How Much Will Your Starting Line-Up in Division I Football Cost You Next Season?

STILLWATER – All of college athletics and especially college football are waiting to see what will happen in October when federal judge Claudia Wilken announces her preliminary decision on whether to approve the conditions to the settlement of the House vs. NCAA class-action lawsuit in the Northern District of California. 

Part of the settlement, the part that rewards the current and future student-athletes from being squeezed out of the monetary earnings of big-time college athletics is the revenue sharing of initially $22-million with athletes. Since football makes the major part of that revenue, likely 90 percent then it will be football that will get the largest chunk. Reports are that Alabama and head coach Kalen DeBoer and general manager Courtney Morgan have requested and will receive 75 percent of the revenue sharing total. 

Pokes Report

Ollie Gordon Jr. is making excellent money.

At Oklahoma State, head football coach Mike Gundy and football director of finance Kenyatta Wright have requested and had approved the same amount, appoximately $16.5-million.

This season with money not going directly from the school to the players, with NIL collectives like Pokes with a Purpose at Oklahoma State, doing the transactions running back Ollie Gordon Jr. is receiving an NIL package of approximately $1-million. Linebacker Nick Martin is seeing close to a half-million in money for NIL. 

So, what can we expect in the future?

The New York Times using Opendorse Data had these projections for what players in the starting line-up of a Division I Power-Four football program could be making. We did the corresponding numbers to see what a starting line-up would cost.

Knowing football you know that you have to pay a back-up quarterback close to the starter’s number. You need two running backs, four wide receivers, and we went with just straight starters including tight end on the offensive line. 

Defensively, five defensive linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs. 

The grand total for a starting line-up: $13,780,000. 

That would leave you approximately $2.72-million for specialists and all back-ups. With the roster limit projected at 105, that comes out to an average of $34,871.80. You know that won’t be done by averages but it is still a decent amount for a college student that is getting tuition, books and fees, room and board, and more.