Spencer Sanders, Walker Howard ink NIL deals with The Grove Collective

When Lane Kiffin landed Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard in January, Ole Miss had one of the most talented quarterback rooms in the nation overnight.

Days before the commitments, the Rebels only had Jaxson Dart as a possible starter. The former USC transfer threw for 2,974 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in Year 1 in Oxford. Now the quarterback trio will all challenge for the job this spring.

Landing all three took a strong recruiting pitch from Kiffin. Ole Miss also has a strong name, image and likeness infrastructure. The Grove Collective announced in late November it topped the $10 million mark in fundraising, one of the top reported totals in the NIL collective market.

Now the preferred collective of Rebel athletics has signed Sanders and Howard, making the announcement on Twitter.

A former On3 Consensus four-star recruit, Howard entered the transfer portal later in the process. After considering TCU, he landed on Ole Miss. The former LSU quarterback saw minimal playing time this fall. He did play against Purdue in the Citrus Bowl, completing two of four passes for seven yards.

Just a day after Howard’s commitment, Sanders announced his decision. One of the most highly sought-after players in the portal, he had serious interest from Auburn, UCLA, Kentucky and Virginia Tech. He is 31-12 as a starter, bringing veteran experience to Ole Miss. Sanders led the Big 12 Conference with 3,507 total yards in 2021.

Kiffin made the decision to bring in the unprecedented transfer portal quarterback class after he opted not to add a quarterback in the past two high school recruiting classes.

College football’s arms race

The NIL arms race has emerged as the biggest theme in college football since the NCAA allowed athletes to begin monetizing their publicity rights back in July 2021. Donor-led collectives have popped up across the country, competing to raise the most funds to attract high school recruits and retain athletes looking at the transfer portal.

According to The Athletic, Nico Iamaleava, who has since enrolled at Tennessee, signed an NIL deal last March that could pay him more than $8 million over four years. The quarterback committed to the Vols within two weeks of the agreement being executed.

Similar stories have popped up across the sport. Four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada signed a four-year contract worth $13.85 million in November, The Athletic reported, with the Gator Collective. The NIL collective ultimately terminated the deal in early December.

The stories do not stop in high school recruiting. The transfer portal has become a go-to destination for athletes attempting to establish their market value.

“Everybody is trying to bend the rules and work in those blurred lines,” a Pac-12 collective operator recently told On3. “We know if we court these kids the right way, they’re going to be happy. They’re going to tell others. And that’s how we – and most collectives – are building themselves up. We’re building a great reputation.”

Spencer Sanders, Walker Howard’s On3 NIL Valuations

After four years of building his brand at Oklahoma State, Sanders has crafted a brand. He has more than 37,000 social media followers. He also has a $240,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 190 of college football. If he emerges as Ole Miss’ starting quarterback this fall, his valuation and social media following will only rise.

Howard currently holds a $94,000 On3 NIL Valuation. With nearly 40,000 followers across social media, he’s been able to sign NIL deals with Leaf Trading Cards and Smalls Sliders. His valuation ranks No. 512 in college football.

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.

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.