiting and NIL momentum.

Sorsby’s size (6’3″, 235 pounds), proven starter experience, marketplace value, and dual-threat rushing ability, a trait Oregon has used successfully, would make him an immediate candidate.

NIL

Damon Wilson seeks denial for arbitration in NIL dispute with Georgia

Published

5 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 28, 2025, 1:33 p.m. ET

Former Georgia football defensive end Damon Wilson is asking an Athens-Clarke County Superior Court judge to deny Georgia athletics’ attempt to go to arbitration on what it contends is Wilson breaking an NIL contract when he entered the transfer portal.

Georgia sued Wilson, seeking $390,000 in liquidated damages after he agreed to an NIL deal with Classic City Collective and transferred weeks later. He played this season at Missouri where he was second-team All-SEC.

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