C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr. surge in top 10 college football On3 NIL Valuations

For the first week this season, there is a new name atop the college football On3 NIL Valuations.

C.J. Stroud overtook Bryce Young this week. With Stroud now at 24 total touchdowns on the season and the Alabama quarterback’s status still questionable for this weekend’s top-10 matchup with Tennessee, it’s not a surprise. The Ohio State quarterback has also emerged as the favorite to win this year’s Heisman.

On3 breaks down the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations entering Week 7 of the college football season. This season marks the second year athletes are able to profit from their NIL and their marketability can increase because of their accomplishments on the field.

Let’s dive in.

1. C.J. Stroud

On300 Ranking: No. 1
On3 NIL Valuation: $2.6 million
Movement: +$15,100
Position: Quarterback

C.J. Stroud is now the odds-on favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy from New York City this season, per Vegas Insider. The Ohio State quarterback tore apart the Michigan State defense in East Lansing on Saturday, passing for 361 yards and a record-tying six touchdowns in the 49-20 win. Along with the weekly awards he won following the win, his name sits atop nearly the Heisman board. Now in the bye week, the Buckeyes will host Iowa next weekend before a trip to Happy Valley on Oct. 29. It’s hard to see Stroud letting up, especially with Bryce Young dealing with an AC joint shoulder injury.

2. Bryce Young

On300 Ranking: No. 12
On3 NIL Valuation: $2.6 million
Movement: -$380,000
Position: Quarterback

Alabama nearly let Texas A&M pull off a major comeback on Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium, needing a stop on the final play of the game to hold off the Aggies. The Crimson Tide missed their quarterback in the tight 24-20 win. Without Young, Alabama produced just 111 yards through the air. The running game delivered, however, enough to muster out the win. Young’s status for this weekend’s showdown in Knoxville with Tennessee remains unknown. “Bryce is getting re-evaluated today,” Nick Saban said talking to the media Monday. “I don’t really know much.”

3. Bijan Robinson

On300 Ranking: No. 3
On3 NIL Valuation: $2 million
Movement: $320,000
Position: Running Back

Bijan Robinson had his best game of the season in Texas‘ 49-0 trouncing of Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. The Longhorns running back finished Saturday with 22 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns. With Quinn Ewers back under center, the Texas offense just clicked. And Robinson made sure to make the running game a dominant facet of the offense. He has quietly pieced together a strong start to the season, totaling 645 yards on 110 carries. If this Texas team is going to make another run toward the Big 12 title game, Robinson will play a major role.

4. Caleb Williams

On300 Ranking: No. 11
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.7 million
Movement: -$315,000
Position: Quarterback

Lincoln Riley‘s USC project continues to be a success, thanks in part to Caleb Williams. The Trojans now sit at No. 7 in the AP poll following Saturday night’s win over Washington State. The biggest challenge yet of the season comes this weekend, with USC set to travel to No. 20 Utah. The Utes are coming off a blowout loss at the Rose Bowl to UCLA. A commanding win from Williams and USC would set the table for a collision course with the Bruins. And the College Football Playoff bid in Year 1 with the Trojans is not far off.

5. Jordan Addison

On300 Ranking: No. 4
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.7 million
Movement: $3,500
Position: Wide Receiver

It’s hard to overstate the impact Jordan Addison has had in just a few months at USC. Through six games this fall, the wide receiver has 32 catches for 479 yards and six touchdowns. Against Washington State this past weekend, he was held to just three catches for 37 yards. More and more defenses will continue to pay attention to him, even throwing double coverage at him. But he’s been the main reason why things have gone swimmingly for the Trojans. All of that’s not to mention the exposure he’s received since moving out to Los Angeles. His social media following continues to grow and now sits at more than 44,000. His On3 NIL Valuation has also grown more than $800,000 over the past 14 weeks.

6. Will Anderson

On300 Ranking: No. 2
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.7 million
Movement: $8,500
Position: EDGE

He only finished with two total tackles in Alabama’s win over Texas A&M this past weekend, but he made sure the Aggies had to account for him on every play. Will Anderson has continued to torment defenses this season. The Crimson Tide battered Haynes King on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, tallying 14 quarterback hurries. Eight of those came from Anderson. Tennessee will have to find a way to slow down the edge rusher this weekend. Hendon Hooker will need time in the pocket, and Will Anderson make the Volunteers offensive line make plays.

7. Marvin Harrison Jr.

On300 Ranking: No. 5
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.3 million
Movement: +$684,000
Position: Wide Receiver

Maybe it was the insane touchdown catch, jolting himself in the air to make the acrobatic catch against Michigan State. Or maybe it was the three total touchdown catches on the day. But Marvin Harrison Jr.‘s social media following exploded following another eye-catching performance this past weekend in East Lansing. He saw a 25.9% jump on Instagram and a 19.0% growth in his Twitter following. His total count now sits north of 125,000. Add in the on-field success and Harrison is ready to be college football’s next star. The son of NFL great Marvin Harrison has to head back to Columbus for a final year of college — he’s just a sophomore.

8. Quinn Ewers

On300 Ranking: No. 54
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.2 million
Movement: +$146,000
Position: Quarterback

Quinn Ewers has had quite a few string of days. He made his return from injury in time for the Red River Showdown, throwing for four touchdowns and one interception while completing 67% of his passes for 289 yards. He impressed so much that the what-ifs began to circulate if he had not gotten hurt against Alabama. And he announced three NIL deals in five days. First was a seven-figure NFT deal with Metabillia. Then he inked a partnership with Lucchese Bootmaker, gifting bags to his offensive line. And on Monday was a Sonic social media ad with his wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

9. Shedeur Sanders

On300 Ranking: N/A
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.2 million
Movement: +$146,000
Position: Quarterback

Shedeur Sanders continues to build his brand in unique ways. The Jackson State quarterback recently announced the launch of his own barbecue sauce. The “#2 BBQ Sauce” will go on sale at the Jackson State Bookstore and Kroger grocery stores in the area. Sanders’ sauce is a thick, tomato-based, molasses-style sauce. It also includes vinegar and a smoky touch. And he’s finding success on the field, too, throwing for three touchdowns in Saturday’s 26-12 win over Alabama State.

10. Brock Bowers

On300 Ranking: No. 8
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Movement: -$272,000
Position: Tight End

Brock Bowers struggled this past weekend against Auburn, finishing with only two catches for 36 yards. That does not take away from the season he has pieced together. Now through six games, he’s averaging 17.2 yards per catch with two touchdown catches. And he’s emerged as a weapon for Georgia in the running game, with 82 yards on just three carries. All have resulted in touchdown runs, too. The tight end continues to prove he can do whatever Georgia needs to produce positive yardage on offense.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

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
+ 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.