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Darian Mensah's Reign as College Football's Highest-Paid QB Set to End

Even before the offseason, the NIL market just got an upgrade with some SEC news.
Joe Cox|
One SEC star is getting an unheard-of collegiate NIL payday. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images)
One SEC star is getting an unheard-of collegiate NIL payday. (Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Mississippi State BulldogsMiami (FL) Hurricanes

College football has long been a lucrative business, but one particular quarterback is leveraging his production into a previously unheard-of payday. While the veil of secrecy on the big picture keeps many NIL deals and details quiet, the QB situation is so lucractive that it's long been recognized as the biggest of big money situations. And the standard just went a bit higher.

The new biggest-money college QB

Miami's Darian Mensah is set to be paid around $6.5 million for the 2026 season. But an SEC QB is set to earn even more in 2027. Yes, under the terms of a new deal, Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor, off an injury-shortened 2026 campaign, is set to earn $7.5 million in NIL money for his 2027 return to Starkville.

Taylor's Situation

Taylor's price is intriguing for a QB who split snaps two years ago as a freshman and while he was excellent in his sophomore season, it was cut way short. He has passed for 2,089 yards and 22 touchdowns against five interceptions in his time in Starkville.

But Mississippi State had gone 4-1 to open the season with Taylor and after a few more Week 7 snaps against Oklahoma, State had to shut down Taylor due to turf toe issues. The Bulldogs are now 4-5 and have looked much less competitive without their top passer. State bested South Carolina and Missouri with Taylor-- both of those teams are now in the CFP top 25 rankings.

But keeping Taylor at home was a priority. He was a four-star recruit out of high school, ranked between fifth and eighth nationally at the quarterback position by all the major recruiting services. That said, whatever his rankings were before, today's news suggests that he is the financial standard setter.

Other Top QB NIL Earners

Mensah's hefty deal with Miami a season ago raised the price ceiling around the sport, and given the way the 2026 season has passed, it's hard to argue it was poor spending. Other top QBs like Dante Moore and Trinidad Chambliss are also some of the likely top earners, with On3 valuing each QB's NIL at $5 million. LSU's Sam Leavitt was another top QB who signed with LSU and has seen NIL valuations of around $4.5 million.

Of course, all the NIL stories arent positive. Michigan's Bryce Underwood made headlines with around a $3 million annual deal only for Michigan to go south and Underwood to be benched after a very mediocre season and a half. Taylor's payday demonstrates that the market for experienced top QBs isn't likely to stop growing any time soon.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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