Which MSU Players Can Live Up to Their NIL Expectations
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The cost of putting together a competitive roster has grown every year since NIL changed everything.
Top college football teams have been estimated to have total budgets of about $40-50 million. Universities are limited to $20.5 million in revenue-sharing funds across all sports programs, but that hasn't stopped third-party NIL deals from remaining the largest source of player payments in college football.
Where MSU's NIL Stands
It's tough to figure out exactly how much money each school is spending. There isn't any transparency about it. Schools that are behind don't want to admit that, and those at the front would prefer to keep their numbers hidden, so it's difficult to one-up them. If everybody knew what everybody was getting paid, issues around tampering would only get worse.
There are estimates for where Michigan State stands, though. The Spartans' 2026 roster is valued at $21.8 million total, according to the website "The NIL Standard." That number ranks MSU at 10th in the Big Ten. Oregon's roster leads the Big Ten with a $41.4 million valuation (second-highest in the country), followed by Ohio State at $37.6 million.
Keep in mind that those numbers, as well as all numbers after this, are all estimations and, thereby, simply educated guesses. The info probably isn't great on a case-by-case basis (4-star receiver Samson Gash almost certainly is getting more than $58,000 from Michigan State), but the overall estimations can offer an interesting glimpse into where a team stands on a national scale.
Going off the estimations from "The NIL Standard," as well as some of my own estimations on what the staff would value the most NIL-wise, these players are going to have a lot of expectations to live up to money-wise.
Top 10 MSU NIL Valuations
Player | Est. NIL Value (per The NIL Standard), rounded to nearest $1,000 |
|---|---|
QB Alessio Milivojevic | $1.556 million |
LT Ben Murawski | $1.270 million |
RT Conner Moore | $1.214 million |
EDGE Kenny Soares Jr. | $1.163 million |
EDGE Isaac Smith | $929k |
CB Tre Bell | $793k |
DT Eli Coenen | $759k |
RB Cam Edwards | $741k |
NB Michael Richard | $714k |
WR Chrishon McCray | $696k |
Thoughts on Valuations
Seeing Alessio Milivojevic at the top of the list doesn't feel like much of a surprise. The starting quarterback is the most important individual player on any football team, even if they are on the inexperienced side, so it would make sense if Milivojevic were the highest-paid player on the team. Whatever he is truly making, it's been enough already that he has a house big enough to host teammates and visiting recruits.
The biggest surprise on that top 10 is Isaac Smith. He started all 12 of Michigan State's games last year, his first year with the program after transferring from Texas Tech, but he still finished with only 26 tackles and 1.0 sack. The production doesn't align with a near-million-dollar EDGE rusher, and Smith doesn't have a strong online presence that suggests significant brand interest.
Jordan Hall is the glaring omission from the top 10 list. He's down at 13th among the individual estimates, supposedly making about $590k. If he's not a top-10, scratch that, a top-five earner on the team, Hall either took a discount or Michigan State just isn't distributing things out all that well.
Other Players Likely Earning Big
Another player likely making more than their estimate is Charles Brantley. His valuation of roughly $468k is 17th on the roster. Brantley barely played at Miami (FL) last season, but he was still one of MSU's best players back in 2024. He missed three games due to injury and still did enough to earn Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, intercepting three passes in the nine games he played.
On a more macro scale, the offensive line seemed to be the biggest point of investment for Michigan State this offseason. The Spartans brought in a litany of transfers to attempt to improve that area from last season. There is a real chance everyone on MSU's starting five will be a redshirt senior or older.
The four surefire starters -- Ben Murawski, Nick Sharpe, Trent Fraley, and Conner Moore -- all have at least 1,000 snaps of college football experience. Murawski and Moore, Michigan State's two offensive tackles, are estimated to be the two biggest earners after Milivojevic for a reason. Sharpe, who has played with OL coach Nick Tabacca before at Wake Forest, and Fraley, last year's FCS Rimington Award winner, making more than their estimates wouldn't be a surprise, either.
Corner Tyran Chappell is another player who might make more than his estimate. He's buried a bit on the overall list at "only" $170k, but he might be Michigan State's third corner this season. Chappell, who is transferring from an FCS school, makes him a bit cheaper, but his three years of remaining eligibility make him a more valuable asset.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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