Kansas, Kentucky blueblood matchup full of NIL superstars

The basketball Gods don’t typically deliver a nonconference blueblood matchup this late in the season. But thanks to the final edition of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge we get to see Kansas travel to Kentucky Saturday night for a game with plenty of stars and storylines. And while the Jayhawks and Wildcats are among the biggest brands in college sports, off the court both teams have players that have done a masterful job of building their personal brands through NIL.

Here’s a look at the top five On3 NIL Valuations in what is easily one of the biggest games of the weekend.

No. 1 Oscar Tshiebwe

Position: Center
On3 NIL Valuation: $648,000
On3 NIL 100 Ranking: 40
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: 7
Total Followers: 130,000

Oscar Tshiebwe was the first Naismith Men’s Player of the Year winner to return to school since North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough did so after winning the award in 2008. It was no coincidence his decision to return to UK for 2022-2023 came after the first full offseason of the NCAA’s NIL era.

Since Tshiebwe is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has had to take a creative approach to maximize his NIL opportunities outside the U.S. During Kentucky’s exhibition tour to the Bahamas in August, he earned a reported $500,000. The Athletic reported his promotional work that week brought his total NIL earnings to roughly $2.75 million.

Tshiebwe is arguably a pioneer in the NIL landscape as an international athlete who took advantage of a trip abroad to maximize his NIL opportunities.

No. 2 Jalen Wilson

Position: Forward
On3 NIL Valuation: $637,000
On3 NIL 100 Ranking: 42
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: 9
Total Followers: 181,000

KU forward Jalen Wilson is one of the leading candidates for national player of the year, and he appeared on everybody’s midseason All-America teams. He’s averaging 21.4 points and has 11 20-plus point games. He almost single-handedly willed the Jayhawks to a victory over rival Kansas State in Bramlage Coliseum with a 38-point outburst. Additionally, during KU’s rare three-game losing streak, Wilson has been on a tear, notching a total of 91 points and 21 rebounds.

Wilson hasn’t been as in your face as some others with his brand. But he’s definitely been savvy enough to make sure he is active with NIL. He’s launched his own clothing line, worked with NFT companies and created his own T-shirts with Kansas-based Charlie Hustle and Rally House.

He was also part of one of the cooler NIL deals of 2022 when he worked with KU collective Mass Strategies to partner with local Wendy’s franchise owners.

No. 3 Gradey Dick

Position: Guard
On3 NIL Valuation: $550,000
On3 NIL 100 Ranking: 54
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: 13
Total Followers: 260,000

After arriving in Lawrence as an On3 Consensus five-star recruit and the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year, KU freshman guard Gradey Dick has taken the Big 12 by storm by averaging 14.4 points a game.

The Wichita, Kansas, native is quickly becoming one of the most beloved Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. So, it’s no surprise he’s making the most out of his NIL. He’s already been involved with multiple NIL deals, including with adidas and Long McArthur Ford, but his latest might be the best yet.

Earlier this week, Dick released a new NIL-inspired “Big Energy” T-shirt on Monday through Charlie Hustle. The T-shirt idea came from the University Daily Kansan, the KU student newspaper, which featured Dick dunking a ball on the entire front page of the publication with the words “Big Energy” in big bold print. The design was a hat tip to Latto’s popular “Big Energy,” which was on the Hot 100 for more than 30 weeks last spring.

By doing clever deals like this, along with working with major brands, it’s no surprise to see that Dick’s On3 NIL Valuation is at $550,000 and has climbed more than 180% over the past 10 weeks.

No. 4 Cason Wallace

Position: Guard
On3 NIL Valuation: $246,000
On3 NIL 100 Ranking: 181
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: 29
Total Followers: 37,000

Kentucky guard Cason Wallace has been battling through back spasms through parts of the season, which has limited him some for the Wildcats. Yet, the former On3 Consensus five-star recruit is still averaging 11.2 points, is shooting 40% from 3-point range and has 38 steals during his true freshman season. He enters Saturday’s game with three straight double-digit performances, including 17 points against Tennessee.

Wallace signed in June with Excel Sports to represent him in future NIL opportunities. That combined with his lofty high school ranking are big reasons why he has a very impressive On3 NIL Valuation of $246,000.

Unlike others on this list, Wallace hasn’t promoted a large number of NIL deals. It also didn’t help him that he played at Richardson High School in Texas, where NIL is against the rules for high schoolers. Still, with his continued solid play and major recruiting resume, he could see NIL opportunities expand, especially if he were to return to Kentucky for his sophomore year.

No. 5 MJ Rice

Position: Forward
On3 NIL Valuation: $143,000
On3 NIL 100 Ranking: 411
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: 47
Total Followers: 64,000

MJ Rice arrived at KU this season as an On3 Consensus four-star recruit, a 2022 McDonald’s All-American and lofty expectations. But it’s taken time for him to adjust to the college game, according to Jayhawks coach Bill Self.

“MJ Rice is kind of a young Wayne Selden type, and Wayne was a terrific player for us,” Self said. “Hopefully, MJ can become a reactor instead of a thinker, because he’s thinking too much now. But he’s going to be a great player for us.”

Along with that adjustment process, Rice has battled through some injuries this season. He is averaging only 3.2 points a game, and Rice has only played in three games in January.

Still, Rice plays for KU, which gives him a massive opportunity to make the most out of his NIL brand in the future. That’s especially true with Mass Strategies, the KU-focused collective, developing into one of the best in the country.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV).

A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.  

The Brand Value Index measures the national licensing and sponsorship market. The Roster Value Index collects data from all school Collectives into a proprietary Roster Management software. Brand Value and Roster Value are combined to create the overall NIL market.

Using the overall NIL market size, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s Brand Value and Roster Value by 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.

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.