Top 10 On3 NIL Valuations entering 2023 college football season

After a summer filled with another wave of conference realignment and the NCAA lobbying Congress for a federal NIL mandate, college football can finally get started this weekend.

Georgia appears primed to make a run for its third consecutive national title. Caleb Williams is back at USC, ready to defend his Heisman crown. Whoever emerges as the victor of The Game will be a favorite to win the College Football Playoff.

It all starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday when Navy and Notre Dame kick off the year in Dublin. The sport is more than that now, though. This will mark the third season in NCAA history that athletes can monetize their name, image and likeness. More major brands are entering the space, spending their marketing dollars to ink contracts with college athletes.

Before kickoff, we’re diving into the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations entering the college football season.

1. Arch Manning – Texas

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.9 million
Social media followers: 268K
Position: Quarterback

A former Five-Star Plus+ recruit, Arch Manning has arrived on the college football scene. The grandson of Archie, son of Cooper, and nephew of Peyton and Eli has the top-ranked On3 NIL Valuation in college football. While the 6-foot-4, 215-pound freshman won’t be starting his first season at Texas, he has started to monetize his NIL. He auctioned off his first NIL trading card last month for $102,500. It’s the highest-selling card in Panini America’s website history, knocking off a one-of-one Luka Doncic national treasure card that sold for $100,000. All proceeds from the sale are going to a Central Texas nonprofit with the help of St. David’s HealthCare and St. David’s Foundation. On Monday, seven new cards were released with Panini America. With more than 265,000 social media followers, the NIL opportunities are limitless. Working with his uncles should not be ruled out either.

2. Caleb Williams – USC

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.6 million
Social media followers: 297K
Position: Quarterback

Caleb Williams has set the precedent for what can be done in NIL as a college football star. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarterback has parlayed his on-field success into a national NIL brand. The third-year quarterback has inked NIL agreements with Athletic Brewing Company, Fanatics, Neutrogena, AT&T, Beats by Dre, PlayStation and AC+ION Water. He’s also signed for a season-long NIL campaign with United Airlines, promoting the addition of 127 new, nonstop flights for college football season. The quarterback is the face of Dr Pepper’s Fansville, too. Williams is a fashion symbol, too. He wore a Gucci suit to the Heisman ceremony and was in the Hugo Boss show during his spring break in March. All of his stardom, as a quarterback and social media influencer, has allowed him to establish the Caleb Cares Foundation, which focuses on anti-bullying, youth empowerment and mental health awareness.

3. Bo Nix – Oregon

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.7 million
Social media followers: 191K
Position: Quarterback

The Oregon quarterback could have been one of the better prospects available in this past spring’s NFL draft. Instead, Bo Nix is back for a final season, giving the Ducks one of the top quarterbacks in college football. In his first year at Oregon, he threw for 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions while leading the Ducks to a 10-3 record. He gelled quickly with offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who took the head coaching job at Arizona State; Dan Lanning brought in Will Stein to fill the role. Nix has thrived off the field in NIL, too, inking agreements with Topps, Subway, The Duck Store, ONIT, the Oregon-focused NIL collective Division Street and Bojangles. He signed with Bose in December, too. As a returning starter at Oregon, he will be a name that brands will keep their on eye throughout the fall. His 191K social media followers are also appealing.

4. Travis Hunter – Colorado

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.5 million
Social media followers: 1.4 million
Position: Cornerback

Travis Hunter has proved to be one of the most forward-thinking college football players when it comes to NIL. Back in February, he said he would make his transfer commitment known when he reached 100,000 YouTube followers. He now has more than 158,000 subscribers, showing the test obviously worked. The former No. 2 recruit in the country has found plenty of NIL success, aligning with brands like Celsius Drink, the Michael Strahan Brand, Actively Black and SoHoodie. Probably Hunter’s favorite endorsement deal to date, he announced in May with WaterLand Co. Known for its premium polarized fishing sunglasses, the former On3 Five-Star Plus+ prospect is an avid fisher. In his first season of college football last fall, he tallied 19 tackles with two interceptions and eight pass breakups. He had a touchdown catch and played cornerback in Colorado’s spring game, showing that Deion Sanders plans to play him on both sides of the ball.

