Grading college football’s biggest NIL splurges halfway through the season

What better time than the halfway point of the college football season to start rendering some judgments? We do it with teams, of course, but we can also do it with star players — especially in the age of Name, Image and Likeness, when said players come with a hefty price tag.

Back in August, we broke down the 50 most expensive players in the country, per the On3 NIL Valuation database. Now that most every team has six games under its belt, let's check back in and see who's getting their money's worth — and who might be asking for their money back.

For this list, we'll be focusing on the top 21 players in On3's database, all of whom are making at least $2.5 million.

How have they all fared so far this season? Let's dive in.

21. OT Jackson Cantwell, Miami ($2.5 million): C

This is admittedly a bit harsh for a true freshman; Miami handed him a bag for the long haul, not just 2026. That said, he's yet to really crack the starting lineup despite the Canes still searching for answers, especially on the interior. That's not exactly the prince who was promised as an all-world five-star coming out of high school last year. Far from panicking, but the money is the money.

20. QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State ($2.5 million): B

I'm aware that some of my brothers in the lunatic fringe might think this grade is far too high. But while Sayin is a clear cut below, say, CJ Stroud, he also catches a bit too much grief by virtue of being the quarterback at Ohio State. No, he's not the most physically gifted passer, and yes, he can be a bit too late in his decision-making, but he's still a very polished QB that most power-conference programs would kill to have.

19. QB Arch Manning, Texas ($2.5 million): C-

On the one hand, I take Steve Sarkisian's point; if Manning were somehow removed from the hype surrounding his last name, we might see him very differently. That said, the expectations are part of the package here, and while he's not the only reason why Texas' offense has underachieved so far this season, he's also still making the same mistakes we saw last season. Granted, no one's exactly banging down his door for the title of QB1 in next year's draft, but he's too talented to be dropping his eyes and putting the ball in harm's way like this.

18. EDGE Colin Simmons, Texas ($2.5 million): A+

I mean, what else can you say? Some of his eye-popping 9.5 sacks so far this year had more to do with Tennessee's Faizon Brandon holding the ball for an hour or longer, but it's impossible to watch more than five minutes of any Texas game without seeing Simmons do something jaw-dropping. He's downright unblockable at times, and will almost certainly be going in the top 10 — if not the top five — next spring.

17. QB Mason Heintschel, Pittsburgh ($3 million): Incomplete

Heintschel's sophomore year had been a bit of a mixed bag: He shredded G6 opponents but came crashing back down to Earth against power-conference defenses. It would've been fascinating to see where things would have gone as we got into ACC play ... only for him to tear his ACL in the win over Virginia Tech two weeks ago. Here's hoping for a full recovery, because Pitt should still feel awfully good about what they have in their young passer.

16. QB Jaron-Keawe Sagopolutele, Cal ($3 million): C

This was supposed to be the year JKS arrived in full, after he showed tantalizing potential amid frustrating inconsistency as a true freshman. Instead, Cal's offense has been a disaster, and his numbers have stagnated. I'm more than willing to trust the talent here and chalk the Bears' dysfunction up to Tosh Lupoi's baffling coordinator hire and a general lack of talent. There's a good chance he winds up taking the bag to head elsewhere in the portal and truly takes off in 2027.

15. QB Kevin Jennings, SMU ($3 million): B-

Well, the Heisman campaign was fun while it lasted. Jennings is by no means a bad quarterback; on the contrary, all but 20-25 teams in the country would love to have him. But he's been around a long time now, and he's still making the same baffling mistakes we saw from him two years ago. That's a tough pill to swallow for a Mustangs team that was hoping to take a real leap this year.

14. WR Cam Coleman, Texas ($3 million): C-

The thought was that Auburn was the thing holding Coleman back, that his prodigious physical gifts would take off in a healthier offensive environment. Instead, he's looked ... more or less like the same guy. There are explosive plays in which he looks like a future NFL star, but there are also plenty of reps in which he hangs Manning out to dry with inconsistent route running and effort.

13. QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M ($3 million): F

Really, even an F feels like it doesn't adequately capture how badly Reed and the Aggies offense as a whole have unraveled this year. Replacing Collin Klein with an internal hire with no experience as a play-caller at this level certainly didn't help. Still, it's pretty clear that Klein was the one propping Reed up as a passer; he simply does not have the arm talent nor the vision nor the awareness to function from the pocket in the SEC.

12. QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame ($3 million): A

Granted, Carr and the Irish have hardly been tested so far this season. But he's looked more or less as advertised, a polished and poised decision-maker who can beat you with his arm or his legs. This grade has a chance to go south in a hurry depending on how this week's trip to BYU goes, though.

