In a pretty wild shift for high school football recruiting, the early signing period for the Class of 2026 is bringing a whole new approach. Players are signing not just scholarship papers, but also revenue-sharing contracts—meaning schools can pay them directly now.
This all comes from the House v. NCAA settlement, which has totally changed how college athletes get compensated. It’s a lot to take in, honestly, and the impact on recruits and schools is just starting to unfold.
Understanding the New Revenue-Sharing Agreements
As the early signing period kicks off, high school recruits face two main documents. The first is a financial aid agreement, which takes the place of the old national letter of intent.
The second is a revenue-sharing contract, laying out exactly how much the school will pay them. This is a big shift from the third-party NIL deals that have been the norm since 2021.
Compensation Structures
How much a recruit gets depends on a bunch of things—recruiting rankings, position, and whether they’re expected to play right away. Five-star recruits, as you’d guess, get a lot more than three-star guys.
- Five-star quarterbacks: Usually land somewhere between $750,000 and $1 million a year.
- Top-ranked offensive linemen: Sometimes go even higher—Miami commit Jackson Cantwell is reportedly set to earn over $2 million.
- Receivers and cornerbacks: Typically fall in the $300,000 to $400,000 range, especially if they’re likely to make an immediate impact.
- Running backs, tight ends, and safeties: These players generally start in the mid-to-high five figures.
Factors Influencing Pay
So what actually drives these numbers? Recruiting rankings are huge—higher-ranked players pull in bigger offers.
Position plays a big role too. Some spots on the field are just valued more, both in college and the NFL.
Position-Specific Trends
Quarterbacks and offensive linemen usually top the pay charts. There’s a big premium on those positions, for obvious reasons.
Top quarterbacks can start at $100,000 to $300,000, but five-stars might see as much as $1 million a year. Offensive and defensive linemen are right there too, with developmental guys ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
Receivers and cornerbacks—especially those who can play right away—often get paid like college starters. Running backs, tight ends, and safeties? They’re more likely to be in that third tier, starting around the mid-to-high five figures.
Power 4 vs. Group of 5: Budget Disparities
The money situation is wildly different between Power 4 and Group of 5 schools. Most Power 4 athletic departments are right up against the revenue-sharing cap of $20.5 million, with a big chunk going to football.
Group of 5 programs? Their budgets are usually much smaller, sometimes under $5 million.
Recruitment Strategies
Power 4 schools are ready to spend big on high school recruits—they see it as essential for building a legit program. But they’ve got to juggle that with keeping their current players happy and chasing talent in the transfer portal.
Group of 5 schools just can’t match those offers. They focus more on keeping their own guys and are way less likely to throw six-figure deals at high school prospects.
- Power 4 budgets: Usually fall between $13 and $15 million, but the top schools can go over $25 million.
- Group of 5 budgets: Range from $1 million up to $10 million, though most are under $5 million.
The Role of the Transfer Portal
The transfer portal is now a huge part of how teams build their rosters. Players with college experience often get bigger checks than high school recruits, simply because they’ve already proven themselves.
Balancing Act
Landing great high school recruits still matters a lot, but relying only on the portal can get expensive fast. Keeping homegrown recruits is usually cheaper, and those players are often more loyal to the program.
Still, the competition for top high school talent is fierce. Schools have to be ready to make strong offers if they want to land those commitments.
Conclusion
The world of high school football recruiting isn’t what it used to be. Revenue-sharing agreements have stirred things up in ways nobody could’ve predicted.
Now, schools are trying to figure out how to chase top talent without blowing past their budgets. It’s a balancing act, and there’s no clear playbook yet.
If you want to dig deeper into how all this is unfolding, check out the full story on the New York Times.
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