Details emerge about JT Toppin's massive new NIL deal to stay at Texas Tech

There is no question that college sports have become a big business. Actually, they have always been considered "big business" simply by the billions of dollars that they have generated over the years. Now, though, there is no hiding the fact that playing college sports is a profession, as players are being rewarded handsomely. Thus, it is no shock to find out that some of the top players, such as Texas Tech basketball star JT Toppin, are making salaries that would rival what many athletes make in the professional ranks.

This week, Toppin officially announced his intention to return to Texas Tech for his junior campaign. That news sent Red Raiders everywhere into a frenzy as it bolstered their hopes of seeing the Red Raiders win a National Championship in 2026.

After Toppin's announcement was made, it didn't take long for reports to surface about just how much he will be earning next season.

According to Matt Norlander of On3 Sports, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year will receive $4 million to stay in Lubbock for another year. Though we don't know if that figure is accurate, given that college athletes are not required to make public the value of the NIL deals they sign, if Norlander is correct, Toppin will be paid as well at Tech, as many NBA rookies will be next season.

One Texas Tech fan on X, who goes by the handle of CrabtreePullsFree, even broke down the reported dollar amount that Toppin will make into how much he will be paid for each game, half, minute, and second.

By those calculations, Toppin will earn $108,108 per game, $5,405 per half, $2,703 per game minute, and $45 per second. That is hard for some college fans to wrap their heads around.

To put that in perspective, understand that last season, only the top 16 players taken in the 2024 NBA Draft made over $4 million in salary. Thus, it is easy to see why Toppin came back, especially given that he likely would have been a late first-round pick where salaries are slotted to be well south of $4 million.

This is a significant jump in NIL money for the sport. Last offseason, while Tech was courting Toppin, another power forward, Great Osobor, came to Lubbock for an official visit as well.

Eventually, Tech decided to pursue Toppin as their main target, and Osobor landed at Washington. When he signed with the Huskies, it was reported that his NIL deal was worth $2 million, which was believed to be the largest deal any college basketball player had ever received.

Now, Toppin is set to double that number in 2025-26. Of course, if he helps bring the Red Raiders a championship, it will be money well spent.

If Toppin's deal does hit the $4 million mark, it would mean that he will actually make more next season than his head coach, Grant McCasland. In 2025-26, McCasland is set to make $3.9 million in base salary, making him the 26th-highest paid coach in the college game.

Of course, Toppin is one of the best players in the sport, and he deserves to be paid at the top of the market. Tech's NIL collective has made a significant investment in next season in the hopes that it will be one to remember, and the expectation is that Toppin will once again take his team deep into the NCAA Tournament.