5. Drake Maye – North Carolina

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.5 million
Social media followers: 69K
Position: Quarterback

A favorite to contend for the Heisman Trophy this coming fall, Drake Maye‘s name is already popping up on 2024 NFL mock draft boards. There is little doubt he could be one of college football’s top NIL earners if it was a priority. It just hasn’t been. Football has instead been the focus, with marketing opportunities mixed in as he goes. In the last few months, he’s held a youth camp in Chapel Hill and partnered with the North Carolina-driven NIL collective Heels4Life. Maye also signed with the Baltimore-based Jimmy’s Famous Seafood and Jimmy’s Famous Meals. In exchange for promoting the brand, he will receive weekly meals from Jimmy’s Famous Meals through December 2023. The quarterback wrapped up his rookie campaign throwing for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

6. Shedeur Sanders – Colorado

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.3 million
Social media followers: 1.4 million
Position: Quarterback

Shedeur Sanders has quickly become one of the most accomplished athletes in the NIL Era. In the last year alone, he’s signed with Gatorade, launched his own barbecue sauce, been tabbed as the BRADY brand’s long-term ambassador and promoted Mercedes-Benz. Now he has arrived at the FBS level, set to start at quarterback for his father at Colorado. A former three-star recruit, Sanders guided Jackson State to a 12-1 season last fall. He passed for 3,732 yards for 40 touchdowns and a 70.9% completion rate. He only threw six interceptions on the season. Much of the nation will be watching to see how his transition to the Pac-12 goes this season.

7. J.J. McCarthy – Michigan

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.3 million
Social media followers: 264K
Position: Quarterback

The body of work J.J. McCarthy has accomplished in NIL speaks to his on-field success. The Michigan quarterback has notable partnerships with Bose, Dunkin’, Essentia Water and The M Den. Outside of the endorsement deals, he has used NIL to establish his JJ For the Kids foundation, which has worked with a number of children’s hospitals throughout the country. Most recently, he became the second college athlete to sign a partnership with Alo Yoga. McCarthy has led the Wolverines to back-to-back Big Ten titles and wins over Ohio State. They’ve also been to two consecutive College Football Playoff semifinals, failing to get over the hump. That will be the goal in the former four-star’s junior season. He passed for 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions, with a 64.6% completion percentage in 2022.

8. Marvin Harrison Jr. – Ohio State

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.3 million
Social media followers: 442K 
Position: Wide Receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr. will soon begin his chase to become the first Ohio State wide receiver to win the Biletnikoff Award since 1995. One of the top names in college football last season, Harrison opted not to ink an endorsement deal during his breakout year. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison has publicly announced eight endorsement contracts with brands and collectives since March, while also launching a memorabilia collection. The receiver had 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022. Picked as the Big Ten Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, the former four-star recruit has already been tossed around as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. His top NIL deals as of recent include a partnership with Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Columbus, joining the Zoa Energy Drink marketing campaign, a one-off agreement with Dr Teal’s and being featured on a bag of Grippo’s Chips.

9. Jordan Travis – Florida State

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.2 million
Social media followers: 123K
Position: Quarterback

Florida State is in position for a historic season. With quarterback Jordan Travis back in the mix, the Seminoles won’t need to identify an offensive leader. He could have left for the NFL draft, instead, he will lead a team ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. His decision to return has resulted in some major NIL paydays. The quarterback has agreed to endorsement deals with Leaf Trading Cards, Hotel Indigo, NextGen Camps and Tallahassee Ford. He’s also inked an agreement with The Battle’s End, a Florida State-focused NIL collective that launched in early December. Travis threw for 2,769 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 367 yards and another seven scores last year. The Seminoles finished 10-3 on the season for the first time since 2016. 

10. Quinn Ewers – Texas

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.2 million
Social media followers: 332K
Position: Quarterback

When Quinn Ewers made the decision to leave high school and enroll early at Ohio State, NIL opportunities were at the forefront of the move. Within days of starting practice with the Buckeyes, he signed notable endorsement deals with a leading autograph dealer, GTSM, and Holy Kombucha. Fast forward two years and the former Five-Star Plus+ quarterback is back home in the state of Texas playing for the Longhorns. He’s shaved the mullet, which was once his trademark. Represented by Sportstars and Rubicon, the quarterback signed at least six endorsement deals last season. In recent weeks, he rolled out his new custom merchandise line produced by Vapor Apparel. The quarterback inked an exclusive NIL agreement with Panini America, too. Plus, he hosted his first event, titled “An Evening with Quinn Ewers,” for fans and boosters. Earlier this month, Ewers formalized a deal with Ryl Tea Company. He made the announcement on his Instagram, promoting a recent meet-and-greet he held with the brand at an Austin Kroger grocery store.

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.