CBS Sports puts the average college basketball roster at $13.5 million for 2026-27, nearly double a year ago: what the tiers change for players

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 31, 2026. Last updated October 31, 2026.

This post is dated October 31, 2026. It summarizes a CBS Sports study of roster spending and links to the library pieces that explain how to read it: how reliable reported NIL figures are, why big men are paid more than guards and how programs spend their NIL budgets.

What did CBS Sports report about college basketball NIL spending for 2026-27?

CBS Sports reported on October 21, 2026 that the average roster across all 79 Power Five programs plus Gonzaga costs about $13.5 million, per CBS Sports. The average power-conference squad a year earlier was in the realm of $7 million, per CBS Sports. Dividing one by the other gives close to double.

The authors, Matt Norlander and Isaac Trotter, write that the SEC is "comfortably No. 1" in total spending and that the Big East is second, per CBS Sports. They also say Louisville has spent more on players over the past three years than any program, and that Florida's roster has a collective valuation north of $25 million, per CBS Sports. The tiers rank schools by maximum earning opportunities, not what they had paid as of October, per CBS Sports.

Which programs are in each college basketball NIL tier?

CBS Sports sorted schools into seven tiers by roster value. The table shows each range with a few of the schools CBS names, which are not full lists.

Stanford is the school operating with the fewest funds at the high-major level for 2026-27, per CBS Sports. For Bay Area readers, California sits in Tier 6, UCLA in Tier 4 and Stanford in Tier 7. The report also says spending does not guarantee wins, using Kansas State as its example.

How much do star centers and elite guards cost, according to CBS Sports?

Many of the best big men in free agency earned close to a $5 million payday, per CBS Sports. Numerous teams that needed a big man set aside $4 million for a star center and found it was not enough, per the same report. Elite guards and wings usually commanded a price that encroached on $4 million, per CBS Sports.

These figures describe the top of each position's market. CBS Sports does not explain the gap, and the question of cause is covered in the guide to the big man pay gap. The report says the open market "spiked yet again" and called it "the most unruly portal frenzy yet," per CBS Sports.

How firm are the CBS Sports numbers?

They are reported estimates. CBS Sports contacted more than 100 sources over nearly six weeks, per CBS Sports. Some shared spending ledgers on condition that the documents would not be shown, and the authors say they cannot fully verify the figures, per the same report.

I built the College NIL and Revenue Share Starter Kit for readers in this spot. A starter kit for players and parents learning how NIL and revenue sharing work.

When two figures differed by more than $1.5 million but less than $2.5 million, the authors took the higher number both times, per CBS Sports. Rivals believe some schools operate with budgets 10%, 15%, even 20% larger than listed, per CBS Sports. The tiers also assume that every player trying to get eligible as of October 21 stays eligible, per CBS Sports. The full method review is in the guide to reading reported NIL figures.

What does the report change for a player or family, and what should they ask for?

It gives families a public ladder to compare against, and it does not change any one player's contract. Opendorse says Power 4 programs are building NIL budgets beyond the $21.3M revenue-sharing cap, per Opendorse, and CBS Sports starts its top tier at $20 million, close to that cap figure. A school total says nothing about how a school splits it among players.

• Ask for the player's own amount, payment dates and conditions in writing.
• Ask what happens to payments if an eligibility ruling goes the wrong way.
• Ask for the source and date of any comparison an agent or advisor quotes.

The clauses to check before signing are listed in the revenue-share contract checklist, and the court rulings that move eligibility are in the post on the Kaufman-Renn and Steen rulings.