College football 2025: How much does each position cost?

The price tag for top college football talent has never been higher -- but how high is it, really?

Schools had more money to spend this offseason entering the first year of revenue sharing with athletes. Power 4 programs ponied up to re-sign their returning players and combined to acquire more than 1,400 transfers via the portal. Players increasingly turned to agents to negotiate massive raises and maximize their value.

And yet, we still know too little about what college football players are actually earning. Agents share exaggerated sums in the interest of signing more clients. General managers downplay the numbers to avoid locker room issues. In the NFL, salary and contract data are easy to access. In this sport, without transparency, it's an inefficient market with an incredibly wide spectrum of underpaid to overpaid players.

How much does a Power 4 starter cost at each position? To answer that question, ESPN surveyed more than 20 college general managers and agents. The goal was to better define the price ranges for each spot based on the deals completed for 2025 and what each side considers fair positional and market value.

To be clear, these price ranges do not reflect what everybody is making at the Power 4 level. There are million-dollar outliers with the elite players at most positions, and there are still good, young players earning less than $100,000. Talent retention is still more affordable than acquisition, so it's the transfers who tend to reset the floor and ceiling. Agents say SEC and Big Ten programs continue to consistently outspend the ACC and Big 12, regardless of the revenue share cap.

After an unprecedented offseason of inflated spending raised the bar at every position, here's what Power 4 players are now earning to start and compete at the highest level.

Jump to a position: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL Edge | DT | LB | DB

Quarterback: $1 million-$2 million

The going rate for good quarterback play quickly surpassed $1 million by the end of November as Power 4 programs re-negotiated deals with their starters to ensure they'd return for 2025 and stay out of the transfer portal. Coaches and GMs anticipated that if they didn't lock in a seven-figure deal with their QB1, signing a replacement in the portal would be even more expensive. They were right about that.

Several Power 4 schools paid $1.5 million for their transfer quarterbacks this offseason, sources told ESPN, and the highest-paid QBs in the sport will make well over $2 million this year. The top end of the market includes highly coveted transfers such as Miami's Carson Beck, Duke's Darian Mensah and Oklahoma's John Mateer, as well as rising former five-star recruits such as Michigan's Bryce Underwood and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola.

Keep in mind, though, that the elite young quarterbacks such as Texas' Arch Manning and Florida's DJ Lagway are still earning millions from major brand deals and don't have to dip into their school's revenue share or collective funds as much.

"The great ones are like $3 million," one SEC GM said. "And if you don't have one, it's at least $1 million." As one ACC director of player personnel (DPP) summed it up: "These dudes are getting paid paid."

The coaching staffs who didn't anticipate that or who suddenly needed a QB after theirs departed certainly experienced some sticker shock when the portal window opened in December.

"The numbers that were being thrown out there, I thought they were fake at first," another ACC DPP said. "I was like, for that guy, $1.5 million to $2 million? What? And then I quickly found out that was just the market, that's what was happening. So we had to step up to the plate and put our big-boy pants on and make a decision. It was certainly a real thing. Those are all real numbers, real money being paid out at that position."

But when you combine a high number of departing seniors and heavy attrition at the position with programs having more to spend than ever before, it's no wonder quarterback pay jumped to a seven-figure standard. Only 28 of the 68 programs in the Power 4 have a returning starter at QB entering Week 1.

Agents surveyed by ESPN agreed that Power 4 starters should be making between $1.5 and $2 million and that elite passers could be worth upward of $3 million to $4 million, though they noted there were a few instances this offseason where Power 4 programs managed to get their guy for closer to $800,000.

While Beck was able to leverage his NFL draft decision to maximize his value in the transfer portal, reps generally view the quarterback market as different from the rest. From their perspective, a QB is better off locking in the best situation and fit quickly during the portal window. Nico Iamaleava's post-spring exit from Tennessee also clearly demonstrated that the destinations and dollar figures on the table aren't the same in April as they would've been back in January.

Running back: $300,000-$700,000

Good quarterbacks cost what they cost. Running back value is a totally different discussion, one that has been raging in the NFL in recent years. At the college level, staff opinions vary depending on where they are, what they run and who they have. As for the agents?

