EA Sports raises payments to $1,500 for players appearing in College Football 26

Players will be paid a lot more money for appearing in this year’s edition of EA Sports’ college football video game.

In an email to Football Bowl Subdivision players sent Tuesday afternoon, EA Sports said it would increase players’ name, image and likeness payments from $600 to $1,500 for their inclusion in the upcoming College Football 26 video game. They will also receive a Deluxe Edition of the game, a carryover from the compensation system for College Football 25. As was also the case last year, some athletes will receive additional compensation to serve as brand ambassadors to promote the game.

“From the beginning, we’ve designed our NIL program to be accessible, direct, voluntary and equitable for all, offering the same base-level compensation to every FBS athlete that opts-in using the OneTeam platform and COMPASS NIL app,” EA Sports vice president of business development Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “This approach empowers each athlete to make their own decision. College sports are growing and changing, and our focus at EA Sports is on continuing to put athletes first as we bring them in the game in College Football 26 and beyond.”

Players flocked to be in the game a year ago, with more than 8,000 opting in within just a few days. In total, more than 14,000 players opted into College Football 25, and the NIL of more than 11,000 players was used in the game, which came out to around 85 players per team. The number of players featured in the game will remain the same. CFB25 did not face any opt-outs from the most nationally relevant players, though some players did not appear in the game’s initial rosters for various timing or miscommunication reasons. Texas quarterback Arch Manning announced a deal to be in the game a few weeks before launch.

CFB25 went on to become the highest-selling sports video game of all-time in total dollars.

OneTeam Partners, which has a multi-year deal with EA Sports to negotiate the game’s group licensing rights, said it advocates for the players because college football does not have a players union. However, it’s ultimately EA’s call on how much base pay the players are compensated.

EA Sports told The Athletic in January that it had no news on changes to the player compensation model for this year’s game. But in February, a new NIL group called Pathway Sports & Entertainment began obtaining the video game NIL rights of players, paying $1,500 up front. Around 1,000 players from schools like Alabama, Georgia and Oregon have signed with Pathway; the group’s goal is to get every scholarship FBS player and negotiate a larger deal.

A representative for EA Sports said Pathway’s actions did not impact EA’s decision to more than double the player compensation for this year’s game and instead that the rate was increased to make sure athletes feel recognized for the success of the game.

Either way, the combination of Pathway’s up-front payment and EA Sports’ increase in compensation means some players could receive $3,000 this year just for being in the game. Pathway’s agreements with players are non-exclusive for the first year, meaning they won’t impact CFB26, but they could create tension in future games. EA Sports’ agreements with players are also non-exclusive, but they last throughout a player’s college career, with an opt-out period each December. Players do not receive royalties based on game sales.

“This is great news for college football players and aligns with our vision at Pathway, which is to provide the most professional, transparent and legitimate NIL program for college athletes,” Pathway president Casey Schwab said in a statement to The Athletic. “We look forward to working with EA and others to achieve our long-term goals.”

In total, EA Sports will spend more than $16.5 million for the NIL rights of players, the largest single-sport NIL deal ever. That does not include the additional payments to ambassadors, the $100 value of the game or additional compensation for cover athletes, of which there appear to be many.

EA Sports would not comment on a recently leaked CFB26 cover shoot that includes at least 10 active players, five coaches and three former players. The Athletic did confirm the image’s authenticity with multiple people briefed on the situation. It’s not clear how much coaches will be compensated for their NIL, if at all.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who appeared on the leaked cover, said last year he would do it for free.

(Photo: Gary Cosby Jr. / Tuscaloosa News / USA Today Network)