If you want a preview of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, just follow the 2026 NCAA men’s track and field season.
From sprinters to distance runners to throwers, track and field rosters throughout the NCAA are loaded with potential Olympians. Some hope to compete for the United States, while others plan to represent their home nations.
As a general rule, track and field athletes don’t make huge NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) money compared to marquee sports like football and basketball. But as the world starts to look ahead to the 2028 Olympics, there will be plenty of opportunities for track and field athletes to cash in. Major sponsors—particularly shoe and apparel companies—are well aware of the enormous international exposure that comes with the Olympics and are likely to pursue partnership deals with top athletes as 2028 draws closer.
Here’s a look at the top men’s track and field athletes in 2026:
Ja’Kobe Tharp, Hurdles, Auburn
Tharp already has secured a spot in NCAA track and field history. In 2025, he won the NCAA outdoor championship in the 110-meter hurdles and the indoor championship in the 60-meter hurdles. In 2024, he made headlines when he ran the 110-meter hurdles in 13.18 seconds at the SEC Championships, breaking the previous record set by Renaldo Nehemiah in 1978. Tharp already has a significant NIL deal with Adidas and is likely to pick up more partnerships along the way.
Colin Sahlman, Distance, Northern Arizona
In 2025, Sahlman won both the indoor and outdoor Big Sky Conference championships in the 800 meters. In 2024, Sahlman and Northern Arizona women’s track star Maggi Cogdon signed NIL deals with HOKA, a shoe and apparel company.
Jonathan Simms, Sprints, Georgia
Only a 19-year-old freshman, Simms is making a huge splash at the NCAA level and emerging as an attractive NIL target. In January, he ran the fourth-fastest time in NCAA history in the indoor 400 meters—just 0.13 seconds off the world record held by Christopher Morales Williams. While still in high school, Simms was part of Nike’s elite program, which supplied shoes and apparel to 40 of the nation’s top track and field athletes.
Mykolas Alekna, Discus, Oregon
Bloodlines run deep in the Alekna family. Mykolas’ father, Virgilijus, won two Olympic gold medals in the discus. A Lithuania native, Alekna is the current world-record holder with a throw of 247 feet, 10.8 inches and won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. After beginning his college career at Cal, Alekna transferred to Oregon after receiving a significant deal from the school’s collective. He has his sights set on gold at the 2028 Olympics.
Peyton Bair, Combined Events, Oregon
While at Mississippi State in 2025, Bair won NCAA championships in the indoor heptathlon and the outdoor decathlon, becoming just the seventh male athlete in NCAA history to win both in the same year. An Idaho native, Bair transferred to Oregon to be closer to family and also secured a strong NIL deal through the Ducks’ collective. He is considered a top candidate for the 2028 U.S. Olympic team.
Habtom Samuel, Distance, New Mexico
An Eritrean distance runner, Samuel has already won multiple NCAA national championships. In 2024, he captured the outdoor 10,000-meter title, and in 2025 he won the national cross country championship. Shortly after his cross country win, Samuel signed an NIL deal with HOKA.
Gary Martin, Distance, Virginia
One of the nation’s top distance runners, Martin also excels in cross country, winning the 2024 ACC championship. On the track, he anchored Virginia’s distance medley relay team that won the 2025 NCAA indoor championship. Known for racing in glasses, Martin has an NIL deal with Brooks Running.
Ralford Mullings, Discus, Oklahoma
The Jamaica native has competed collegiately at Arizona State, Arkansas, and now Oklahoma. Mullings won the 2025 NCAA outdoor championship in the discus and was a member of Jamaica’s 2024 Olympic team. With a strong social media presence, Mullings could see expanded NIL opportunities heading toward 2028.
Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan, Throws, Ole Miss
Robinson-O’Hagan competes in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw, but his best event is the shot put. He won both the 2024 NCAA indoor and outdoor shot put championships and remains one of the top American throwers in college track.
Jonathan Seremes, Jumps, Texas Tech
A native of France, Seremes transferred from Missouri to Texas Tech after the 2025 season. As a freshman, he won the 2025 NCAA indoor championship in the triple jump. After narrowly missing qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Seremes has said he is determined to compete in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles and is already appearing on Bowerman Award watchlists.
John Rutledge, Sam Abati, and Brandon Gorski, Various Events, Texas
These three Texas athletes recently agreed to an NIL deal with McDonald’s. Rutledge is a five-time All-American sprinter, Gorski is one of the nation’s top freshman high jumpers, and Abati is a sophomore pole vaulter. Their deal highlights how NIL opportunities are expanding across track and field.
The NIL Outlook for Olympic-Level Track Athletes
The 2026 NCAA men’s track season is about more than championships. It’s a proving ground for Olympic hopefuls and a key window for NIL growth. As LA 2028 approaches, athletes with elite performances, compelling personal stories, and global appeal will be best positioned to benefit from increased brand investment.
Learn More About the NIL Landscape
Name, Image, and Likeness plays an increasing role in college sports, and understanding how it works often requires more than individual articles or news updates.
RallyFuel is a platform focused on NIL-related topics across college athletics. It brings together information about athletes, NIL activity, and the broader structure behind modern college sports, helping readers explore the topic in more depth.
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