Auburn is about to do something college football has never seen before: get its players paid for taking part in a neutral-site game.
The Tigers are expected to share roughly $6 million with players through a groundbreaking NIL arrangement tied to their Sept. 5 matchup with Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff Game, sources with knowledge of the agreement told CBS Sports. Up to 24 Auburn players will be included under a guarantee model that blends marketing obligations with promotional appearances, and they’ll also receive money through a revenue-sharing piece linked directly to ticket sales.
That second part is what makes this more than a standard endorsement setup. For the first time, a neutral-site college football game has built player NIL compensation into the event itself, giving Auburn players a direct financial stake in the game. Peach Bowl, Inc. worked with third-party entities to put the structure together, and the agreement runs from July through kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The players involved will be part of a full slate of game promotions. That includes social media posts, public appearances, advertisements, in-game promotions, media interviews, and signage and branding opportunities.
Neutral-site organizers have been watching the market shift for a while. These games have long been a Labor Day weekend fixture, but schools have increasingly leaned toward home schedules as they try to protect their CFP positioning. The hope is that a direct revenue share for players can help bring some of that appeal back.
“In the new NIL era of college football, this will be an innovative way to create wins for the teams, programs and student-athletes,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO David Epps.
“This new model is a true win-win scenario where Auburn and its student-athletes get a financial boost in the NIL space. At the same time, it's a potential game-changer for neutral-site games like ours who want to bring added value to participating teams and make it a more attractive and lucrative opportunity.”
Auburn’s cut of the ticket allotment for the game is 20,645, with most of those tickets included in the school’s season-ticket package as the designated home team. Baylor received 3,000 tickets, which is the usual number reserved for a visiting team in an SEC stadium.
The Aflac Kickoff Game will be Auburn’s fourth appearance in the event, which used to be called the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Baylor will be there for the first time.
The schools originally set up a home-and-home series, but they agreed to move the final game from Auburn to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Auburn beat Baylor 38-24 on the road to open the 2025 season.
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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