Texas Tech star JT Toppin is passing on the NBA Draft, and is getting an enormous paycheck to do it.
Toppin announced Wednesday that he will return to Texas Tech next season despite being a likely first-round pick. A big reason for that is the NIL offer the Red Raiders made him.
According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Toppin will be paid roughly $4 million in NIL money to remain with the Red Raiders for another season. That will put him among the highest NIL earners in the sport.
JT Toppin is expected to be paid ~$4 million in NIL earnings at Texas Tech next season, a source tells CBS Sports. The latest/biggest piece of evidence that reflects how invested TTU is in basketball—and a positive development for the sport to retain a player as great as Toppin.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 9, 2025
Toppin’s decision is telling, and one we might see more frequently in this new era of college sports. He will make as much money in college next season as he would have as a low-end NBA lottery pick, and there was no guarantee he was going to be that. He gets the opportunity to improve and refine himself for another season at college while making a similar amount of money he would have received had he gone pro.
The investment should be well worth it for Texas Tech. Toppin is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year after averaging 18.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for the Red Raiders last season. He was a huge part of a Texas Tech team that came incredibly close to a Final Four berth.
Toppin’s NIL deal is similar to that of some top college football players. That is how much Texas Tech values him.
