Game show ‘Road to NILion$’ features Will Levis, Jordan Chiles, Jared McCain, Juju Watkins

Some of the biggest names in college athletics and on the recruiting trail have entered into an NIL agreement with Cash App and UNINTERRUPTED for a new YouTube-focused game show called “The Road to NILion$.”

The show and the NIL deal feature former Kentucky record-breaking quarterback Will Levis, UCLA and Team USA gymnastics star Jordan Chiles, five-star Duke men’s basketball signee Jared McCain and five-star USC women’s basketball signee Juju Watkins.

According to a news release, the four-part series features rising star athletes sharing first-hand experiences navigating the NIL landscape. The game show also aims to educate student-athletes and their parents about ways to help sustain their lives and finances while continuing past their playing careers. UNINTERRUPTED is the athlete empowerment brand founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. “The Road to NILion$” is hosted by ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson.

What is ‘Road to NILion$’ about?

In each episode, two athletes participate in a game-style competition that includes physical challenges and acquiring “money” throughout the show. The athletes who accumulate the highest net worth of money at the end of the game against their respective opponents will get to select an amateur athlete of their choice to work with Cash App for a personal NIL deal and experience.

“Cash App is elated to partner with UNINTERRUPTED for this new initiative as we work to empower student-athletes with the financial knowledge needed to navigate NIL deals for the first time,” Catherine Ferdon, head of brand at Cash App, said in a news release. “By sharing the NIL experiences of college sports’ most well-known faces, it’s our hope that student-athletes will be more prepared to engage with this new landscape.

“With a long-term commitment of bridging the remaining gaps in financial education, this is another impactful program in helping Gen Z set themselves up for long-term financial success.”

The first episode is now live on the UNINTERRUPTED YouTube channel and additional episodes will be released throughout the month.

‘Road to NILion$’ athletes have massive On3 NIL Valuations

Not only does “The Road to NILion$” feature some of the top student-athletes in the country, but it also features players that have massive On3 NIL Valuations.

Jared McCain – the No. 15 overall recruit in the 2023 class – is already a household name before he arrives at Duke.

McCain carefully crafted a strong brand with more than 1.7 million followers on TikTok before the start of his senior year of high school. He was also one of the early success stories with NIL, announcing deals with Lemon Perfect and Champs Sports and even having his own pair of crocs. His On3 NIL Valuation is $1.2 million, which is No. 16 overall in the On3 NIL 100 – a defacto ranking of the NIL valuations in the country regardless of sport.

Jordan Chiles helped lead the United States to a team silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games and is an eight-year U.S. National Team member. During the 2022 season at UCLA, Chiles earned second-team All-America honors after tying for seventh in her session and 14th overall on floor exercise at the NCAA Championships. She won the Pac-12 championship in 2023 in the uneven bars and the floor exercise. Chiles was named All-Pac 12 first team in all-around, vault, bars, floor and honorable mention acclaim on the beam.

Chiles has also been a massive force in NIL with deals with Reebok, Pottery Barn Teen, DoorDash, Urban Outfitters, GK Gymnastics, Gymshark, Amazon, SoFi, Degree and many others. She also participated in the first-ever NIL Summit and was named Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. Her On3 NIL Valuation is $359,000.

Levis, Watkins are also big NIL earners

Will Levis broke records in his career at Kentucky. He was recently projected as the No. 3 pick in the upcoming NFL draft in the latest update from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Levis had a strong performance at the NFL Combine and has been high on Kiper’s draft board for some time now. He’s also been a strong performer in the NIL world.

On Monday, Juju Watkins was named the Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year after averaging 27.3 points and 13 rebounds during the 2022-2023 season at Los Angeles’ Sierra Canyon High School. She was also named the Gatorade National Player of the Year. Last summer, Watkins earned MVP while helping the U-17 U.S. women’s national team to a FIBA World Cup championship.

Watkins became the first high school star to sign with Klutch Sports for NIL representation, and she already has a massive On3 NIL Valuation of $158,000 before she even arrives at USC. She’s already signed NIL deals with Lids, Nike and others.

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.

Furthermore, 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. 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.