Utah College Athletes and NIL in 2026: Who's Earning, How Much, and How the Market Works

Two athletes from Utah schools are in On3's NIL 100 as of its Oct. 5, 2026 update: Utah quarterback Devon Dampier at No. 67 and BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier at No. 83. On3 values each at $2 million. Dampier's figure carries On3's "Confirmed NIL Valuation" badge. Bachmeier's does not, which under On3's method means it comes from its reporters' read of the market rather than a confirmed contract.

No athlete from Utah State, Utah Valley, Weber State, Southern Utah, Utah Tech, Westminster or the state's three junior colleges appears in the list.

Who are Utah's highest-valued college athletes on On3?

• Devon Dampier, Utah football, quarterback: No. 67 in the On3 NIL 100, $2 million, marked as a confirmed valuation and tagged as a transfer.
• Bear Bachmeier, BYU football, quarterback: No. 83, $2 million, tagged as a transfer, with no confirmed badge.

Both are quarterbacks at the state's two Big 12 programs, and every name above them in the list plays at another school. The list was last updated Oct. 5, 2026, and was checked for this article on Oct. 6. It changes as contracts are reported, so treat both numbers as a dated snapshot.

What does an On3 NIL valuation measure now?

On3 changed the meaning of its number this summer. Its own explainer says: "As of July 1, 2026, the On3 NIL Valuation moved from an algorithm-based model to a deal-based valuation model."

The same page says the figure now "reflects the current player contract value. It is not a projection of an athlete's marketing value, endorsement potential or what was originally understood as 'true NIL.'" Instead, it is "designed to track athletes' compensation from colleges/collectives." A green checkmark means the valuation "is based on a confirmed player contract." Other valuations are informed by On3 and Rivals insiders' reporting on negotiations, expected market value and current deal activity. If an athlete's profile shows no valuation, On3 says it "does not currently have enough information to publish a valuation."

That matters for anyone reading the list in Utah. Dampier's confirmed $2 million describes what a quarterback is paid by his school or its collective, and Bachmeier's $2 million is On3's estimate of the same thing. Neither says anything about what a Salt Lake City business would pay the same athlete for an Instagram post, or about the athletes On3 does not list. For pricing a local deal, our guide to pricing a sponsored Instagram post is the better tool.

Where did last spring's Utah NIL names go?

The five athletes this page featured in spring 2026 have all changed teams or levels since:

• **AJ Dybantsa** left BYU after one season. The Washington Wizards drafted him with the No. 1 pick of the NBA draft on June 23, 2026, so college NIL valuations no longer apply to him.
• **Chase Roberts** signed with the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of the NFL draft, BYU announced on April 25, 2026.
• **Logan Fano** signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, one of 12 the team announced.
• **Alyssa Blanck** transferred from Utah to Montana, which lists her as a redshirt senior forward on its 2026-27 roster.
• **Sami Blackett** moved from Utah Valley to Utah State, where she plays outside hitter in the Pac-12.

None of the five now carries an NIL figure on Beehive Athletes. Our athlete directory lists athletes Beehive covers who are on a current Utah roster, and it publishes no valuations.

How do Utah schools pay athletes now?

Since the House v. NCAA settlement, schools can pay athletes directly. Utah athletics director Mark Harlan wrote on Aug. 14, 2025, that Utah is "all-in on directly providing up to $20.5 million and signing student-athletes to individual NIL contracts."

At BYU, The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Feb. 28, 2025, on the plan for the Royal Blue Collective: "When BYU starts paying athletes directly, about $22 million a year (with more than $12 million going to football), the collective will hand over the reins to the university."

Utah State named its collective in 2023. Athletics director Diana Sabau said on Sept. 9, 2023, that "the Blue A Collective will be the collective for Utah State University Athletics," which was co-founded by Eric Laub and former Aggies football coach Gary Andersen.

For how revenue sharing, NIL deals and the College Sports Commission's review fit together, see how much college athletes make from NIL.

The Utah NIL law, on the record

The Utah Legislature passed H.B. 479 in its 2025 general session, and the Deseret News covered it on March 10, 2025. The bill allows Utah schools to directly compensate athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness. Its key provisions, per the Deseret News reporting:

• Schools may not use legislative appropriations, tuition or fees to pay athletes.
• An audit of how schools spend NIL money is required every five years, starting in 2028.
• An earlier requirement that athletes submit NIL contracts over $600 to their school for review was removed.
• Schools are barred from preventing athletes from playing because they hired an agent.
• The law states that college athletes are not university employees.
• The law took effect May 7, 2025.

The bill's final version removed a provision that would have made direct school-to-athlete NIL payments public records. The enrolled text of H.B. 479 goes further: it says a student athlete agreement, and any communication or other material related to one, is not subject to Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act, so those agreements cannot be obtained through a state records request.

*Correction, Oct. 5, 2026: an earlier version of this paragraph said Utah's law did not prohibit records requests. The bill text exempts student athlete agreements from the state records act.*

What should a Utah business know before an NIL deal?

• The state's $600 school-review rule is gone, but national reporting is not. H.B. 479 removed the requirement to submit contracts over $600 to the school. College deals are still reported to the College Sports Commission's NIL Go platform, and our local NIL deals guide for Salt Lake City businesses walks through who reports what, and when.
• Agents are allowed. A Utah school cannot keep an athlete off the field for hiring one.
• School pay and business deals are different money. The figures On3 now tracks are mostly school and collective contracts. A local business deal is a separate agreement with the athlete.
• Sponsoring coverage is different again. A business that wants its name beside Utah sports rather than on an athlete can read how a Utah business can sponsor local sports coverage.

For the conference map behind all of this, from the Big 12 to the Scenic West, see our guide to Utah college sports divisions.

Key facts:

• Utah's On3 NIL 100 names (Oct. 5, 2026 update): Devon Dampier, Utah QB, No. 67, $2 million, confirmed; Bear Bachmeier, BYU QB, No. 83, $2 million, not marked confirmed.
• What the number means: since July 1, 2026, On3 values reflect current player contract value, designed to track compensation from colleges and collectives, not endorsement potential.
• Utah's pay: Utah committed to directly provide up to $20.5 million and individual NIL contracts (Mark Harlan, Aug. 14, 2025).
• Utah State's collective: the Blue A Collective, named in 2023.
• Where last spring's names went: Dybantsa to the NBA (No. 1 pick, Wizards), Roberts to the Raiders, Fano to the Browns, Blanck to Montana, Blackett to Utah State.
• Utah law: H.B. 479, in effect May 7, 2025, allows direct school pay, bars appropriations, tuition and fees as the source, and exempts athlete agreements from state records requests.

*Updated Oct. 6, 2026: rewritten around On3's current list and its July 2026 change of method, and to show where last spring's athletes went. Earlier versions led with AJ Dybantsa's $4.2 million On3 valuation from his BYU season.*