Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Jeremiah Smith and Top NIL Valuations amid CFB Media Days

Media days for the 2026-27 college football season are already underway, having kicked off with the Big 12 on July 7. As some of the sport's top stars provide their thoughts about the coming season, it's a good time to remember that many of them are being very well compensated to be the faces of their respective programs.

Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, for example, is expected to receive $6.5 million in NIL funds following his transfer from Duke, according to On3's NIL valuations. Arch Manning, meanwhile, opted to return to Texas instead of entering the NFL, likely in part, because he'll earn an impressive salary.

Mensah and Manning are far from the only college football standouts who will earn more than most NFL rookies in the coming year, too. Here, we'll dive into some of the top valuations and what the NCAA's top football earners are expected to provide in 2026.

Top CFB NIL Valuations

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Darian Mensah

1. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami: $6.5 million

2. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon: $5 million

3. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State: $5 million

4. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Mississippi: $5 million

5. Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU: $4.5 million

6. Demond Williams Jr., QB, Washington: $4 million

7. Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU: $4 million

8. Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana: $4 million

9. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State: $3.5 million

10. Mason Heintschel, QB, Pitt: $3 million

*On3 valuations based on confirmed contracts and updated on July 11.

Jeremiah Smith, Jordan Seaton are NIL Outliers

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Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State

Program supporters will pay handsomely to bring in quality quarterbacks because a great signal-caller can help turn a strong team into a legitimate contender. We saw this play out last season when Indiana added Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza and then went on to win it all.

2025-26 runner-up Miami is now paying to bring in Mensah, while Mississippi is paying to keep Trinidad Chambliss, and Indiana is paying to bring Josh Hoover over from TCU.

Eight of the top 10 college football earners this coming season will be signal-callers, and it shouldn't come as a surprise if each of their respective schools earns a berth in this year's College Football Playoff.

Of course, there are outliers. Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and LSU offensive lineman Jordan Seaton are also projected to fall inside the top 10. Seaton is a talented NFL prospect who is making the jump from Colorado to the Tigers and who should play a massive role for Lane Kiffin's program.

Smith, meanwhile, is one of the top players in the country and is widely expected to be the first non-quarterback off the board in next year's NFL draft.

Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski recently mocked Smith second overall to the Miami Dolphins.

"The reason behind the decision is simple: Jeremiah Smith enters the 2027 cycle as the class' best overall prospect, and he can legitimately stake a claim as a 'generational talent' among wide receivers drafted over the last 20 years," Sobleski wrote.

Seaton landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 16 in Sobleski's mock.

The reality is that while quarterbacks remain the faces of programs, teams, boosters, and advertisers are likely to value high-end NFL potential, regardless of position.

Arch Manning Shows that Tracking Valuation is Still Tricky

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Arch Manning

There's a good chance that Manning would have been the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft if he had decided to declare, even over Mendoza, the reigning Heisman winner and national champion. There's an even better chance that Manning didn't return to college for financial reasons alone.

Having only been a full-time starter for one season, Manning can do more to prepare himself for the NFL. He's expected to be the top pick in next year's draft, even if he isn't hands-down the best quarterback.

Sobleski moved Manning to the New York Jets at No. 1 overall:

"Arch Manning won't enter the 2026 campaign as the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's QB1. He's still slotted here for two reasons. First, he can claim top status through continued development. Second, the New York Jets can't overlook the marketability factor."

Manning is unquestionably the most famous player in college football right now, even if his NIL valuation doesn't reflect his high profile. On3 lists him as its 18th-ranked player with a valuation of $2.5 million. Of course, this valuation is only based on confirmed contracts.

And this is where it needs to be pointed out that nailing down contracts and keeping track of true NIL earnings is extremely difficult. Just a few months ago, Nick Schultz of On3 reported Manning's valuation to be at $5.4 million following a reported deal with Google Gemini.

The reality of the new college football landscape is that many of the biggest stars are probably earning even more than what is publicly reported. For future NFL starters like Manning and Dante Moore, this can make staying for an extra season worthwhile. For a fringe NFL starter like Chambliss—who went to court to gain another year of college eligibility—it can make returning to college the most logical move.