How much does Donovan Smith make a year?

Donovan Smith, the quarterback for the Houston Cougars, was born on October 27, 2001. Smith suffered a shoulder injury prior to the 2020 season, which prevented him from participating in any games. He had surgery on his shoulder and returned to practice in the spring. Smith took Henry Colombi's position in the second quarter of the team's Week Nine game against Oklahoma.

Smith made his college debut as a starting player against Iowa State in the team's Week 11 matchup. The planned starter, Tyler Shough, was still healing from a collarbone fracture he suffered in week four, and Colombi was sidelined by illness.

Prior to playing for the Cougars, Smith was a college football player at Texas Tech. In the Red Raiders' 41-38 victory, Smith completed the game 25 out of 32 for 322 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception—his best performance since 2017.

Smith returned one of his three interceptions for a touchdown in 2022, going 54 yards. The Red Raiders led 17-3 at one point, but the Cougars responded to tie the game. In double overtime, Smith scored the game-winning touchdown to tie the score at 20-20. Because of his play against Texas, he was named National Player of the Week and received the Earl Campbell-Tyler Rose Award. Smith relocated to Houston on December 21, 2022.

Smith had a great 2023 regular season with 2,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 256 completions. Despite facing 26 sacks and 13 interceptions, he maintained a high passer rating of 135.5. Smith gained 428 yards and six touchdowns on 138 rush attempts.

Donovan Smith’s Annual Salary

There is no information available about Donovan Smith's annual salary. It is so because student athletes are not entitled to get salaries from their respective universities or the NCAA.

However, student athletes do have name, image, and likeness (NIL) data for valuation, which tells their marketability and is generally used to get them endorsements, etc. Unfortunately, the NIL data for Smith is currently unavailable.

What is NIL data?

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), student athletes have been permitted to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) since the middle of 2021. This means that they can generate revenue from sponsorships, endorsement deals, and other ventures without risking their eligibility. Previously, it was against NCAA regulations for collegiate players to get paid for the use of their name, likeness, or image.

The brand value index and the role value index are the two categories that are measured by a proprietary algorithm called the NIL valuation, which determines the total NIL market and the anticipated 12-month growth rate.

The national market for sponsorship and licensing is gauged by the Brand Value Index. Data from all school collectives is gathered by the Roster Value Index and entered into exclusive roster management software. The total NIL market is determined by combining roster value and brand value.

The NIL valuation determines an athlete's brand value and roster value utilizing dynamic data points aimed at three main categories, based on the total size of the NIL market: Exposure, Influence, and Performance

Although deal data is included in the methodology, it does not track the value of NIL deals athletes have done to date or determine an athlete's NIL valuation throughout the course of their career.