Top five On3 NIL Valuations entering Big 12 Tournament

The best conference in college basketball this season has been the Big 12. As many as eight teams could head to the NCAA Tournament with Kansas competing for the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness.

But before then, the focus is now on the Big 12 Tournament, which tips off Wednesday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Kansas is the favorite to cut down the nets in Kansas City after the Jayhawks’ regular season title. But Texas, Baylor, TCU and Kansas State are not too far behind in what should be as competitive of a tournament this week.

With all of the attention on the Big 12 this season, a number of the league’s top players have emerged as winners in NIL, too. On3 breaks down the top five On3 NIL Valuations entering this week’s Big 12 Tournament.

No. 1 Kansas forward Jalen Wilson

On3 NIL Valuation: $636,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 7
Social Media Followers: 198,000

KU Jayhawks forward Jalen Wilson was recently named the Big 12 Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring and rebounding with 19.7 points and 8.4 rebounds. He’s also No. 63 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and de facto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. Wilson hasn’t been as flamboyant as other college basketball stars with his NIL agreements, but he’s had no shortage of deals during his time in Lawrence. Just in the last few months alone, Wilson has struck deals with clothing companies Rally House and Charlie Hustle. He was also part of deals with a local Wendy’s franchise and MiniJerzeys through deals that were facilitated by KU-focused Mass St. Collective.

No. 2 Kansas guard Gradey Dick

On3 NIL Valuation: $561,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 10
Social Media Followers: 315,000

Nobody has captured the attention of basketball fans in the Sunflower State more than KU true freshman guard Gradey Dick. He arrived in Lawrence as one of the nation’s most heralded recruits and an On3 Industry Ranking five-star prospect. The Wichita (Kansas) Sunrise Christian Academy native lived up to the hype with 14.3 points and 4.8 rebounds a game while shooting 41% from 3-point range. He’s been called by many as a one-and-done type of prospect. But he could also stay in college to further cash in on his lucrative NIL opportunities. Since October, Dick has signed NIL deals with Long McArthur Ford, Adidas, Beats by Dre, Tommy’s Express Car Wash and Continental Tires. If he were to stick around another season in Lawrence, many believe he could top the $1 million mark in deals.

No. 3 Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson

On3 NIL Valuation: $368,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 22
Social Media Followers: 19,400

There was no better comeback story in college basketball this season than Kansas State forward Keyontae Johnson. Johnson collapsed on the Florida Gators’ sideline during a game against Florida State two years ago. He spent 10 days in the hospital and never played another meaningful minute for the Gators. Many thought his career was over. But he landed at Kansas State, where doctors gave his heart the green light. He emerged as the Big 12’s second-leading scorer (17.8) and fourth-leading (4.0) rebounder while helping the Wildcats to their highest ranking in more than a decade. He’s used his return to basketball to not only improve his NBA draft stock but also use his NIL to strike some key deals. One of those deals was with Heartfelt, a company that provides “cardiac screening in order to save lives from preventable tragedies,” such as Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). 

No. 4 Baylor guard Keyonte George

On3 NIL Valuation: $329,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 25
Social Media Followers: 160,000

Keyonte George entered the season as the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year and he finished the season winning the league’s Freshman of Year award. He is sixth in the league in scoring (16.0), fifth in 3-point field goals made (2.4) and sixth in free throw percentage (.794). George holds the Baylor record for most 20-point games by a freshman (12) and his 16.0 points average is sixth-best among all NCAA rookies. While he doesn’t have a large list of known NIL deals, George did grab national headlines in early February when he partnered with Express as part of its ambassador program. Since the deal’s launch, George has been featured on the brand’s social media channels. He also just recently announced a deal with Nabisco.

No. 5 TCU guard Mike Miles

On3 NIL Valuation: $209,000
On3 College Basketball NIL Rank: No. 36
Social Media Followers: 26,600

While Mike Miles doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of social media followers, he’s got a big game on the court that makes him a powerhouse for brands. Miles averaged 17.2 points and shot 50% from the field in 2022-2023. Those numbers were the best of his already star-studded career in Fort Worth. He previously had agreements in place with local collectives, including with The Flying T Club. And he just recently joined George as part of a deal with Nabisco.

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.

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.