Recent Florida State, Ohio State commits see notable increase in On3 NIL Valuations

The flurry of commitments from top recruits ahead of high school football season continues.

In the last week, some cornerback dominoes fell on the recruiting trail. Charles Lester III picked Florida State over Colorado, while Aaron Scott committed to Ohio State. Five-star receiver Perry Thompson flipped from Alabama to Auburn, too. All saw significant growth in their On3 NIL Valuation.

Currently, 246 of the top 300 On3 Industry prospects are committed.

The increase in On3 NIL Valuations comes from the major school brands now associated with the recruits. Playing for a preeminent program guarantees eyeballs will be on the athlete and signifies just how talented the prospect is. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index and sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes.

Here’s a look at five recruits who saw their valuations jump this week following their commitment:

Charles Lester III – Florida State

Position: Cornerback
On3 NIL Valuation: $321,000
Increase over last week: $62,000
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 20

The five-star cornerback kept building the anticipation around his decision until commitment day, even taking a visit to Colorado days before. But Charles Lester III stayed in-state and committed to Florida State. Playing for the Sarasota Seminoles since he was 14, he received an offer from Mike Norvell when he was a sophomore in high school. As for his future NIL brand, Lester cannot ink an endorsement contract as a high school athlete in the state of Florida. Building a strong social media following will only help when he arrives in Tallahassee; he has upwards of 26,000 followers.

Perry Thompson – Auburn

Position: Wide receiver
On3 NIL Valuation: $250,000
Increase over last week: $34,000
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 29

A major flip for Hugh Freeze and his Auburn staff, Perry Thompson announced his decision last Saturday. The in-state, five-star prospect is the second flip for the Tigers, coming three days after five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick picked Auburn after committing to Georgia in November. Thompson is the No. 29 overall prospect in the 2024 cycle. He was committed to Alabama for over a year but picked Freeze and Auburn because of the head coach’s background in developing receivers. His On3 NIL Valuation has seen a 16% growth in the past 10 weeks.

Akili Smith Jr. – Oregon

Position: Quarterback
On3 NIL Valuation: $188,000
Increase over last week: $30,000
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 88 (Class of 2025)

The son of former Oregon star and top-five NFL draft pick Akili Smith, Akili Smith Jr. grew up in Ducks gear and has been around the program on multiple occasions. The No. 8 passer in the 2025 class thought about waiting until after his junior season to make his commitment. But Smith made the decision when he was on campus this past weekend and announced the commitment Monday. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback threw for 2,432 yards this past season, tossing 29 touchdowns and four interceptions. A rising junior at Vista Murrieta in California, he can start inking NIL deals before he arrives at Oregon.

Aaron Scott Jr. – Ohio State

Position: Cornerback
On3 NIL Valuation: $182,000
Increase over last week: $22,000
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 42

Four-star Springfield (Ohio) cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. arguably pulled one of the top commitment fakeouts this past weekend. The top-ranked prospect in Ohio laid out a backpack and hat from Ohio State, Oregon and Michigan on the table. After playing around with the audience and picking up up the Oregon and Ohio State bags, Scott picked up the Maize and Blue backpack. He pulled out a No. 5 Buckeyes jersey, paying respect to Braxton Miller, also a Springfield native. More than 7,000 fans streamed the decision, showing just how highly-anticipated the decision was. Now one of the leaders of Ohio State’s 2024 class, Scott has nearly 18,000 followers.

Kris Jones – Georgia

Position: Linebacker
On3 NIL Valuation: $115,000
Increase over last week: $18,200
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 128

The 13th player to commit to Georgia since the beginning of June, the Bulldogs now have 26 commits in the class. The second linebacker in the 2024 class, Kris Jones joins five-star commit Justin Williams. With with 142 tackles, including 26 for loss, as a sophomore at Fairfax (Virginia) High, Florida appeared to be a leader for Jones. But a visit to Athens in June changed the outcome of his recruitment. The No. 2 recruit coming out of Virginia is allowed to sign NIL deals as a high schooler.

“What pushed Georgia to the top was the development aspect,” Jones told On3’s Chad Simmons. “They do such a great job of developing their players and It’s really second to none. … They just prepare their players so well. Seeing guys like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith in the draft and how they’re doing such a great job already in Philly, you know they do a great job of developing their guys and getting them ready for the NFL.”

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.