Top 10 men's college basketball On3 NIL Valuations entering 2023 season

The 2023 men’s college basketball season tips off on Monday night.

NIL is driving plenty of storylines, too. Some of the biggest names in the sport are back for another year, thanks to now being allowed to profit off their publicity rights. Hunter Dickinson transferred to Kansas this offseason after one of the most-followed recruitments in recent memory. Armando Bacot is back at North Carolina, with NIL partially to thank.

And Bronny James is now a freshman at USC. He won’t play Monday night as he continues to recover after he suffered cardiac arrest back in July.

With the men’s college basketball season tipping off Monday, here’s a review of the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations in men’s basketball and why you should get to know them:

1. Bronny James – $5.9 million

School: USC
Position: Point Guard
Followers: 13.5 million

Bronny James is unlike any college basketball player we may ever see. Not many 18-year-olds are starring in advertisements for the Fast & Furious franchise before high school graduation. The oldest son of NBA superstar LeBron James, Bronny committed to USC in May, quietly making an Instagram post the same night his father was playing in the Western Conference semifinals.

Staying in Los Angeles allows for his father to easily shoot over to a Trojans’ midweek game at the Galen Center, though. It’s the main reason why the future NBA Hall of Famer pushed for his son to seriously consider attending USC, a source told On3. USC won’t complain about the extra foot traffic at games, either.

With brimming NIL potential, the five-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, according to On3, will have to wait until he plays his first game. Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest back in July. USC head coach Andy Enfield announced Sunday that the guard wouldn’t be playing in the USC opener on Monday night against Kansas State.

“Bronny is doing extremely well,” LeBron James said during the NBA’s media day on October 2. “He has begun his rehab process to get back on the floor this season with his teammates and USC.”

2. Hansel Enmanuel – $1.2 million

School: Austin Peay
Position: Combo Guard
Followers: 4.3 million

Even with the limited minutes at Northwestern State, Hansel Enmanuel is a well-known name in the basketball world. He became a dominant high school recruit after losing his left arm when he was 6 years old. He announced his transfer to Austin Peay in May.

Enmanuel also has one of the largest social media followings in all college sports. Along with the 1.6 million Instagram followers, Hansel Enmanuel’s TikTok account has 2.8 million followers and has generated a jaw-dropping 34.1 million likes.

To date, he has deals with Oakley, adidas, T-Mobile, Champs Sports, Gatorade and many others. He was also a featured member of an NIL deal in July with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s ZOA Energy Drink. Additionally, he appeared in a video with rapper J. Cole.

Enmanuel, a Dominican Republic native who played his high school basketball at Kissimmee (Florida) Life Academy, received approval for an O-1 visa last year, which gives him the ability to pursue NIL deals in the U.S. through his newfound work authorization.

3. Jared McCain – $1 million

School: Duke
Position: Shooting Guard
Followers: 2.6 million

The Duke guard has quickly established himself as one of the top talents in the country on the basketball court and NIL space. The former five-star recruit has built a social media following of more than 2.6 million. Jared McCain starts his freshman year on Monday night, as the Blue Devils open the season against Dartmouth.

McCain has not struggled to find NIL deals, even before enrolling at Duke because California allows high schoolers to monetize their name, image and likeness. The back-to-back California Gatorade player of the year winner averaged 18.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and four assists in 34 games as a senior at Sacramento’s Centennial High School.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard is repped by Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. His growing list of deals includes Lemon Perfect, crocs, Champs Sports, the Duke NIL Store, Panini America, Cash App, Panera and Shipt.

4. Armando Bacot – $930,000

School: North Carolina
Position: Center
Followers: 251,000

Armando Bacot is back for a final season because nothing went according to plan a year ago. The North Carolina big man earned third-team All-American honors last season. But the Tar Heels finished 20-13, failing to make the NCAA tournament and falling in the second round of the ACC tourney.

The 6-foot-11, 235-pound center’s NIL success certainly factored into his decision for a return. He’s worked with national brands like crocs, Dunkin’ and Rhoback. He received equity in the form of stock options through a partnership with BOA Nutrition, and he made a cameo in the TV show “Outer Banks.”

“I can tell you, Armando’s made more in NIL than he would’ve on a two-way contract in the G League,” Daniel Hennes, the CEO of the online event booking platform Engage and an adviser to Bacot, told On3 in February.

The talent is still there. He registered double-doubles in all six of North Carolina‘s NCAA Tournament games in March Madness back in 2022. Bacot averaged 15.9 points while leading the ACC with 10.4 rebounds last season. Most NBA draft projections had Bacot going in the second round or undrafted this spring. Coming back allows him to be one of the best players in the sport while earning NIL dollars

5. Hunter Dickinson – $844,000

School: Kansas
Position: Center
Followers: 112,000

Before transferring to Kansas this spring, the 7-foot-1 center only had a small portion of publicly announced NIL deals. Those included Cameo, Engage and Outback Steakhouse. Thanks to the one-time transfer rule, Hunter Dickinson entered the portal and explored options leading to one of the most anticipated commitment decisions in recent memory in college basketball.