11. QB Byrum Brown, Auburn ($3 million): D

I'm not sure that Alex Golesh had a better option entering year one at Auburn. That said, it's become abundantly clear already that Brown simply doesn't have the goods as a passer in the SEC, and his dual-threat ability isn't the game-changer that it was at South Florida. He's being paid like one of the best QBs in the country, but it feels like he's reached his ceiling.

10. QB Bryce Underwood, Michigan ($3 million): F

Our second F! Maybe this is a bit harsh, given that Underwood is in his second offensive coordinator in as many years and flashed real promise at times this season (mainly the win over Iowa). That said ... when it goes wrong for the sophomore, it goes really wrong. His athleticism has been as-advertised, but he's prone to falling apart as a passer from the pocket, abandoning the play at the first hint of trouble. He still has a lot of football ahead of him, but it's getting late early for the former No. 1 overall recruit. And if he hasn't shown it by now, it's fair to wonder whether he ever will.

9. QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State ($3.5 million): A

Is it time to start talking about whether Mestemaker will go No. 1 overall next spring? While Manning and the rest of this ballyhooed class struggle for a variety of reasons, the Cowboys gunslinger just keeps on putting up gaudy stat lines, rebounding from the season-opening flop against Tulsa with several sensational performances in a row. Oklahoma State still has a lot to prove, starting with a trip to Houston, but this has been as good a year one under Eric Morris as anyone could've expected.

8. QB Josh Hoover ($4 million), Indiana: B

It's clear that Hoover isn't quite at the level of Fernando Mendoza. But he's still yet to throw a single interception after being something of a turnover machine at TCU, and he's made plays when the Hoosiers have needed them. Hoover's floor is pretty sturdy; we'll find out about his ceiling soon enough, with home dates against Ohio State and USC sandwiching a trip to Michigan.

7. OT Jordan Seaton ($4 million), LSU: B+

Seaton has been more or less what Tigers fans hoped for when Lane Kiffin lured him away from Colorado in the transfer portal. He's the total package physically, and arguably the best pass protector in the country. Run blocking remains a work in progress, which helps explain why LSU's ground game has been a bit slow to get off the ground this year. He's hardly the reason why this team is 4-2 right now, though.

6. QB Demond Williams ($4 million), Washington: D-

All that drama surrounding Williams' flirtation with LSU over the winter, all that effort to bring him back ... for this? Everything about Washington's offense is broken right now, from an underperforming offensive line to a skill group decimated by injuries, so it's hardly fair to focus just on Williams. That said, he's hardly helping matters, and he's yet to take the step forward the Huskies were hoping for given his dual-threat ceiling.

5. QB Sam Leavitt, LSU ($4.5 million): C+

Against a certain caliber of opponent, Leavitt's great, a dynamic playmaker who can devastate you with his legs. But against the best teams on LSU's schedule, ones with defenses who can keep him in the pocket, his limitations have been all too apparent. That was charming at Arizona State; making this much money with national-title expectations, though, it's a problem.

4. QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss ($5 million): A

It's hard to ask for much more of Chambliss, who is just about the only thing keeping the Rebels alive as SEC and College Football Playoff contenders. The defense is a disappointment; Kewan Lacy has been banged up for most of the year. And yet, Ole Miss has reached 4-1 anyway, pretty much entirely because of their do-it-all QB. Money well spent.

3. WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State ($5 million): A+

Speaking of money well spent: Is there any limit to what the Buckeyes would have paid to keep Smith in Columbus for one final year? He's the best player in the country, and the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy at season's end. The only question is whether he's unguardable enough to lift a flawed Ohio State team to another national title run — and finally capture a Big Ten crown.

2. QB Dante Moore, Oregon ($5 million): B ... for now

It's hard to put a grade on Moore, given the scary injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago at USC. Prior to getting hurt, he was largely the same guy we saw last year — one of the best QBs in the country, but one who nonetheless has some kinks to iron out in his game. Given the disaster that Dylan Raiola put up in the UCLA loss, here's hoping Moore can come back sooner rather than later.

1. QB Darian Mensah, Miami ($6.5 million): A-

Quality of competition caveats definitely apply here, as Mensah and the Canes have more or less cruised through the first half of their season. That said, it's been hard to ask for much more of one of the most accurate passers in the country. How much upside Mensah possesses we'll find out in a few weeks, when he leads Miami to South Bend to take on Notre Dame.

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