On3 NIL Valuation: College football's 20 biggest risers after Week 7

Four of college football’s 17 games with top-25 teams went into overtime in Week 7. More chaos allows for more NIL stars to be born. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia continues to turn heads, this time leading the Commodores to a 4-2 mark, their best start since 2008.

On3 breaks down the top NIL risers in college football each week using the On3 NIL Valuation, which is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes.

Here are the top risers in NIL after Week 7 of the college football season:

1. Texas OT Cameron Williams +$275K

The third-year offensive tackle has shot up draft boards this fall opposite Kelvin Banks. Cameron Williams has played in 27 games with six starts, earning SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 2. The 6-foot-5, 335-pound tackle has shown off impressed on the right side of the Texas offensive line. Williams’ On3 NIL Valuation has spiked to $577,00.

2. Oregon DT Derrick Harmon +$275K

Former Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon transferred to Oregon for moments like last Saturday. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle ripped the ball out of Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins’s hands, forcing a fumble in the first quarter. He finished with three total tackles and a pass breakup. Harmon now has a $576,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

3. Louisville QB Tyler Shough +$258K

Tyler Shough is at his third school in six seasons, playing out the final year of his college career at Louisville. The former Oregon and Texas Tech quarterback has thrown for 1,674 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions this season. The Cardinals are coming off a win over Virginia entering Saturday’s matchup with No. 6 Miami. Shough has a $703,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

4. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier +$196K

Garrett Nussmeier threw a tying touchdown pass to Aaron Anderson in the final seconds of the fourth quarter and then hit Kyren Lacy for a 25-yard scoring strike on LSU’s first overtime play, stunning Ole Miss 29-26. Nussmeier struggled for most of the game, throwing two interceptions before stepping up late for the Tigers. The win catapults LSU back into the SEC title race and College Football Playoff conversation. Nussmeier has thrown for 1,989 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. His On3 NIL Valuation now sits at $1.7 million.

5. West Virginia EDGE TJ Jackson +$174K

The former Troy transfer ranks No. 10 in the nation in tackles for loss. West Virginia EDGE TJ Jackson has posted 24 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks this season. He’s also forced a fumble and now holds a $647,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

6. Kansas State RB DJ Giddens +$139K

Kansas State‘s DJ Giddens racked up 182 yards Saturday night at Colorado, becoming the first running back to break 100 yards against the Buffaloes. Giddens has rushed for 786 yards on 108 carries this season, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. He ranks second in the Big 12 in rushing yards. Giddens has a $685,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

7. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik +$130K

After a rough start to the season in Week 1 against Georgia, Cade Klubnik has entered Heisman Trophy contention. The Clemson quarterback has thrown 1,528 yards, 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He’s also posted a 66.8 completion percentage. Klubnik touts a $1.2 million On3 NIL Valuation.

8. Oregon WR Evan Stewart +$118K

Oregon struggled to get Evan Stewart involved in the passing game for the first six weeks of the season. On Saturday night he ran past the Ohio State secondary, posting a career-best seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. The former five-star recruit showed off his speed on the national stage, speeding past Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke for a 69-yard catch early in the second quarter. He finished that drive with a touchdown on a red zone fade, burning Burke again. Stewart has a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation.

9. Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia +$101K

A week after Diego Pavia outplayed Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe in Vanderbilt’s upset of Alabama, the New Mexico State transfer played through injury and led the Commodores to a win at Kentucky. Pavia was 15 of 18 for 143 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also rushed for 53 yards on 14 carries in the 20-13 road win. The quarterback injured his knee on a third-quarter run but played through injury to help Vanderbilt improve to 4-2, its best start since 2008. Pavia’s valuation now sits at $818,000.

10. South Carolina EDGE Kyle Kennard +$101K

Kyle Kennard was constantly in the Alabama backfield throughout South Carolina’s 27-25 loss in Tuscaloosa. The former Georgia Tech transfer posted seven total tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. He also forced a safety at the end of the first half. One of the top pass rushers in the nation forced three hurries, too. Kennard has seen his valuation grow to $624,000.

No. 11 to No. 15

11. Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson +$97K
12. Iowa DB Jermari Harris +$95K
13. Texas QB Quinn Ewers +$82K
14. Missouri QB Brady Cook +$76K
15. Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka +$70K

Ewers made his return as No. 1 Texas cruised to a 34-3 win over Oklahoma in the first Red Rivalry edition with both teams in the SEC. Ewers returned four weeks after straining his abdomen, throwing for 199 yards and finishing 20 of 29. Egbuka had 10 catches for 93 yards and a touchdown in the loss at Oregon.

No. 16 to No. 20

16. Georgia QB Carson Beck +$57K
17. Syracuse QB Kyle McCord +$53K
18. LSU WR Kyren Lacy +$51K
19. Virginia QB Anthony Colandrea +$51K
20. Kansas OT Logan Brown +$51K

McCord threw for 346 yards as Syracuse picked up its third consecutive win. Lacy caught the game-winning overtime touchdown pass for LSU to knock off Ole Miss. Colandrea took Louisville down to the wire, throwing for 279 yards and rushing for 84.

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.

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.

“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”