"I think anything below $750,000 for a starting running back at a serious program would be disrespectful, basically," one agent argued.

Another agent pointed to Quinshon Judkins as proof that some teams will be willing to go up to seven figures for a top-tier No. 1 back. But Judkins' move from Ole Miss to Ohio State last year looks more like a rare exception to the rule than a deal that resets the market at the position.

The opinions from recruiting staffers, including those at programs that shopped for portal running backs this offseason, were all over the place. One SEC GM said they'd expect a good Power 4 starting back to cost a minimum of $250,000. A DPP in the Big 12 said his program wouldn't spend more than $300,000 on one. Others suspect the range is somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000. Most surveyed struggled with the idea of paying a back $500,000 or more unless he's special.

"Anything more than that, I think you're overvaluing the position, honestly," an ACC DPP said.

A few top transfers such as Oklahoma's Jaydn Ott and Texas Tech's Quinten Joyner (who just went down with a season-ending knee injury) were able to maximize their value thanks to highly competitive portal recruitments. But other prized backs agreed to deals for less than $500,000, and several more who could've earned top dollar preferred to stay put.

"A lot of guys didn't move," one agent said. "The running back market, it was kind of weird."

At Power 4 programs that had good supplies of returning rushers, the imminent revenue share cap forced some to make tough offseason decisions about who needed to get paid and who was expendable. The programs with major needs that had to sign two or more transfers were hunting for bargains this offseason.

Solid rotational backs aren't cheap, either, with most agreeing they're looking to be paid around $200,000. It's no surprise we saw close to 50 Group of 5 and FCS running backs transfer this offseason to P4 schools hoping to get more affordable production.

Wide receiver: $400,000-$800,000

Personnel staffers and agents were fairly aligned when it came to how they perceived the wide receiver market. A true No. 1 receiver costs $700,000 or more and could be worth up to $1 million in some cases. Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith is an extreme outlier, a generational talent worth so much more than $1 million.

"If you want a guy with any production, it started at $700,000 to $800,000," one SEC GM said.

The next tier of wideouts, quality No. 2 and No. 3 receivers and starters, were typically valued at closer to the $300,000 to $500,000 range depending on their experience and production.

Year after year, more FBS wide receivers and defensive backs transfer than any other position group. There's more than enough volume every offseason that programs can live out of the portal in recruiting and, therefore, don't feel like they need to overspend on skill players.

This offseason, more than 500 FBS scholarship wide receivers entered their names in the transfer portal. Fewer than 200 of them were able to land at Power 4 programs.

"Receiver in the portal is such a saturated market," one Big Ten GM argued. "Receivers are going to go in every year; that's just the nature of the position. We always felt like you didn't need to overpay. You can get an equal player who's going to take $200,000 less."

One ACC DPP acknowledged that he probably misjudged wide receiver value going into the December portal period after watching wideouts who made $150,000 to $175,000 last season earn so much more in the portal, including one who got away for more than $500,000.

Another Big Ten staffer said he believed starting wideouts who aren't No. 1 receivers should be in the $250,000 to $400,000 range. But he paused to point out that blue-chip receiver recruits are now seeking serious paydays as well.

"Some of these freshmen are coming in and making more than your No. 2 receiver," he said, "because the high school market is so inflated."

Tight end: $200,000-$400,000

Some Power 4 programs were willing to go as high as $800,000 for all-conference caliber tight ends in the portal this offseason, sources told ESPN, but most aren't spending anywhere close to that even on proven multi-year starters.

"I think $800,000 is insane," an SEC GM argued. "That's nuts."

Several staffers surveyed said they were able to secure their top portal target for around $300,000 to $400,000. Others still believe that's overvaluing the position and struggle to justify even going to $200,000. One agent said he was able to secure a $400,000 deal for a primarily blocking tight end whose previous school wouldn't go any higher than $140,000.

"Tight end is so unique," a Big 12 DPP said. "There's just not a ton of them, and it's very dependent on what they do. There are very few well-rounded tight ends out there."

There is one player out there whom several GMs pointed to as the ultimate rare exception: Mark Bowman. The No. 26 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300 from Mater Dei High School in California is committed to USC and is already evoking comparisons to Brock Bowers.

