Football and Men’s basketball will account for close to 90% of revenue sharing payments at most Power Conference schools. The remaining 10% results in an average payout of around $ 4,306 per athlete in all other sports including rowing:
Revenue Sharing Estimates
Power 4 Schools: 2026-27 *Revenue
Share %
Allocation
to Team ($)
# of eligible
Athletes *Average per
Athlete ($)
Football 75% 15,600,000 105 148,570
Men's Basketball 15% 3,120,000 15 208,000
All Other Sports 10% 2,080,000 483
4,306
Power Conference Average 100% $ 20,800,000 603
These are averages, a few athletes will receive much more, while most will receive less. These estimates are for revenue sharing payments only (Institutional NIL), they do not include third-party NIL compensation. Most sports will likely receive no revenue sharing allocation, but will be eligible for greater scholarship awards.
* In almost all cases, the maximum $ 21.3 million revenue sharing distribution for 2026-27 will be reduced by a $ 500,000 offset for additional scholarships. Eligible athletes are based on the new roster limits effective July 1, 2025.
Athletic scholarship limits removed for NCAA I Rowing teams:
While rowers will not receive substantial revenue sharing payments, most will be eligible for significantly higher athletic scholarship awards. As part of the House v NCAA settlement, scholarship limits have been removed, and roster caps have been established for each sport. For participating schools this would result in every rostered athlete effectively being eligible for a full scholarship. Men’s rowing has never been an official NCAA sport and accordingly, is not subject to NCAA roster or scholarship limits. For women’s rowing, the athletic scholarship limit has been increased from 20 to 68, potentially tripling the available scholarship money at many NCAA I schools:
2025 Scholarship Awards
Women's Rowing Teams *Conference 2025
Roster # of
awardsAverage ($)
Award 2025
Potential ($)
Award 2026 Roster
Limit **
Alabama SEC 115 47 24,768 66,125 68
Albany Coastal 21 18 3,936 40,639 68
California ACC 63 31 42,140 69,819 68
Central Florida Big 12 62 43 20,295 43,593 68
Clemson ACC 57 43 23,795 82,226 68
Connecticut Big East 45 34 25,306 48,203 68
Eastern Michigan MAC 48 38 20,483 40,538 68
Indiana Big Ten 63 36 31,819 58,399 68
Iowa Big Ten 86 44 22,400 48,734 68
Kansas Big 12 70 55 16,846 50,420 68
Kansas State Big 12 85 59 11,104 39,973 68
Massachusetts MAC 61 34 32,090 59,521 68
Michigan Big Ten 78 24 76,079 86,131 68
Michigan State Big Ten 89 36 39,143 64,830 68
Minnesota Big Ten 64 37 29,623 51,913 68
North Carolina ACC 59 36 21,531 45,931 68
Ohio State Big Ten 148 45 26,229 60,509 68
Oklahoma SEC 89 44 35,317 60,504 68
Oregon State Pac-12 40 40 24,513 46,740 68
Rhode Island Coastal 49 33 28,103 56,870 68
Rutgers Big Ten 122 72 18,678 71,187 68
Sacramento State Big West 44 26 15,537 32,240 68
Tennessee SEC 99 58 49,295 92,131 68
Texas SEC 76 55 13,822 49,964 68
UC San Diego Big West 47 19 6,684 47,033 68
UCLA Big Ten 77 52 19,658 62,537 68
Virginia ACC 67 45 34,771 75,988 68
Washington Big Ten 121 42 31,891 69,130 68
Washington State Pac-12 42 29 20,325 55,210 68
West Virginia Big 12 51 24 24,607 52,200 68
Wisconsin Big Ten 141 49 11,187 63,378 68
Average - 31 Teams * 74 40 $ 25,870 $ 57,826 68
These are potential increases as athletic scholarship awards are optional. Schools can fully fund a sport, or award less than the maximum allowed. While Football and Men’s basketball will receive close to 90% of revenue sharing payments at most FBS schools, conversely, about 90% of additional scholarship awards will go to athletes in Women’s and Men’s sports other than football and basketball.
* These averages are for NCAA I public Universities for which we have compiled data from available reporting.
** Roster limits are not mandatory. However, schools opting not to be subject to roster limits must adhere to the prior (lower) scholarship limits. Participating schools must submit certified rosters to the College Sports Commission.
Number of US College Rowing teams:
NCAA I teams represent about 58% of all US College rowing teams. There are also opportunities to compete at colleges in other divisions:
Intercollegiate Rowing
Programs 2025-26Women's
TeamsMen's
Teams *
NCAA I 92 38
NCAA II 13 3
NCAA III 42 29
Other 4 3
Totals 151 73
* While Men’s rowing is a varsity sport at many NCAA schools, it has never been an official NCAA sport and accordingly, is not subject to either NCAA roster or scholarship limits. Men’s varsity rowing programs are governed by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association.
We didn’t just make this stuff up … see our page on methodology and sources of information. Questions on our data? Contact us at: NIL-NCAA.com Statistics compiled & edited by Patrick O’Rourke CPA, Washington, DC 
