EA Sports is providing $1,500 to student athletes for their participation in College Football 26

EA Sports has significantly increased its payment to college football players featured in College Football 26 from the previous $600 to $1,500.

The Athletic, a sports division of The New York Times, reports EA's total expenditure for securing name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights is pegged at $16.5 million for athletes appearing in the upcoming game.

This figure excludes further compensation for brand ambassadors, cover athletes, and the complimentary deluxe edition of College Football 26 for players who choose to be included in the game.

Earlier in January, EA Sports mentioned to The Athletic that no updates regarding their player compensation strategy were available.

Following this, in February, a NIL group named Pathway was established, acquiring NIL rights for over 400 athletes and providing each a $1,500 initial payment.

EA Sports vice president, Sean O'Brien, commented on their NIL initiative: "Our program is designed to be inclusive, straightforward, and fair, offering a uniform base compensation to every Football Bowl Subdivision participant who opts in via the OneTeam platform and Compass NIL app."

He added that this plan enables each player to make individual choices, reflecting the ongoing evolution of college sports, with EA's priority on athlete-centered approaches for College Football 26 and other future endeavors.

Casey Schwab, president of Pathway, stated: "This development is positive for college football players and aligns with Pathway’s objective to deliver the most professional, transparent, and legitimate NIL strategy for student athletes."

Schwab expressed eagerness to collaborate with EA and others to achieve lasting aspirations.

With College Football 25, it marked the initial instance when college athletes received payments for their in-game likeness, with EA Sports proposing $600 to over 11,000 athletes. NCAA regulations previously disallowed such payments.

In 2023, the College Football Players Association opposed what was deemed as inadequate compensation, approximated at $500 per player, a stark contrast to the substantial amounts NFL players reportedly earn, as pointed out by CFBPA vice president Justin Falcinelli.