On3 NIL Valuation: College football's 20 biggest risers after Week 2

Week 2 saw Notre Dame lose to Northern Illinois and Texas blowout Michigan in Ann Arbor. Now On3 is breaking down the top risers in NIL.

College football is filled with NIL stars. Colorado’s Travis Hunter has over 3 million social media followers and 367,000 YouTube subscribers. But breakout performances through the first two weeks of the season have brought a new cast of names into the spotlight.

Freshmen wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and Ryan Williams (Alabama) are becoming household names. And true freshman Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has the Cornhuskers at 2-0.

Here are the top risers in NIL after Week 2 of the college football season:

1. Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter +$321K

Travis Hunter holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $3.1 million entering Week 3 of the college football season. The two-way star posted 10 catches for 110 yards along with three tackles and a pass breakup in Colorado’s loss at Nebraska. The former Five-Star Plus+ recruit has landed in early 2025 NFL mock drafts as a possible top-five pick. He also has one of the largest NIL brands, boasting more than 3 million social media followers and endorsement deals with JLab, United Airlines and Celsius.

2. Texas QB Quinn Ewers +$300K

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers had one of the most dominant performances of his collegiate career Saturday at Michigan. He threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, along with a 66.7 completion percentage. Touting a $2.3 million On3 NIL Valuation, he’s cemented himself in the Heisman Trophy race.

3. Miami EDGE Tyler Baron +$287K

Tyler Baron had one of the busiest offseason of any player. The former Tennessee EDGE entered the portal and committed to Ole Miss, before flipping to Louisville. He hit the portal again in the spring, picking Miami over USC. Now with the Hurricanes, he’s proven to be a disruptor in the first two weeks of the season. Baron finished with five tackles and three sacks in Week 2 and now holds a $877,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

4. Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins +$247K

After a slow Ohio State debut in Week 1, Quinshon Judkins showed off what he’s capable of. The former Ole Miss transfer carried the ball just nine times but rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns in a blowout win over Western Michigan. Judkins and teammate TreVeyon Henderson make one of the top running back duos in the country. His valuation is now $1.1 million.

5. Syracuse QB Kyle McCord +$234K

Former Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns in Syrcause’s 31-28 win over No. 23 Georgia Tech. He completed 32 of 46 passes, touting a 69.6 completion percentage. McCord arrived this offseason with first-year head coach Fran Brown. The duo have Syracuse off to a 2-0 start this season and look like a contender in the ACC. The quarterback has a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation.

6. Virginia QB Anthony Colandrea +$219K

Sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea was 33 of 43 for 357 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in a tight 31-30 win at Wake Forest. Virginia is now off to a 2-0 start, in large part due to quarterback play. With an $800,000 valuation, Colandrea has rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown this season.

7. Arkansas QB Taylen Green +$216K

A former Boise State transfer, Taylen Green has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks through two weeks of the college football season. He’s thrown for 645 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 149 yards and two scores. Arkansas fell 39-31 in double overtime at Oklahoma State in Week 2, but Green threw for 416 yards. He has a $624,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

8. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith +$215K

The No. 1 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class has lived up to the hype in the first two weeks of the season. Jeremiah Smith has logged 11 catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard score in Week 2 against Western Michigan. With NIL deals with Lululemon and Battle Sports, he has more than 340,000 social media followers and a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation.

9. Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola +$200K

True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has Nebraska at 2-0 after beating rival Colorado in Lincoln last week. He flipped his commitment from Georgia to the Cornhuskers right before National Signing Day, deciding to follow in his family’s footsteps. Raiola is the son of former Nebraska and Detroit Lions offensive lineman Dominic Raiola. Along with 14 years in the NFL, his father had a legendary career for Nebraska from 1998-2000, finishing as a consensus All-American and winning the Rimington Trophy for best center in college football.

Dylan Raiola has more than 160,000 social media followers. He’s thrown for 423 yards and three touchdowns and has a $1.3 million On3 NIL Valuation.

10. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai +$163K

Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai has rushed for 373 yards on 46 carries through two games, averaging 8.1 yards per rush. He’s also posted three touchdowns. Monangai ranks No. 2 in the nation in rushing yards and has a $694,000 valuation.

11. Miami OT Francis Mauigoa +$143K

Ranked by On3 as one of the top 10 offensive tackles in the nation, Francis Mauigoa has a $712,000 On3 NIL Valuation. The Miami offensive line has allowed two sacks in two games. Mauigoa was a Five-Star Plus+ recruit in the 2023 cycle.

12. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe +$127K

With more than 220,000 social media followers and endorsement deals with Celsius and Beats by Dre, Jalen Milroe has established a brand at Alabama. He’s thrown for 394 and five touchdowns this season, posting a 65.7 completion percentage. Milroe has also been a threat on the ground, carrying the ball 22 times for 81 yards and four touchdowns. His On3 NIL Valuation is $2.2 million.

13. Oregon RB Jordan James +$124K

Oregon running back Jordan James has rushed for more than 100 yards in both games this season for the Ducks. He enters Saturday’s matchup with Oregon State with 197 rushing yards and two touchdowns. James’ On3 NIL Valuation is $748,000.

14. LSU WR Kyren Lacy +$114K

Kyren Lacy had a breakout Week 1 against USC, pulling down seven catches for 94 yards. He built off that in Week 2 with three of his five catches going for touchdowns. The LSU wide receiver has a $755,000 valuation.

15. Washington RB Jonah Coleman +$106K

Former Arizona running back Jonah Coleman followed Jedd Fisch to Seattle this offseason. He’s rushed for 231 yards in two weeks on 27 carries. Averaging 8.6 yards per carry, he also has three rushing touchdowns. Coleman’s On3 NIL Valuation is $779,000.

16. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King +$104K

A former Texas A&M transfer, Haynes King has found success in Year Two at Georgia Tech. The quarterback has thrown for 687 yards through three games, including a Week 1 win over Florida State in Dublin, Ireland. King has a 76.2 completion rate and three passing touchdowns on top of 158 rushing yards and three scores. He enters Week 3 with a $664,000 valuation.

17. Alabama WR Ryan Williams +$103K

Ryan Williams has wasted little time making his presence felt at Alabama. The former Five-Star Plus+ prospect has six catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns in two games, averaging over 34 yards per reception. He had a 84-yard score in Week 1, followed up by a 43-yard touchdown to open up Alabama’s win over USF in Week 2. The 6-foot-, 175-pound receiver has a $710,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

18. Miami WR Xavier Restrepo +$103K

One of Cam Ward’s top targets this season, Xavier Restrepo caught 11 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns in two games. Viewed as one of the top wide receivers in the 2025 NFL draft class, he has a $762,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

19. Penn State RB Nick Singleton +$86K

Now a junior at Penn State, running back Nick Singleton has posted nine yards per carry through two games. He’s rushed for 233 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns, with rushes of 41 and 40 yards. The former five-star recruit’s On3 NIL Valuation is $703,000.

20. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart +$86K

A Heisman Trophy candidate entering the 2024 season, Jaxson Dart has thrown for 795 yards and five touchdowns in two games. Along with deals with Ole Miss’ The Grove Collective and EA Sports, he was the first college athlete to sign with a private jet company, Nicholas Air, in February. Most recently Dart starred in a back-to-school campaign for Dick’s Sporting Goods. His On3 NIL Valuation sits at $2.1 million.

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.”