A year ago, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti told CBS Sports that the day of $40 million college football rosters had arrived. His comments, which highlighted the spending of Ohio State, Miami and Oregon, among other programs, were met with industry skepticism that any school was really spending that much. A lot can change in a year as Cignetti and his Indiana football program upended college football norms on the way to a historic 16-0 national championship season.
But one thing that hasn't: Cignetti was dead accurate about the arrival of $40 million rosters. CBS Sports polled more than 50 industry sources -- a mix of Power Four athletic directors, general managers, personnel executives, salary cap experts, agents and boosters -- and discovered there are multiple Power Four programs in the $40 million or more-range on their football roster for the 2026 season. It's been a sharp spike across the sport.
A front office staffer at one school included on this list said their roster spend is up 50% in 2026 compared to 2024. Teams double-dipped when collective dollars and rev share dollars collided for a short window last year. But the salaries never dropped after that period ended.
"Here's the thing: If you have a pretty comfortable chunk of players that are solid, but then you have six to seven high-dollar kids, it's hard not to (be in the $40 million range)," one ACC general manager told CBS Sports. "That shit adds up quick." As one SEC front office staffer explained, there are a few schools in their own category: Miami, Oregon, USC, Texas and Texas A&M. "It appears to be, 'Hey, if you want to come for the most money, that's where you go,'" they said about those top spenders.
The list doesn't end there, however. These are the most expensive rosters in college football this season. Multiple sources anointed LSU as college football's most expensive roster in 2026, with several sources projecting it could be over $50 million.
The arrival of new head coach Lane Kiffin, the self-proclaimed Portal King, spurred on a spending spree as Kiffin remade the roster with multiple seven-figure additions such as Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and Ole Miss defensive end Princewoll Umanmielen. Seaton is one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the country at more than $4 million annually, according to sources. One source who offered Seaton a multi-million-dollar deal during his transfer process said the offensive tackle turned it down like it was almost nothing.
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