Do College Football Players Get Paid?

One of the most popular, intriguing, and downright confusing topics of modern sports centers around one simple question: Are college athletes paid?

Historically, the answer has been an unequivocal no. Since the NCAA was founded in the early 20th century, college sports – including football – have largely operated on strict amateurism rules, meaning athletes are essentially forgoing their ability to make money and playing strictly for the love of the game. Their only compensation was scholarship money.

But as TV packages exploded into the range of tens of millions of dollars, it became more difficult for fans, players, and stakeholders everywhere to continue to pretend that this was all still a model centered around pure amateurism. 

The tension between 20th century idealism and 21st century reality eventually gave way to the current model.

Are College Football Players Paid?

Yes, many Division I college football players receive money to play for their school teams.

In the summer of 2021, NIL rules went into effect, allowing any NCAA athlete – including college football players – to profit off their name, image, or likeness. 

That meant if USC quarterback Caleb Williams or LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne wanted to sign a sponsorship deal with a company, they could do so. It could be as small as a local car dealership or as big as a national athleisure clothing brand. 

While the NIL rules didn’t allow for players to directly collect money from their schools, most major college football programs created explicit, complex NIL campaigns with the direct goal of paying players to play at the school. In many cases, major contributors, like quarterbacks, were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars.

House vs. NCAA Settlement

In spring 2024, the NCAA settled a series of lawsuits that definitively ended the amateurism model.

The details are still being worked out, but the general rule is this: Going forward, schools will be able to share revenue with their athletes. 

The student-athletes will collectively be entitled to up to $20 million per school, per year.