Golf NIL Movement: College Men's final 2025-26 season rankings

by Golf NIL Staff

June 7, 2026

The 2025-26 season ends with the men's game raising the bar for what college golf can be—a year where the top 40 helped make the college game a must-watch. Here's how it finished:

Golf NIL College 2025-26 Men's Rankings

1. Jackson Koivun, Auburn

2. John Daly II, Arkansas

3. Ben James, Virginia

4. Preston Stout, Oklahoma State

5. Ethan Fang, Oklahoma State

6. Christiaan Maas, Texas

7. Luke Poulter, Florida

8. Tommy Morrison, Texas

9. Kihei Akina, Brigham Young

10. Jase Summy, Oklahoma

11. Josiah Gilbert, Auburn

12. Filip Jakubcik, Arizona

13. William Sides, Southern Methodist

14. Fifa Laopakdee, Arizona State

15. Luke Potter, Texas

16. Harry Takis, San Diego State

17. Tyler Weaver, Florida State

18. Mahanth Chirravuri, Pepperdine

19. Wells Williams, Vanderbilt

20. Adam Bresnu, Texas Tech

21. Jacob Modleski, Notre Dame

22. Michael Mjaaseth, Arizona State

23. Tom Fischer, Mississippi

24. Eric Lee, Oklahoma State

25. Max Herendeen, Illinois

26. Noah Kent, Florida

27. Cameron Tankersley, Mississippi

28. Paul Chang, Virginia

29. Connor Williams, Arizona State

30. Frankie Harris, South Carolina

31. Connor Graham, Texas Tech

32. Ryder Cowan, Oklahoma

33. Cohen Trolio, Mississippi

34. Niall Sheils Donegan, North Carolina

35. Jackson Herrington, Tennessee

36. Tim Wiedemeyer, Texas Tech

37. Arni Sveinsson, LSU

38. Jack Turner, Florida

39. William Jennings, Alabama

40. Lance Simpson, Tennessee

    
    

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Money Moves

Ben James signs off with a PGA Tour card in hand. The season started with one player locked into a card and ended with two, James joining Koivun. The Virginia senior held the top spot in the PGA Tour University Rankings all season, never letting up.

The world No. 2 and Golf NIL College Men's No. 3 closes his career with a $1 million Golf NIL Valuation™, a final stamp on a senior season that saw him finish top five in every collegiate event.

Since 2023, he's added Foresight, Bushnell, Transcend, and PUMA as NIL partners.

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With an $800,000 Golf NIL Valuation, Preston Stout makes the jump to No. 4 on the College Men's boards. It also lands him on the overall Golf NIL Top 10 for the first time at No. 7. That move recognizes opportunity as well as timing.

Having captured the 2026 NCAA individual title, Stout instantly elevated his visibility, adding major championship appearances to his schedule: the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and (likely) the 2027 Masters, both on top of his Fall Series stop, the World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, already slated for this fall.

Preston Stout competes at the 2025 3M Open, his next pro start coming at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills | Steven Garcia/Cal Sport Media

The 2026-27 season kicks off with patch deals in place, something a program coming off a T3 finish and a national semifinal run can build on. As more brands appreciate what golf and NIL have to offer, the Cowboys are in a good position to attract additional partners. Revenue-sharing puts Stout in line for a stake (or larger stake) in those payouts as well, though amounts vary by school and have largely favored football and basketball.

As the likely next world No. 1, this window gives Stout a full year to capitalize on rare major championship visibility as a college player, and to secure the right partnerships, both now and ahead of a potential professional career.

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Rankings and analyses published in Golf NIL Movement reflect competitive performance, verified brand partnerships, and public visibility indicators. Insights focus on observable market outcomes rather than internal valuation methodology or scoring criteria.