Top 10 college football On3 NIL Valuations entering Week 3

Week 2 brought plenty of upsets across college football. Three Sun Belt teams knocked off Power Five opponents, and the first head coach firing of the season went down.

Oh, Alabama nearly lost on the road at Texas, too.

On3 is breaking down the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations following Week 2 of the college football season. This season marks the second year athletes are able to profit off their NIL and their marketability can increase because of their accomplishments on the field.

Let’s dive in.

1. Bryce Young

Last week’s ranking: No. 1
On3 NIL Valuation: $3.3 million
Movement: +$34,000
Position: Quarterback

Bryce Young may have had his Heisman moment in Week 2. The quarterback engineered Alabama‘s come-from-behind win in Austin, knocking off Texas 20-19. He finished with 213 passing yards and a passing touchdown, but his work outside of the pocket made the difference. Young pulled off multiple game-changing runs, but his 20-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter set up the game-winning field goal. The reigning Heisman winner seems to be the favorite through two weeks of the season.

2. Caleb Williams

Last week’s ranking: No. 2
On3 NIL Valuation: $2.4 million
Movement: +$4,600
Position: Quarterback

USC is 2-0 and ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25. The Trojans have Caleb Williams to thank for that. Through two weeks, the quarterback has thrown four touchdowns with only four incompletions. He’s done his job in the ground game, too, with 72 yards on 15 carries. The last time USC cracked the top 10 of the AP poll was in October 2017. Now the Trojans are the Pac-12’s best shot of landing a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time since the 2016 season.

3. C.J. Stroud

Last week’s ranking: No. 3
On3 NIL Valuation: $2.3 million
Movement: +$355,000
Position: Quarterback

C.J. Stroud reminded college football why he was a Heisman favorite entering the season in Week 2. Going up against Arkansas State, the Buckeyes quarterback finished 16 of 24 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns. Without his top option in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. caught seven passes for 184 yards, finishing with three touchdown catches. Emeka Egbuka caught four passes for 118 yards and another touchdown. His next true test will be Sept. 24 when Wisconsin visits Columbus.

4. Jordan Addison

Last week’s ranking: No. 4
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.7 million
Movement: +$2,500
Position: Wide Receiver

Safe to say the Pitt transfer has settled into West Coast living just fine. In the first two weeks of the season, he has connected with Caleb Williams for 12 catches for 226 yards and four touchdown catches. He’s averaging 18.8 yards per carry. And his four receiving touchdowns ranks third across Division I. Jordan Addison is defending his Biletnikoff Award just fine.

5. Spencer Rattler

Last week’s ranking: No. 7
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.4 million
Movement: -$146,000
Position: Quarterback

The South Carolina quarterback struggled in the SEC opener, as the Gamecocks fell to Arkansas 44-30. But Spencer Rattler is their best option despite a start to the season that’s seen him sacked nine times on top of his three interceptions. He showed why he was once thought to be a top draft prospect Saturday, though. His 62-yard pass to Antwane Wells in the third quarter on gave South Carolina some hope. Rattler is always going to keep the Gamecocks competitive.

6. Bijan Robinson

Last week’s ranking: No. 6
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.2 million
Movement: -$426,000
Position: Running Back

Bijan Robinson just could not make an impact Saturday in the running game against Alabama. The Texas running back struggled to find running room, especially in an offensive gameplan that centered around quick passes. He was given plenty of opportunities, however, as he finished with 21 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown. Robinson made sure to help his offense, though. He pulled down three catches for 73 yards, averaging 24.3 yards per reception.

7. Shedeur Sanders

Last week’s ranking: No. 19
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Movement: +$306,000
Position: Quarterback

It was only a matter of time until Shedeur Sanders crashed the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations. The Jackson State quarterback has a social media following of 978,000, one of the highest among active college football players. And he’s lived up to the hype on the field, too. Through two games, he’s thrown for 599 yards and six touchdowns. Playing for his father, Deion Sanders, the quarterback has the Tigers at 2-0 entering this weekend’s home opener against Grambling State.

8. Jalen Carter

Last week’s ranking: No. 8
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Movement: +$1,000
Position: Defensive Lineman

Jalen Carter backed up his Week 1 performance against Oregon with a strong showing this past weekend against Samford. The defensive lineman finished with a tackle, pass breakup and three quarterback hits. He’s now the top-ranked defensive player in the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations. He’ll have his first SEC challenge this week against a South Carolina offensive line that has allowed nine sacks in two games.

9. Jacoby Windmon

Last week’s ranking: No. 36
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Movement: +$512,000
Position: EDGE

A couple weeks before the start of the season, Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker decided to move UNLV transfer Jacoby Windmon to EDGE. It turned out to be one of the smartest moves, as he finished Week 1 with seven tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble in a 35-13 win over Western Michigan. He delivered in Week 2, too. Windmon had five tackles, including 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the win over Akron. He finished with Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week. The Big Ten has its defensive star.

10. Will Anderson Jr.

Last week’s ranking: No. 5
On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Movement: -$550,000
Position: EDGE

Will Anderson Jr. made poor decision through Saturday’s win against Texas. At least twice against the Longhorns, he was penalized for being offsides. He picked up a third for a personal foul, too. But he also proved why he will be the first non-quarterback taken in April. Anderson had a free shot at Texas quarterback Hudson Card late in the fourth quarter, shooting through the Longhorns’ offensive line to register his first sack of the season. The play forced Texas kicker Bert Auburn to kick a 49-yarder, which he made. Oh yeah, he also chased down Quinn Ewers into Dallas Turner’s arms in the play the quarterback got hurt.

Dropped out

• Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson struggled against Kentucky, as he threw two interceptions. He now ranks No. 62 with an On3 NIL evaluation of $465k.
• Quinn Ewers shined in the Alabama loss, but he did leave early with an injury. He’s expected to miss several games with a shoulder injury to his non-throwing shoulder. He ranks No. 11 with a $1 million valuation.

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
+ 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. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.