Top 5 Highest NIL Earners in College Football Transfer Portal

The highest earning college football players coming out of the NIL transfer portal.

Nov 28, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws against the Memphis Tigers during the first quarter at Yulman Stadium. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

College Football is a completely different sport than it was a few years ago and the transfer portal is one of the biggest reasons.

The new world of NIL has taken over the sport, creating what is essentially a free agency period right now. The amount of money changing hands is constantly topping itself to create new highest paid players.

Most of the top college stars are indeed sticking with their original teams, but a lot are also picking up big money to go to bigger schools.

Here are the earning transfers in college football right now, per the On3 valuation:

1. QB Darian Mensah, Duke Blue Devils

Mensah took the college football storm after coming out of nowhere to win the starting job for the Tulane Green Wave last season.

He completed 65.9% of his passes this year for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns to six interceptions. His historic NIL deal will be followed closely, building up huge expectations for the Blue Devils next year.

Value: $4.3 million

2. QB John Mateer, Oklahoma Sooners

Mateer was a similar story. Though he did not get a record deal from the Sooners, it is still a hefty one.

He carried the Washington State Cougars last year, starring both as a passer and on the ground. The redshirt sophomore accounted for 44 touchdowns in 2024.

Value: $2.7 million

3. QB Jackson Arnold, Auburn Tigers

Arnold's NIL deal from the Tigers has been heavily criticized, given that he was barely holding on to the job at Oklahoma last year. The Sooners did replace him, after all.

He was a top high school recruit and still has plenty of potential to unlock, but his college career has had a rocky start.

Value: $1.9 million

4. OT Xavier Chaplin, Auburn Tigers

Chaplin is the highest valued non-quarterback transfer this offseason after starring for the Virginia Tech Hokies for the past few years.

He was a three-star recruit out of high school and rose to a four-star transfer and the third-ranked offensive tackle.

Value: $1.7 million

5. QB Beau Pribula, Missouri Tigers

Pribula's transfer, as with Arnold's, has been met with some controversy. Him transferring during the Penn State Nittany Lion's College Football Playoff run has sparked a lot of criticism.

It is hard to blame him though, as he got a massive payday despite barely playing over his first few seasons. He has shown some athleticism in a spot role in the Nittany Lions, but has some large shoes to fill with the Tigers losing Brady Cook.

Value: $1.5 million