Highest NIL Deals in 2026: Top 10 Athlete Values

Darian Mensah has the highest current college-athlete NIL valuation, at $6.5 million in On3’s ranking updated 17 August 2026. Basketball players Milan Momcilovic and Flory Bidunga are tied next at $6 million.

That answer needs a warning label. A valuation is not an athlete’s tax return, bank balance or necessarily one signed endorsement contract. It is a market figure built from deal information. We use “highest NIL deals” because that is what people search, but label the numbers accurately throughout.

Highest NIL valuations in 2026

Rank	Athlete	2026 school	Sport / position	NIL valuation
1	Darian Mensah	Miami	Football, QB	$6.5m
T-2	Milan Momcilovic	Kentucky	Basketball, PF	$6.0m
T-2	Flory Bidunga	Louisville	Basketball, C	$6.0m
T-4	Dante Moore	Oregon	Football, QB	$5.0m
T-4	Jeremiah Smith	Ohio State	Football, WR	$5.0m
T-4	Tyran Stokes	Kansas	Basketball, SF	$5.0m
T-4	Thomas Haugh	Florida	Basketball, PF	$5.0m
T-4	Tounde Yessoufou	St. John’s	Basketball, SF	$5.0m
T-4	Massamba Diop	Gonzaga	Basketball, C	$5.0m
T-4	Trinidad Chambliss	Ole Miss	Football, QB	$5.0m

The affiliations reflect the 2026-27 roster information in current reporting and can change through transfers, eligibility rulings or professional decisions. The valuation snapshot is dated 18 August 2026.

1. Darian Mensah — $6.5 million

Mensah occupies the top spot at $6.5 million. A quarterback’s value combines scarce on-field importance with repeated television exposure and a large fan market.

His rise also demonstrates how quickly NIL tables turn over. Arch Manning dominated older lists, while Mensah leads the current deal-based ranking after the latest transfer and compensation cycle.

The $6.5 million figure should not be described as one endorsement check unless a contract is disclosed. It can reflect several commercial arrangements and compensation signals captured by the valuation method.

2. Milan Momcilovic — $6 million

Momcilovic is tied for second at $6 million. His place near the top shows that the NIL market is no longer just a quarterback list.

High-level college basketball offers a different kind of visibility: national broadcasts, a concentrated tournament spotlight and an individual player carrying a larger share of a five-person lineup.

As with every entry, the number represents current valuation rather than a guarantee that $6 million has already cleared into the athlete’s account.

2. Flory Bidunga — $6 million

Bidunga shares the $6 million tier. A productive, recognizable big man can command both roster-market value and brand interest, particularly when multiple programs compete for a scarce position.

Transfer-related packages can include different economic pieces. Third-party promotional work, collective arrangements and a school’s revenue-sharing allocation may be discussed together in public even though they are not legally identical.

That is why this page ranks the published valuation but does not invent a breakdown that has not been disclosed.

The seven athletes valued at $5 million

Dante Moore, Jeremiah Smith, Tyran Stokes, Thomas Haugh, Tounde Yessoufou, Massamba Diop and Trinidad Chambliss form a seven-way tie at $5 million.

The group crosses two sports and several positions:

• Moore and Chambliss receive the quarterback premium: their decisions affect nearly every offensive play.
• Smith is the only wide receiver in the top 10 and brings unusual star recognition for a non-quarterback.
• Stokes and Yessoufou pair high basketball ceilings with national recruiting profiles.
• Haugh offers proven major-conference production and roster value.
• Diop brings size and scarcity at center.

We preserve the tie. Social following, brand count or recruiting rank might distinguish the athletes in another analysis, but none changes a $5 million valuation into sixth versus tenth place.

NIL valuation versus an actual NIL contract

Four numbers are commonly mixed together:

• NIL valuation: a modeled or deal-based estimate attached to an athlete.
• Announced deal value: financial terms publicly attributed to a particular agreement.
• Cash received: money actually paid during a defined period.
• School revenue share: direct compensation under the post-House settlement structure.

From 1 July 2026, On3 moved its NIL valuation toward a deal-based methodology rather than its older brand-market projection. That change makes the table more closely connected to compensation information, but it still does not turn private contracts into audited public records.

A careful article can rank valuations. It cannot honestly claim exact earnings to the dollar without contracts, payment records or athlete confirmation.

NIL deals versus school revenue sharing

The House settlement changed college-sports economics by allowing participating schools to share revenue directly with athletes. Third-party NIL, meanwhile, involves compensation for commercial use of an athlete’s name, image or likeness.

The same athlete may receive both. A school allocation can influence the overall package that keeps or recruits a player, while a brand deal requires genuine promotional activity at a market rate.

Calling every dollar “NIL” hides that distinction. For comparisons, readers should ask:

1. Who is paying—the school, a collective or an independent brand?
2. What service or right does the athlete provide?
3. Is the figure annual, multiyear or only an estimate?
4. Has the agreement passed applicable review?

How NIL Go reviews deals

The College Sports Commission operates NIL Go to examine reportable third-party agreements. Deals worth more than $600 can be reviewed for a valid business purpose and reasonable compensation.

Associated Press reported that, through 1 January 2026, the system had cleared 17,321 agreements worth $127.21 million and rejected 524 worth $14.94 million. Those aggregate totals show a large functioning market, but they do not publish a complete athlete-by-athlete ledger.

Approval does not mean a deal is famous, and a brand announcement without a dollar amount does not tell us where it belongs in a ranking.

Why football and men’s basketball dominate

Every athlete in the current top 10 plays football or men’s basketball. Those sports generate the largest broadcast audiences and donor attention, while their roster markets place exceptional value on quarterbacks, scorers and scarce big men.

That does not mean women athletes lack NIL power. Social reach, content skills and national consumer brands can make female athletes exceptionally effective endorsers. AP reported a 123% rise in female-athlete participation in Learfield NIL activity during the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The top valuation table measures one type of market. It is not a complete ranking of campaign performance, engagement or cultural influence.

What happened to Arch Manning?

Manning led many 2025 lists, often at a quoted $6.8 million valuation. Current tables place him far lower after changes in roster economics, reported compensation and the ranking method.

That does not prove his personal brand collapsed. It shows why an undated NIL article is unreliable. Transfer moves, new deals, eligibility, school allocations and methodology can reorder the list within months.

Old search results are especially confusing because they often preserve a headline while silently updating—or never updating—the table beneath it.

Biggest disclosed NIL deals are a different list

Some individual agreements have reported dollar values: AJ Dybantsa’s college package was widely reported in the multi-million-dollar range, while softball star NiJaree Canady received landmark seven-figure reporting. Other major partnerships announce brands and duration but keep compensation private.

Those examples cannot be combined into a definitive all-time contract table without consistent terms. One figure may include collective money, another may span several years, and another may be an athlete’s entire estimated portfolio.

For that reason, the main table uses one current methodology instead of mixing incompatible headlines.

How we ranked the highest NIL deals

We used On3’s ranking updated 17 August 2026, cross-checked its top values and current affiliations against a July 2026 published table, and used AP reporting plus a California Assembly financial-literacy brief for regulatory and disclosure context.

We did not present valuation as verified income. We preserved ties, dated the list and excluded professional endorsement contracts signed after an athlete left college.

For comparable compensation explainers, see the highest-paid WNBA players, the highest-paid NHL players and the SportsLook earnings hub.

The clean current answer is Darian Mensah at a $6.5 million NIL valuation—with valuation, rather than audited take-home pay, doing essential work in that sentence.