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 Field Hockey:
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
2025-26 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 Field Hockey teams:
While field hockey players 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. For field hockey, the athletic scholarship limit has been increased from 12 to 27, potentially doubling the available scholarship money for at most NCAA I schools:
2025 Scholarship Awards
Field Hockey Teams *Conference 2025
Roster # of Player
awards 2025Average Player
Award 2025 ($)
Potential Player
Award 2026 ($)
Roster
Limit **
Albany Coastal 21 22 26,045 40,639 27
Appalachian State Sun Belt 25 21 15,870 32,108 27
Ball State MAC 24 24 18,474 39,029 27
California ACC 27 28 28,283 69,819 27
Central Michigan MAC 31 26 10,060 31,628 27
Connecticut Indep 24 18 29,248 48,203 27
Indiana Big Ten 29 27 28,178 58,399 27
Iowa Big Ten 26 21 31,259 48,734 27
James Madison Sun Belt 24 23 23,275 45,615 27
Kent State MAC 20 20 22,108 38,335 27
Maryland Big Ten 27 27 31,588 65,294 27
Massachusetts MAC 25 22 33,251 59,521 27
Miami of Ohio MAC 31 30 23,902 50,811 27
Michigan Big Ten 27 21 48,900 86,131 27
Michigan State Big Ten 24 22 36,445 64,830 27
New Hampshire Coastal 25 17 35,488 53,236 27
North Carolina ACC 26 17 32,009 45,931 27
Ohio MAC 26 22 22,820 41,249 27
Ohio State Big Ten 37 37 22,363 60,509 27
Penn State Big Ten 24 24 25,354 63,133 27
Rutgers Big Ten 26 17 45,875 71,187 27
Towson Coastal 31 23 15,550 44,027 27
UC Davis Big West 25 21 25,443 45,210 27
VCU Atlantic 10 24 19 39,958 60,151 27
Vermont America East 26 23 28,268 67,006 27
Virginia ACC 20 19 52,074 75,988 27
William & Mary Coastal 24 23 20,896 60,765 27
Average - 27 teams 26 23 28,629 54,351 27
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 Field Hockey teams:
NCAA I teams represent about 29% of all US College field hockey teams. There are also opportunities to compete in field hockey at other divisions:
Field Hockey
Programs 2025-26Total
SchoolsTotal
Teams
NCAA I 365 82
NCAA II 299 35
NCAA III 429 170
Totals 1,093 287
Questions on our data? Contact us at: NIL-NCAA.com
Statistics compiled & edited by Patrick O’Rourke, CPA Washington, DC 
