Top 10 On3 NIL Valuations entering 2022 college football season

College football has arrived. The number of NIL deals executed in the last two weeks is the easiest sign that fall is almost here.

Nebraska and Northwestern have made the trip across the pond. The two Big Ten teams will meet at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. While it only marks Week Zero on the calendar, it also means fans will be able to watch college football every weekend until the national championship game in early January. Other games of note this weekend include Wyoming making the trip to Illinois and Vanderbilt flying more than 4,000 miles to visit Hawaii.

Before kickoff, however, On3 is diving into the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations entering the college football season. This season marks the second year that athletes will be able to use NIL as a workaround for their accomplishments on the field.

Let’s dive in.

1. Bryce Young

On3 NIL Valuation: $3.2 million
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 2

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has not had any trouble finding NIL deals this offseason. Just in the last two weeks alone, Bryce Young has signed with Dr Pepper’s “Fansville,” the Dollar Shave Club and the apparel company NOBULL. Add in his performance on the field with his success in the business space and there’s little question why he holds the highest On3 NIL Valuation entering the season. That’s not to even mention what he could accomplish on the field this season. While the Alabama quarterback does not have John Metchie or Jameson Williams back, he does have a go-to tight end option in Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton. Ohio State’s Archie Griffin is the only player to ever win the Heisman in back-to-back years. If Bryce Young joins the rarified air, he will be looking at a pile of NIL deals headed into the College Football Playoff and 2023 NFL Draft.

2. C.J. Stroud

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.5 million
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 3

A year ago, C.J. Stroud was the quarterback who had never thrown a collegiate pass. Fast forward. The Ohio State quarterback is now the favorite to beat out Bryce Young for the Heisman Trophy. The Buckeyes had the top offense in college football last year, racking up 561.5 yards per game. All of that put Stroud in New York City for the Heisman ceremony. Expectations are loftier this year, and so is his On3 NIL Valuation. With his stud receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he is expected to lead Ohio State to its first national championship since 2014. His On3 NIL Valuation is high because of his on-field performance, but he’s also cashed in. He’s currently driving around a Mercedes G Wagon, and he recently signed major deals with Value City Furniture and DSW.

3. Caleb Williams

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.4 million
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 4

When Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC in late November, attention immediately switched to if his young star quarterback would follow. Ultimately, Caleb Williams packed his bags for Los Angeles. With a social media following of 169,000, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class has emerged as one of the faces of the NIL Era. He ranks No. 6 in the NIL 100 and holds a $2.4 million evaluation. He has inked prolific deals with Beats by Dre and Hawkins Way Capital, which will allow him to partner on future investment opportunities. If Williams and Riley can get USC back on track this season, the quarterback will be the most marketable college football player entering the 2023 season.

4. Spencer Rattler

On3 NIL Valuation: $2 million
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 33

The No. 3 quarterback transfer this offseason, Spencer Rattler was never supposed to play college ball this fall. But he stumbled through the first half of Oklahoma‘s season, eventually being pulled from the Red River Rivalry Game and never reclaiming the starting job. Rattler was supposed to be NIL’s poster child. He’s now at South Carolina, reunited with Shane Beamer. With well over half a million social media followers and a $2 million On3 NIL Valuation, he still brings market value to the Palmetto State. Since he joined the Gamecocks, he’s inked three NIL deals. That number will continue to grow if he can restart his career.

5. Jaxon Smith-Njigba

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.7 million
Position: Wide Reciever
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 5

Nobody will ever forget Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s Rose Bowl performance. The Ohio State receiver finished with 15 catches, 347 yards and three scores — the most yards put up by a receiver ever in bowl history. And guess what? He’s back. Since his historic night in Pasadena, his national profile has catapulted. He’s signed partnerships with Express and DSW. He’s continued to be named the top wide receiver available in the 2023 NFL Draft, another reason why his On3 NIL Valuation is sitting at $1.7 million. When the Buckeyes kick off the season next weekend in primetime against Notre Dame, all eyes will again be on Smith-Njigba.

6. Will Anderson

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.6 million
Position: EDGE
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 1

The top college football player in the country did not execute a single deal in the first year of NIL. Will Anderson did not want to distract himself from focusing on football. But no more. At SEC Media Days, the Alabama star confirmed he has been executing NIL deals in the offseason. And he has plenty of potential with a massive On3 NIL Valuation. He has been driving around a 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS, too. The current resale value of the car is $120,000. The linebacker ranks third in Alabama history in single-season sacks with 17.5 in 2021 and he’s fourth on the career list with 24.5, needing just 4.5 to reach second. His name will be tossed around in the Heisman conversation again, but he’ll remain a long shot because of the favoritism towards quarterbacks. There’s not much else for Anderson to accomplish except help bring the Crimson Tide another national championship — he won one as a freshman.

7. Bijan Robinson

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.6 million
Position: Running Back
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 10

Maybe no other college football player has signed as many eye-catching deals as Bijan Robinson. The Texas running back signed a deal with Lamborghini Austin this spring, which allows him to drive a Lambo off the lot. He recently signed with Rhoback, the fast-rising apparel company. And in the last week he has released “Bijan Mustardson,” a dijon mustard condiment line. He’s able to do all that because of his success on the field. He has the highest On3 NIL Valuation of any running back in college football. In two seasons in Austin, he’s carried the ball 281 times for over 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns. An elbow injury cost him the final two games of 2021, but he’s up to 222 pounds and feels more explosive.

8. Quinn Ewers

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.5 million
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 25

Quinn Ewers demonstrated how some high school athletes aren’t afraid to leave school early to cash in at the onset of the NIL Era. He enrolled at Ohio State a year early to land a deal with GT Sports Marketing worth $1.4 million because the state of Texas did not allow high school players to be compensated off NIL. Then transferred to Texas, where he recently won the starting quarterback job. This week, he signed with Wrangler to help promote the denim company’s new collegiate apparel collection. His $1.5 million On3 NIL Valuation is on the rise. The former five-star recruit now has the keys to an offense tailor-made for him, thanks to Steve Sarkisian. A showdown with Alabama in Week 2 gives Ewers the stage to show he’s ready to become the it quarterback.

9. Jordan Addison

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.4 million
Position: Wide Reciever
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 9

When Jordan Addison decided to officially enter the Transfer Portal on May 3, he set off an arms race. Not just because of his talent, but because of the NIL potential he commanded. The Pitt receiver turned Biletnikoff Award winner caught 17 touchdowns alone in the 2021 regular season. Now he joins a USC team that happens to play in the No. 2 media market in the country. Addison signed a deal this week with United Airlines, his first notable deal since arriving in California. If he can put together another Biletnikoff campaign, this time with Caleb Williams, he’ll have the opportunities he envisioned when he headed West. That’s why he holds a $1.4 million NIL valuation.

10. Kayshon Boutte

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.4 million
Position: Wide Reciever
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 16

When Kayshon Boutte went off for an SEC-record 308 yards against Ole Miss in the final game of the 2020 season, he was quickly tapped as the next face of LSU‘s offense. His season was cut short last year, however, due to a broken ankle. He’s still coming off multiple surgeries, yet he will be the top wide receiver in the SEC this season. He considered transferring to until some NIL activity ramped up around Baton Rouge. He signed a deal with Gordon McKernan, the injury attorney who has become a big-money donor at LSU. He’s now locked in with the Bayou Bengals. Boutte can cash in this season — a major reason why he has a massive On3 NIL Valuation — if he can stay healthy and perform at the SEC level.

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.