Colts backup QB Riley Leonard on making more money at Notre Dame

In the modern-era of college football, athletes have the opportunity to make millions before playing a professional snap. The reality? Many of these players have the opportunity to make more at their school then what they would on a rookie contract. In some cases, athletes have taken to the courts regarding additional collegiate eligibility. David Ubben of The Athletic dove into numerous examples of players taking a 'pay cut,' to play professionally.

The story mentioned many notable names who played collegiately recently.

• Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
• Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
• Chandler Morris, Virginia
• Joey Aguilar, Tennessee
• Carson Beck, Miami
• Will Howard, Ohio State

In many ways, the quarterback position sees the greatest disparity in NIL opportunities vs. rookie contracts. As Ubben mentioned in the article, Carson Beck is a prime example. The Jacksonville-native just played his fifth collee season with Miami after previously spending four years with Georgia. When he joined the Hurricanes from the transfer portal in January of 2025, he agreed to a deal that would compensate him north of $3 million annually, according to Ubben. Now Beck, a projected mid-round pick, could end up signing a rookie contract that carries an annual value of less than half of what he made in his year in Coral Gables.

There was one name that Ubben mentioned that sticks out in Indiana: Riley Leonard. The Colts' backup quarterback called reported NIL numbers of $1.5 million to be "overshooting it a little bit" in his final year of college at Notre Dame. He spent his first three years of college at Duke; Leonard noted that he made "more than 10 times" with the Irish then the year prior in Durham