EA Sports doubles NIL compensation for NCAA football players ahead of new game release

Electronic Arts will increase its payments to college athletes this year for their name, image, and likeness, more than doubling the payouts from 2024.

In email to Division I NCAA athletes on Tuesday, EA Sports announced it would increase payments from $600 to $1,500 to football players for their inclusion in the upcoming college football video game.

Players included in the deal will also receive a copy of the deluxe edition of College Football 26, a bonus they similarly received for the last game. Some players will again serve as brand ambassadors for the game and receive further compensation.

Discussions did not go so easily for EA Sports last year. Many accused the game giant of undercompensating athletes, something Texas quarterback and legacy player Arch Manning seemed very aware of.

The nephew of Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch held out on negotiations until the 11th hour, when Electronic Arts eventually caved and paid a reported $50,000 (or more) to have the young star appear in the game. Soon thereafter, Manning released a promotional video with his uncle Eli to promote the title.

"I'm IN the game," Manning wrote, along with the signature "horns up" emoji representing Texas.

College sports reporter Pete Nakos told Blaze News at the time that cover athletes for the game received payments in the low six figures.

Texas QB Arch Manning held out for a reported 84x pay increase for his inclusion in NCAA Football 25. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

More than 8,000 players agreed to be in to the previous game within days of being offered a deal in 2024, with a total of 14,000 athletes opting in. This averaged out to about 85 players per team.

NCAA Football 25 was the first video game of its kind in 10 years, and fans flocked to stores and online retailers to make it the highest-selling sports game of all time. It was reported last July that the game had taken in a reported $500 million in just a few weeks, according to On3.

Speaking on the new NIL deal, EA Sports executive Sean O'Brien said the company's approach "empowers each athlete to make their own decision."

"College sports are growing and changing," O'Brien continued. "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."

Agency OneTeam Partners has a multiyear contract with EA Sports to negotiate group licensing rights and reportedly claims to advocate on behalf of the players due to their lack of unionization. However, EA still makes the final decision in terms of how much the company will pay the college athletes.

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