Bowman is expected to become one of the highest-paid tight ends in the country as a freshman next year with a seven-figure deal, sources told ESPN. Recruiting staffers see elite potential in the 6-foot-5, 225-pound pass catcher but were still blown away by his number, with one Big Ten staffer describing it as "astronomical."

Bowman's deal might not substantially raise the bar for his peers if coaches remain skeptical about spending on tight ends. But if he's as impactful as Bowers was for Georgia as a Day 1 starter and the Trojans become CFP contenders, perhaps he's worth every penny.

Offensive tackle: $500,000-$1 millionOffensive guard/center: $300,000-$700,000

Several GMs and DPPs acknowledged that the highest-paid position group on their roster for 2025 is their offensive line. If you had to reload with a bunch of new starters via the portal, the big men took up a big chunk of your roster budget.

Agents say recruiting battles for quality offensive tackles easily get up to $800,000 or $900,000 and can go all the way to $1.2 million or more for left tackles. GMs were more than willing to extend seven-figure offers for the best available tackles and quickly learned the starting point in conversations for starting tackles was no less than $500,000.

Nobody was more coveted than Nevada transfer Isaiah World, a projected first-round pick in ESPN's early mock drafts for 2026. Sources told ESPN that World turned down a more than $2 million offer to sign with Oregon. Tackles with that kind of early-round potential rarely hit the open market, and it's worth noting the highest bid might not always win out for pro prospects who are determined to maximize their potential and play for a title contender.

Interior offensive linemen were a little more affordable this offseason, and some staffers had success finding good bargains with guards and centers who had solid starting experience, but the highly competitive recruitments still crossed into the $600,000 to $700,000 range.

One fascinating element about offensive line recruiting in the transfer portal: Timing is everything. Teams that were able to lock up offensive linemen in early December likely got a good discount.

"No school that got the kid to sign early has ever overpaid," one representative said. "The numbers only go up. The biggest mistake schools make is they wait on a kid they could've had for $300,000 and end up getting him for $600,000 -- or they offer $600,000 and don't get him."

Once coveted targets start going off the board, desperation sets in for teams still dealing with serious needs. One agent said he's seen Group of 5 linemen who might've been making $30,000 last year get offered close to $1 million to move up to the Power 4 level.

Notre Dame's Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan waiting until after the national championship game to enter the portal made them highly coveted as proven veteran starters. In one far more extreme instance, sources say a Power 4 team shelled out $1.5 million for an inexperienced tackle late in the winter portal window.

"Folks were desperate," an ACC DPP said. "They thought the spring portal was going to be super dry."

They've had to step up the pay for more than just their starting five. Multiple staffers said top reserves along the offense line are now expecting to make at least $200,000. All these factors drive home the point that programs ideally need to have success developing and retaining high school linemen if they hope to keep costs somewhat under control in this new era.

"The offensive line room is going to be the most expensive one everywhere," one SEC GM reasoned, "because you have the most humans there and the acquisition cost is so high on every single one."

Edge rushers: $500,000-$1 million

Much like in the NFL, college front offices view left tackles and pass rushers as the next-most-valuable positions behind quarterback.

"If it's the right fit and a program that's got some money," an agent said, "they'll pay $1 million for an edge."

Texas Tech had an awful lot of money and was willing to make big-time spends here with Stanford's David Bailey becoming one of the highest-paid defenders in college football at more than $2 million and Georgia Tech's Romello Height earning more than $1 million this year, sources told ESPN.

For GMs and DPPs with portal needs, it quickly became clear that proven starters weren't going for less than $500,000. A few staffers did tell ESPN they don't have any edge defenders on their rosters making more than $500,000, and not everyone is willing to go as high as $1 million for a great one. But plenty were willing to cut big checks to get their guy.

One SEC GM said his school got turned down by an FCS transfer whom they'd offered $650,000. An agent said one of his defensive end clients had an ACC program come in late and triple his best offer to more than $700,000. Another GM said his program had to get up to $800,000 for the Group of 5 transfer they coveted.

"If you need a starter in the portal, good luck," the SEC GM said.

Defensive tackles: $300,000-$800,000

Texas Tech was a big spender here, too, in its quest to assemble one of the best defensive lines in college football and made serious investments to land their top two targets, UCF's Lee Hunter and Northern Illinois' Skyler Gill-Howard.

