Auburn is about to break new ground in college football’s NIL era, and the money involved is eye-catching: roughly $6 million will be shared with players as part of a deal tied to the Tigers’ appearance in the Aflac Kickoff Game against Baylor on Sept. 5.
Sources with knowledge of the agreement told CBS Sports that the payout will go to as many as 24 Auburn players under a guarantee model that includes marketing obligations and promotional appearances. On top of that, players will also receive money through a revenue-sharing piece connected directly to ticket sales for the game.
That second part is what makes this arrangement stand out. It is not just a standard endorsement setup. Players will have a financial stake in the event itself, something that has never happened before for a neutral-site college football game.
The deal was first announced Monday and is being structured through Peach Bowl, Inc., working with third-party entities. It runs from July through kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The players’ responsibilities will include a range of promotional “activations” around the game and its surrounding events. That list includes social media posts, public appearances, advertisements, in-game promotions, media interviews, and signage and branding opportunities.
Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO David Epps said, "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 is the home team for the matchup and received an allotment of 20,645 tickets, with most of those included in the school’s season-ticket package. Baylor received 3,000 tickets, which is the usual amount reserved for a visiting team in an SEC stadium.
The setup is being watched closely by other neutral-site organizers. Those Labor Day weekend games have long been a staple, but schools have increasingly leaned toward home schedules to protect their CFP positioning. A direct share of revenue for players could be one way to make those events more appealing again.
The Aflac Kickoff Game will be Auburn’s fourth appearance in the event, which was previously known as the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Baylor will be making its first appearance.
The schools originally scheduled 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 Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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