Top-ranked 2023 recruit DJ Wagner Jr. signs with WME Sports

DJ Wagner Jr. has inked two NIL deals before even announcing his college commitment. And he’s not looking to slow down anytime soon.

The five-star combo guard out of Camden, New Jersey, has signed with WME Sports for NIL representation. Historically a golf and tennis focused sports agency, it has ramped up its basketball and football efforts in recent years. It currently works with names such as Justin Jefferson and Joel Embiid.

Wagner’s name can be added to the growing list. He is the No. 1 player in the nation per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He’s the top recruit out of the state of New Jersey and emerged on the college basketball scene in middle school. Known for his competitiveness and defensive ability, he makes up for his offensive game around the rim.

And since he lives in New Jersey, Wagner is able to his monetize their NIL. New Jersey is one of 19 states that allows high schoolers to turn a profit while not putting their amateur status in jeopardy.

He’s signed two deals so far, both with Nike. The first was a partnership with Drake’s Nike sub-label NOCTA, appearing in promotional material for the brand. And last week Nike officially signed the combo guard along with Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones and Judea Watkins.

Wagner led Camden to its first state title since 2000 this past winter. The two-time New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year had a strong summer, too, playing in the Nike EYBL circuit with the New Jersey Scholars.

His recruitment was trending towards Kentucky at the time of the NOCTA deal. All signs still point towards the 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard joining John Calipari in Lexington. Plus, Kentucky is a Nike school.

The other team in contention in Wagner’s recruitment just happens to be Kentucky’s chief rival — Louisville. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently gives the Wildcats a 99% chance to land Wagner.

The five-star recruit is going to command clout in the NIL space in college. Signing on with WME Sports will only set him up for success.

DJ Wagner Jr.’s On3 NIL Valuation

With an On3 NIL evaluation of $662,000, Wagner’s valuation ranks No. 6 in the high school basketball rankings. Over the past past 14 weeks, his profile has seen a $573,000 growth. And with his impending commitment to either Kentucky or Louisville, reaching a $700,000 valuation is not far off. He also sits at No. 55 in the NIL 100.

The top-ranked recruit in the 2023 recruiting class has a combined 115k followers on social media, thanks for the most part due to a massive Instagram following. All of which combines to a per post valuation of $2,200.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.