The Red Raiders had a strategy with their December portal battles that proved incredibly effective: If they could get the right players on campus for an official visit, they'd pay whatever it took to shut down the recruitment. As one Big Ten GM politely put it, the sums Texas Tech was willing to spend "fudged up the market" at a few positions. Still, talented linemen with starting experience are rarely going to come cheap.

"The big guys are demanding the big premiums," Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell told ESPN in February.

One agent who repped a top defensive tackle transfer said he fielded multiple $1 million offers, but the best long-term fit for his client ended up being a program that paid $800,000. Highly competitive recruitments could drive the price for a great defensive tackle up to $1 million, but several staffers surveyed agreed that a low-end Power 4 starter is probably worth closer to the $300,000 to $500,000 and were able to sign solid players in that price range.

"I've heard sometimes it can be even more expensive for defensive tackles than edges," the Big Ten GM said, "because, just like the NFL, there are only so many humans that size that can move like that walking on planet Earth."

Linebackers: $200,000-$500,000

This might be the position group with the greatest disparity in perception between agents and GMs. Multiple agents told ESPN they believed a good linebacker can fetch $500,000 to $700,000 with elite players going for as much as $1 million.

Front office staffers surveyed generally agreed that $300,000 to $500,000 was a more reasonable price range for quality starters. The easiest explanation for that gap might be the offseason portal cycle and the reality that few all-conference caliber linebackers hit the open market. In fact, only four linebackers made ESPN's top 100 transfer rankings.

There weren't many $500,000-plus linebackers in the portal, and some staffs intentionally spent less at this position by focusing their efforts on G5 or FCS transfers. One Big 12 school was able to land the top linebacker on its board, a veteran multi-year starter, for a mere $225,000.

"They were not going for an exorbitant amount of money," an ACC GM said.

Schools might've been a little more willing to pay up to retain their returning starters, but bottom line, it comes down to how a staff values the position and how closely they're trying to stick to a roster budget influenced by NFL standards.

"There are some linebackers starting at P4 schools who are on $200K deals and some who are making $600K, and I don't think their talent is that big of a difference," an agent said.

Cornerbacks: $300,000-$800,000Safeties: $300,000-$700,000

Defensive back is always a high-volume position in the portal, with more than 650 FBS scholarship players transferring over the past year, and everybody plays a bunch of them. For those reasons, there's plenty of room for debate around the cost of DBs.

Top-tier cornerbacks are still considered more valuable than safeties and are making at least $500,000 at the highest level. "There are so few really good ones," an SEC GM argued. ACC and Big 12 programs have still been able to land starter corners on deals closer to the $300,000 to $400,000 range, but experience is expensive.

At safety, there were a few rare instances this offseason where all-conference-caliber players secured deals around $800,000, and some staffers suspect the top of the safety market actually ended up being just as expensive as the top of the corner market. One DPP at a program that paid more than $800,000 to re-sign their top safety justified it by pointing to the fact that there were several SEC programs interested in paying him even more.

"A couple guys were being shopped around for crazy amounts of money," an ACC DPP said, "but I thought it was easier to find bargains at safety."

This DPP's coaching staff had a lot of work to do in the December portal window, and he had to quickly adjust to the rapid price inflation. As another staffer summed it up, everybody was suddenly a $200,000 to $300,000 player at every position.

"It didn't matter what position you were talking to, if you came in at under $150,000 or $175,000, oh man, people take offense to that," the ACC recruiter said. "They'd say, 'All right, so you see me as a second- or third-team guy.' Word was getting out. Agents were hip to the game. If they hear a number that starts with a one, that means depth chart."

So they spent like they've never spent before. They did what they had to do to keep their returning players in the building and secure the recruits they coveted. We're about to find out how many of these frenzied offseason spending sprees actually paid off and which players were truly worth every penny.

"You make some decisions you look back on like, 'F--- yeah,'" one Big Ten GM said. "You make some decisions you look back on where you're like, 'Damn it.' That was the market, the market was telling me to pay him that much. But was he worth that? You're going to have those. Every school in the country is looking at the same thing."