EA Sports is providing $1,500 to student athletes who participate in College Football 26

EA Sports College Football — Image credit: EA Sports

For College Football 26, EA Sports has significantly increased payments for college football athletes, raising the amount from $600 to $1,500.

According to The Athletic, part of The New York Times' sports section, EA intends to disburse $16.5 million in total for the rights to players' names, images, and likenesses in the game.

This figure does not encompass payments for brand ambassadors or athletes featured on the game’s cover, nor does it include the deluxe edition of College Football 26 given to participants.

In January, EA Sports informed The Athletic of no expected amendments to its compensation plan for players.

By February, the NIL group Pathway was established, beginning to secure NIL rights for over 400 athletes, with each receiving an upfront $1,500 payment.

EA Sports’ vice president Sean O'Brien stated, "Our NIL initiative is designed to be accessible, straightforward, voluntary, and fair, giving equal compensation to each Football Bowl Subdivision athlete opting in through the OneTeam platform and Compass NIL app."

He continued, "We aim to prioritize athletes as we adapt to the evolving landscape of college sports both in College Football 26 and beyond."

Casey Schwab, president of Pathway, remarked: "This is excellent news for college football athletes and complements our vision at Pathway, which is to establish a professional, transparent, and credible NIL program for collegiate players."

Schwab added, "We are eager to collaborate with EA and other partners to fulfill our strategic objectives."

College athletes were compensated for their likenesses for the first time in College Football 25, when EA Sports offered over 11,000 players $600 despite prior NCAA rules against player payments.

In 2023, the College Football Players Association staged a boycott due to the low payment of around $500 per athlete, a stark contrast to the substantially higher sums NFL players received, as explained by CFBPA vice president Justin Falcinelli.