EA Sports paying players $1500 to be in College Football 26
Penn State football players will be receiving a bit more money from EA Sports to appear in this year's version of the company's college football video game franchise. According to a report, EA Sports will pay players more than twice what they paid players a year ago to have their name, image, and likeness included in EA Sports College Football 26.
According to a report from Chris Vannini of The Athletic (subscription required), EA Sports will be paying players $1,500 in an NIL incentive to be included in College Football 26, which will be released later this summer. EA Sports paid players a base of $600 to appear in the long-awaited return of the college football video game franchise last year.
It is also worth noting that some players will be eligible for additional compensation by being a brand ambassador or a cover athlete. Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton will be one of those players receiving a higher payout from EA Sports as he makes an appearance on the cover of this year's edition of the game (Penn State head coach James Franklin joins him). Singleton was also a brand ambassador for the game last year, so he received more than the general $600.
EA Sports brought its college football video game back to life last year for the first time since releasing NCAA Football 14 in 2013. The franchise went on the shelf as the company faced legal battles over the use of name, image, and likeness. With the world of NIL becoming a reality, EA Sports took the time and effort to bring the beloved video game franchise back to the fans and made sure to compensate players opting to be included in the game. In total, about 11,000 players were compensated for their inclusion in College Football 25 last year. Vannini reports that the figure will be similar this season.
More than 14,000 players opted into CFB25, but only around 11,000 were used and paid. So about 85 per roster. That will be the case again in CFB26.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 18, 2025
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: How much are players paid to appear in EA Sports College Football 26?
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