College Basketball NIL Spending Surges to $932.5 Million

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A new study from Opendorse reveals that college basketball NIL spending has surged to $932.5 million for the 2025-26 season, a dramatic increase from the $314.4 million spent in the first year of the NIL era in 2021. The report also found that roster construction has shifted, with freshmen and senior stars earning the most, while rotational and bench players make significantly less. Additionally, the power conferences spend between $7-10 million on their men's basketball rosters on average, while women's basketball rosters average $1-5 million.

Why it matters

The rapid growth in NIL spending highlights the increasing commercialization and professionalization of college basketball, as players can now earn significant sums through endorsement deals and revenue-sharing. This shift is impacting roster construction, recruiting, and the overall economics of the sport at both the men's and women's levels.

The details

The study found that the surge in spending includes revenue-sharing for the first time, with more than $500 million in 'collegiate' dollars coming in for athletes. Men's basketball players receive an average revenue-share cap allocation of $4.2 million, while women's basketball players receive $1.4 million on average. The transfer portal has also seen a major impact, with players moving up to high-major programs seeing their earnings increase by over 540%.

• The NIL era began in 2021.
• In Year 1 (2021-22), schools spent an estimated $314.4 million on NIL products and services for college basketball.
• In 2025-26, an estimated $932.5 million was spent on NIL products and services for men's and women's basketball.

What’s next

The transfer portal will open after the men's and women's basketball national championships, allowing players to potentially move to new programs and see their NIL earnings increase or decrease depending on the level of their new team.