What he found was a high-stakes world with a multitude of cash options. What once started described as the “Wild, Wild West” has become the norm. Collectives have made it simple for top-level donors and the average fan to pool funds together. According to ESPN, Dickinson’s minimum earning potential was $500,000. Days before he committed to Kansas, Maryland reportedly made a $2 million offer because it got “energized, motivated and pissed off.”

Since arriving in Lawrence, he’s signed with the Kansas-focused collective Mass St. Through the organization, he was one of 11 of KU’s top stars in football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball featured on JD Motorsports driver Brennan Poole’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race car this summer. He’s joined adidas’ NIL ambassador network, too.

A three-time All-Big Ten selection at Michigan, he earned second-team All-American honors in 2021. Through three seasons with the Wolverines, he averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, which led Michigan in points and rebounds. Now he’ll finish his college basketball career in the Big 12 at Kansas, which has already started showing up at No. 1 in preseason polls. 

6. Shaqir O’Neal – $822,000

School: Texas Southern
Position: Small Forward
Followers: 4.4 million

Shaqir O’Neal is not new to the NIL scene. The Texas Southern sophomore was the first O’Neal to sign with boohooMAN last November. He’s also promoted Fortnite and announced an NIL partnership with Capital One, advertising for the SavorOne student card. He starred in an ad for Silk Milk with his family in February. While some might think his name recognition is solely because of his father, Shaquille O’Neal, Shaqir has built up his own following. He has more than 4.6 million followers across social media.

In his sophomore season at Texas Southern, the forward played in 20 games averaging 1.4 points and .9 rebounds in 7.3 minutes of play. He scored a career-best 12 points with seven rebounds and 4 assists in 28 minutes of action against North American.

7. Zach Edey – $810,000

School: Purdue
Position: Center
Followers: 60,000

Zach Edey nearly left Purdue for the NBA last season. But back with the Boilermakers for another year, the 7-foot-4, 300-pound center was the lone unanimous All-American first-team pick by the 60-person media panel. One of the most dominant players in college basketball a year ago, he averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. His NIL brand has been limited because he’s an international athlete. He partnered with The Purdue NIL Store to release an officially licensed Zach Edey hockey jersey. Edey will have Purdue back in the national conversation this year.

8. Donovan Clingan – $800,000

School: UConn
Position: Center
Followers: 52,000

As a freshman, Donovan Clingan helped UConn win the NCAA Tournament. The 7-2, 280-pound center and former top-50 recruit averaged 6.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in just 13.1 minutes, while appearing in 39 games off the bench. Clingan was 16 of 23 from the field (69.6%) in the NCAA tournament, too.

Now back for a second season, expectations are high for Clingan. The center’s playing time was limited last season because he was playing behind NCAA tournament most outstanding player Adama Sanogo. Clingan is a strong offensive rebounder and quite the option in the pick-and-roll. He enters the season viewed by most NBA scouts as a top-10 pick.

9. Kyle Filipowski – $795,000

School: Duke
Position: Power Forward
Followers: 48,000

The reigning ACC rookie of the year is a former five-star recruit and No. 1 player in the 2022 class. Kyle Filipowski never missed a beat making the jump to the college level. As On3’s Jamie Shaw noted of the power forward during his recruitment, he has a fierce man streak. The 7-footer has no problem competing every possession, talking nonstop. He finished his freshman season averaging a solid 15.1 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while knocking down 44.1% percent of his shots. Working with Excel Sports Management, he’s made to keep the focus on basketball. But he’s added partnerships with Cuts Clothing, the Duke NIL Store and the apartment complex Crowne at 501.

Filipowski turned down positive first-round NBA Draft buzz to return to Duke for a second season. He had hip surgery this offseason and was back to full speed in April. The Blue Devils are considered a top-five team in college basketball this year. What they do will be centered around FIlipowski.

10. Robert Dillingham – $710,000

School: Kentucky
Position: Shooting Guard
Followers: 723,000

Originally from the Charlotte area, Robert Dillingham emerged through the AAU ranks but exploded onto the national scene after his sophomore season at Combine Academy where he averaged 21.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds. He led his team to a 29-3 record and was named as the Charlotte Observers’ Player of the Year.

Away from club and prep basketball, Dillingham led the United States to the gold medal at the 2021 FIBA U16 Americas Championships in Mexico. He was named most valuable player of the tournament after averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 steals. He posted a team-record 31 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 90–75 win against Argentina in the final. With more than 723,000 followers, he has an NIL deal with KINLÒ. Now he’s starting his college basketball career at Kentucky.

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.

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.