On3 NIL Valuation: College football's 20 biggest risers after Week 5

Week 5 provided the spotlight for multiple true freshmen to have breakout performances and boost their NIL value. Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams nearly doubled his Instagram following after his game-winning touchdown catch went viral. Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith made multiple one-handed catches as his On3 NIL Valuation continues to rise. Both are favorites for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top wide receiver.

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 5 of the college football season:

1. Alabama WR Ryan Williams + $566K

With Alabama trailing 34-33 in the fourth quarter, Ryan Williams spun up in the air to grab a Jalen Milroe pass, before spinning again and running past two Georgia defenders. The 75-yard touchdown put Alabama up 41-34 for good. The former Five-Star Plus+ wide receiver has added nearly 160,000 followers on Instagram. Williams’ On3 NIL Valuation has jumped $768,000 to $1.5 million since Saturday’s game. The Alabama wide receiver now has over 640,000 social media followers. His valuation has more than doubled.

2. Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders +$396K

One of the NIL stars of college football, he touts over 2.7 million social media followers. Shedeur Sanders has been cashing in on NIL since 2021. Working closely with SMAC Entertainment and Constance Schwartz-Morini, he’s signed with Gatorade, launched his own barbecue sauce, been tabbed as the BRADY brand’s long-term ambassador and promoted Mercedes Benz. Most recently, he became the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with Nike. Through five games, Sanders has thrown for 1,630 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. He touts a $5.6 million On3 NIL Valuation.

3. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe +$285K

The Alabama quarterback accounted for 491 yards from scrimmage with four touchdowns against Georgia, entering the Heisman Trophy situation in a statement win for Jalen Milroe. One of the most exciting players in college football, the quarterback has thrown for 964 yards this season with 10 touchdowns and only one interception. He’s also rushed for 273 yards and eight touchdowns. Milroe has built an impressive NIL portfolio, touting deals with Rhoback, the NIL collective Yea Alabama and Hey Dude. His On3 NIL Valuation sits at $2.5 million.

4. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith +$249K

Jeremiah Smith has posted 19 catches for 364 yards and five touchdowns through four games. More impressive, he’s averaging 19.2 yards per catch. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Ohio State wide receiver is the cousin of NFL quarterback Geno Smith. Since July, Smith has doubled his social media following and now has 376,100 followers across Instagram, TikTok and X. His On3 NIL Valuation continues to climb, too. The wide receiver holds a valuation of $1.4 million. The On3 NIL Valuation has grown by $648,000 since July and $249,000 after his performance Saturday at Michigan State.

5. Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke +$168K

The 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year has seamlessly made the jump to Indiana and the Big Ten. Kurtis Rourke has thrown for 1,372 yards with 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions, leading Indiana to a 5-0 start to the season. He’s also rushed for two touchdowns. Rourke has a $638,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

6. Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks +$166K

Tahj Brooks returned to Texas Tech for the 2024 season to cement his legacy in West Texas. Brooks entered the season with an opportunity to break the Red Raider career rushing record of 4,219 yards that was set by Doak Walker winner Byron Hanspard from 1994-96.  He’s rushed for 551 yards on 103 carries and four touchdowns this season, bringing his career total to 3,606 yards. He has a $711,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

7. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik +$108K

After a rough start to the season against Georgia, Cade Klubnik has had a breakout month. The Clemson quarterback is the only Power 4 quarterback this season to have done each of these: throw for over 12 touchdowns, post a 60% or higher completion percentage and have an average depth of target of 11 or more yards. Klubnik touts a $985,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

8. Syracuse QB Kyle McCord +$95K

Former Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord has thrown for 1,459 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions in four games. With a 64.4 completion percentage, Syracuse is 3-1 entering Friday night’s game at No. 25 UNLV. The quarterback has a $1.2 million On3 NIL Valuation and recently signed an agreement with Terrell’s Potato Chips.

9. Texas A&M EDGE Nic Scourton +$95K

Before transferring to Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 season, Nic Scourton earned second-team All-Big Ten honors with Purdue after totaling 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss. The pass rusher has wreaked havoc with the Aggies this season, posting 14 tackles with three sacks and a forced fumble. Scourton has a $763,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

10. Miami QB Cam Ward +$79K

Miami quarterback Cam Ward was 24 of 38 for 343 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions against Virginia Tech. The game ended in controversy as a game-winning Virginia Tech touchdown was ruled incomplete after a review of the game’s final play. A Heisman Trophy hopeful, Ward recently signed with C4 Energy and has a $2 million On3 NIL Valuation.

No. 11 to No. 15

11. Washington RB Jonah Coleman +$76K
12. Miami OT Francis Mauigoa +$75K
13. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai +$71K
14. Oregon WR Tez Johnson +$66K
15. Michigan EDGE Josaiah Stewart +$60K

Coleman pieced together his best performance of the season last Friday at Rutgers, rushing for 148 yards while averaging 9.3 yards per carry. Rutgers edged out Washington, as Monangai rushed for 132 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown. Johnson continues to turn heads, posting 11 catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in a win over UCLA.

No. 16 to No. 20

16. Missouri QB Brady Cook +$49K
17. Penn State QB Drew Allar +$45K
18. Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter +$42K
19. Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard +$41K
20. Ole Miss EDGE Princely Umanmielen +$38K

Leonard had his most complete outing of the season in a 31-24 win over No. 15 Louisville. The Fighting Irish quarterback was 17 of 23 for 163 yards and two touchdowns, his first two-touchdown performance of the season. He also rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Allar and Penn State handled Illinois as the quarterback was 15 of 21 for 135 passing yards.

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.”