Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons' On3 NIL Valuation spikes following Texas commitment

Colin Simmons became the most sought-after high school recruit this summer.

The Five-Star Plus+ EDGE prospect from Duncanville (Texas) High did not rush the process. Simmons took a range of visits, making stops at Alabama, SMU and Miami in June. He closed out the month with an official visit trip to Austin, giving Texas a final look.

The Longhorns appeared to be the frontrunner. But the No. 5 overall prospect in the 2024 cycle made one final visit in July: A trip to Baton Rouge for LSU’s Bayou Splash. The visit put LSU back in the mix. The 6-foot-2.5, 225-pound EDGE ultimately stayed in the Lone Star State, picking the Longhorns.

“When it came down to it, I just had to think about family and what’s best for my family,” Simmons told On3. “What’s the best position my family can be put in and Texas is the best that is.”

The decision has come with a major payoff in his On3 NIL Valuation. Simmons entered June with more than 100,000 followers, with major college fanbases paying attention to his recruitment through his social media profiles. Since the nation’s top EDGE announced his commitment five days ago, his following has grown to more than 124,000 followers.

The jump in his social media paired with his commitment to a major college football brand like Texas has brought his On3 NIL Valuation to $527,000, a $112,000 increase since last week. Most of the college football world had their eyes on his commitment, which has garnered more than 30,000 views on On3’s YouTube channel.

His On3 NIL Valuation now ranks No. 5 in the high school football NIL rankings. The valuation has cracked the On3 NIL 100, too. Simmons sits at No. 94 in the rankings, which are the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

Simmons’ valuation has seen a 10-week growth of $110,000, a 27% uptick.

Colin Simmons preparing to embrace NIL

While the state of Texas prohibits high schoolers from monetizing their publicity rights, Simmons is well-positioned to begin signing NIL deals with brands once he steps foot in Austin. Having a large social media following can equate to a successful NIL brand, with companies prioritizing the reach athletes can bring.

His on-field success will bring plenty of major names to the table. This past season, he set the Texas UIL state sack record and captured defensive MVP honors in the state title game against Galena Park North Shore.

Of his 124,000 followers and counting, 75K reside on Simmons’ TikTok account. The rising senior has posted a variety of content, ranging from Duncanville highlights to recruiting trips. The value of a strong TikTok following continues to rise for spenders in the NIL space.

“Regardless of ranking them, the fact of the matter is TikTok is absolutely at the table with Meta and YouTube,” Bose’s head of global media and partnerships Jack Daley previously told On3. “So, when we’re planning for the year – I oversee our media spend – the immediate dollars that we’re looking to spend on the content, the athletes we’re signing like that is a primary platform for us. Two years ago, I would have referred to it as an emerging platform.”

This is only a starting point for Colin Simmons, though. He could make the decision to start a YouTube account, which could add real NIL value. The Texas commit is primed to be an NIL winner.

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 and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

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 accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.