2026 Season
Published April 28, 2026
Updated July 14, 2026
We added up every player's estimated NIL valuation on every FBS roster — every starter and every backup we value, plus each program's committed 2026 signees — to rank programs by total roster value, the same figure that leads our team pages. The results aren't where you'd think.
The SEC and the Big Ten split four of the five — Texas and LSU, Oregon and Ohio State — and Miami puts the ACC in the group; the Big 12 misses out. Quarterbacks still dominate: three of the five are anchored by an identical $6M starter — Moore, Mensah, and Leavitt — with Arch Manning's $6.80M above them all. The exception is Ohio State, where wide receiver Jeremiah Smith's $5M is the anchor. Talent and money are more distributed in 2026 than the conference-realignment narrative would suggest.
Below: the rankings, the top player anchoring each roster, and what each team's number actually reflects.
| # | Team | Total Roster Value | Top Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  TexasSEC The most valuable roster in the country at $48.67M — and the deepest, at 91 valued players. Arch Manning's $6.80M is the largest quarterback valuation in the group, but no single deal dominates: it accounts for just 14.0% of the total. | $48.67M 91 valued players | Arch Manning QB $6.80M 14.0% of total |
| 2 |  OregonBig Ten Dan Lanning's roster holds No. 2 at $41.39M. Dante Moore re-anchors at $5M, and at 12.1% of the total his is the smallest top-player share in the group — the flattest build of the five. | $41.39M 83 valued players | Dante Moore QB $5.00M 12.1% of total |
| 3 |  LSUSEC LSU climbs to No. 3 at $39.82M, moving ahead of Miami. Sam Leavitt's reported $6M anchors the roster, and behind him is the largest offensive line valuation in the country — left tackle Jordan Seaton at $4M, 10.0% of the total on his own. | $39.82M 83 valued players | Sam Leavitt QB $6.00M 15.1% of total |
| 4 |  MiamiACC Mario Cristobal's $37.89M reload slips to No. 4 as LSU moves past it, but the ACC keeps its only seat in the top five. Darian Mensah leads at $6.50M — 17.2% of the roster, the most top-heavy build in the group — and the next-largest number belongs to a true freshman, left tackle Jackson Cantwell at $2.50M. | $37.89M 83 valued players | Darian Mensah QB $6.50M 17.2% of total |
| 5 |  Ohio StateBig Ten Ohio State rounds out the five at $37.55M — the only roster here not anchored by a quarterback. Jeremiah Smith's $5M is the largest wide receiver valuation in the country, and at 13.3% of the total his is the second-flattest share in the group, behind only Oregon's. | $37.55M 80 valued players | Jeremiah Smith WR $5.00M 13.3% of total |
Total roster value sums every valuation across a program's active roster and its committed 2026 signing class — the same convention as the headline figure on our team pages. It is an estimate of NIL value across the program, not reported contract totals.
Four of the five top players in this list are quarterbacks. Our valuation model assigns the highest position-baseline value to QBs, reflecting the position's outsized impact on team outcomes. The exception is Ohio State, anchored by wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at $5M.
Most valuations are modeled estimates. Where reported figures are publicly available, those are used instead — including Sam Leavitt's $6M LSU portal deal.
Roster values reflect a July 2026 snapshot. Rankings may shift meaningfully after summer transfer movement and roster finalizations.