What Drew Mestemaker’s NIL Payday Means for Oklahoma State Football

While NIL numbers can be murky, a recent article came close to putting a number on what Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker might be making.

Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It's the way of the world in college football these days. Players get paid. But some players get paid more than others.

Recently, ESPN wrote an expansive piece in which it did research to determine the pay ranges for different positions in college football. Per the House settlement, schools are now allowed to share up to a certain amount of revenue with student-athletes. This season the number is more than $21 million.

New legislation in the U.S. Senate would allow schools to also allow schools to aside additional money to retain student-athletes from year to year.

Student-athletes can make money several ways — through the revenue-share and/or through leveraging their name image and likeness, or NIL, to sign sponsorship or endorsement deals.

In the ESPN article, Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker’s name came up. The article came the closest to putting a number on what he might be making in 2026.

Drew Mestemaker’s NIL Payday

Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker,. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

ESPN reported that the typical pay range for a power four quarterback is $1-3 million. It also reported that some players are believed to be making much more, including Miami’s Darian Mensah ($8 million) and LSU’s Sam Leavitt ($4-5 million).

This is the passage that was relevant to Mestemaker, who transferred to Oklahoma State from North Texas after last season:

“…LSU's Sam Leavitt pushed the top of the market into the $4 million to $5 million range, with Josh Hoover (Indiana) and Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) not far behind them as coveted passers in the portal.”

That's a pricey sum for a player who didn't play varsity football in high school. Mestemaker is an extreme example of a player coming out of nowhere to becoming one of college football's trendiest new stars.

The former North Texas walk-on was exceptional with the Mean Green last season as he threw for 4,379 yards and tossed 32 touchdown passes as he led North Texas to a 12-2 season while his boss, Eric Morris, got the job at Oklahoma State. He followed shortly after.

College athletes are not required to disclose what they make. But the reported pay range is important for a couple of reasons. First, it meant Oklahoma State was willing to pay above the high end of the average to secure a quarterback Morris knew could execute his offense perfectly. It also bodes well for other transfers and what they secured.

Second, it's a turning of the page from the Mike Gundy era. The former head coach was beloved in Stillwater as a player and coach, but he was slow to embrace both the NIL and transfer portal eras. That slow embrace helped lead him out of the job. Morris, who is 40 years old, represents a new generation of head coaches who are choosing to embrace the new system and leverage it to secure the best talent they can.

If nothing else, ESPN's reporting shows that the Cowboys are willing to pay for top talent and if Mestemaker does head to the NFL after this season, it should allow Morris and his staff to pursue to pursue high end transfer quarterbacks next offseason.