College football 2026: How much does each position cost?
There has never been a better time to be a college football player competing at the highest level. Just ask their agents.
Last year, we dug into how much Power 4 starters are earning at every position. To find out just how much their value has increased 12 months later, we surveyed more than a dozen general managers and front office staffers as well as a dozen agents last week at the annual Personnel and Recruiting Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee.
We asked the folks tasked with negotiating their contracts to help define the new price ranges for each position, based on the deals they've struck for 2026 and what each side now considers fair value. And they had a lot to say.
If every Power 4 program was carefully abiding by the new revenue sharing cap and spending the same amount, the price points for the deals would be easier to identify. But that's not the case. The sport's most competitive programs had the funds to go far beyond $20 million for their rosters this offseason. Agents say SEC and Big Ten programs continue to outspend the Big 12 and ACC. As one agent put it, the gap between good and elite feels greater than ever. This year's price ranges for deals reflect that, too.
These ranges do not capture what every player is making at the Power 4 level. There are plenty of elite outliers at College Football Playoff contenders with seven-figure deals this season. There are plenty more competing for a starting job in preseason camp while making $200,000 or less. GMs still believe they're getting a discount when they re-sign starters, so these price ranges tend to reflect the contractual cost of talent acquisition more than retention.
The elimination of the spring transfer portal, a period when teams tended to overpay out of desperation, resulted in fewer FBS scholarship players transferring this offseason. But it also created a new level of urgency for roster construction in December and the frantic two-week portal window in January.
"Now that there's not two windows, teams can't miss," another agent said. "People ask me all the time why the market's so high. The market's so high because you've got one shot at this. When the portal's over, that's your team."
College GMs are debating positional roster value every day while navigating a marketplace with no transparency and lots of skepticism about the numbers that get reported. Their head coaches are increasingly concerned about where this is all heading.
"I can tell you right now, with NIL rising 20%, 30%, 40% a year, it's not sustainable if we stay on the path we're on right now," Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said.
As GMs and agents gather more data and experience with every deal, both sides agree business is booming like never before. But they're still seeing too much misinformation on social media about who's making what.
"You hear and read so much about everyone having $40 million rosters and every tackle is making $2 million, every corner is making $1.1 million and every edge rusher is making $1.5 million," an ACC GM said. "That's not reality."
Here's what they believe college football players are now earning to start and compete at the Power 4 level entering Year 2 of the revenue sharing era.
Quarterbacks
Typical range: $1 million-$3 million
Then, you still have the truly elite tier. Oregon's Dante Moore could've been the No. 2 pick in the draft and signed a $54 million contract but preferred to stay in school. GMs believe Moore, Arch Manning (Texas),
Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and the best of the best are getting revenue share guarantees but still earning just as much outside money in brand deals thanks to their NIL value.
"If you're in the ACC and Big 12, you're probably $1 million to $2 million," an SEC GM said. "If you're Big Ten and SEC, you're probably $2 million to $3 million and then plus, plus, plus for the elite."
Running backs
Typical range: $300,000-$800,000
Wide receivers
Typical range: $400,000-$1 million
Jeremiah Smith has said he was offered $10 million to transfer from Ohio State at the end of last season. General managers surveyed by ESPN said they could easily see Smith earning $5 million to $6 million this year, plus millions more in NIL endorsements.
"Jeremiah Smith, Cam Coleman and Malachi Toney are the outliers," one agent said. "Whatever the f--- they want, you pay 'em."
Tight ends
Typical range: $300,000-$600,000
Offensive tackles
Typical range: $600,000-$1.2 million
Guards/centers
Typical range: $400,000-$800,000
Edge rushers
Typical range: $500,000-$1.2 million
Defensive tackles
Typical range: $500,000-$1 million
Linebackers
Typical range: $300,000-$700,000
Cornerbacks
Typical range: $400,000-$900,000
Safeties
Typical range: $300,000-$900,000
One contributing factor to the top of the safety market this offseason:
Ohio State, Ole Miss and Georgia all needed to sign multiple starters via the portal. Add in two more coveted playmakers in LSU's Ty Benefield and Oregon's Koi Perich and you end up with lots of competitive recruitments.
Kickers
Typical range: $50,000-$200,000
Punters
Typical range: $50,000-$150,000
Long-snappers
Typical range: $10,000-$50,000
