Quarterback is the most important position in football, and the money given to top signal-callers — both in the NFL and at the collegiate level — supports that.
On3’s Pete Nakos detailed on Thursday what some of the top quarterbacks in college football will earn during the upcoming season.
Nakos writes that at least five QBs will make roughly $3 million in the 2025 campaign, while more than 20 starting quarterbacks will command at least $1 million.
It’s important, for context, to note that these financial figures include direct revenue-sharing from schools and/or NIL deals from third-party collectives.
Leading the way among 2025 quarterbacks is Duke’s Darian Mensah. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., will earn $4 million this year, part of a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Devils. Mensah transferred to Duke from Tulane, where in 2024 he threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions.
True freshman Bryce Underwood of Michigan is set to collect $3 million this season, which is a massive number for someone who has never taken an official snap in college. Still, the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Underwood is a sign
ificant contender to win the Wolverines’ starting QB job in 2025. The native of Belleville, Mich., was the No. 1 national prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.
Redshirt senior Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami in the offseason, and he will make $3 million to $3.2 million this season to start, in a deal that could be worth up to $6 million with incentives, per Nakos. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beck, who is from Jacksonville, Fla., tallied 3,485 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024.
According to the On3 article, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola will earn more than $3 million in total compensation during the 2025 season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore, who hails from Buford, Ga., threw for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a true freshman. Last year, Raiola guided the Cornhuskers to a 7-6 record and a bowl-game triumph.
Drew Allar will look to lead Penn State on another deep College Football Playoff run in 2025, and the senior quarterback will earn at least $3 million during the upcoming campaign. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar, from Medina, Ohio, threw for 3,327 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions a year ago as Penn State made the CFP semifinals. The Nittany Lions are No. 2 in the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll.
Other quarterbacks who are expected to make big bucks in the 2025 season include Oklahoma’s John Mateer ($2.5 million to $3 million), Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia (at least $2 million), Kansas State’s Avery Johnson (at least $2 million), South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers ($1.8 million), TCU’s Josh Hoover ($1.75 million) and Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby ($1.5 million to $1.7 million), among others.
