Top five On3 NIL Valuations in Georgia-TCU national title game

In today’s world of college football, the thought of Georgia and TCU playing for the national championship Monday night would have been close to unthinkable this past summer.

The Bulldogs are, of course, the reigning national champions. Stetson Bennett has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in school history. Kirby Smart and Georgia seem primed to take over the title of the top program in the sport. A win at SoFi Stadium would cement that.

But TCU? The Horned Frogs were not in the preseason top 25. Unlike Smart, Sonny Dykes is only in Year 1 at TCU. Building a dynasty in Fort Worth may have been a thought when he took the job. Playing for a national title in Inglewood in January was not. Heisman runner-up and TCU starting quarterback Max Duggan did not even start game one.

Some believed the 12-team playoff would only be able to create a Georgia and TCU national title game. But that’s the setting Monday night in the ninth edition of the College Football Playoff championship game.

On3 is breaking down the top On3 NIL Valuations ahead of kickoff.

1. Stetson Bennett

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.3 million
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 44

Stetson Bennett was not himself for most of the first three quarters against Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. And then something clicked. The quarterback found Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown, then converted the two-point attempt. And on Georgia’s final drive, with the game on the line, he was able to find Brock Bowers for a 15-yard gain. Three players later, Bennett threw a touchdown pass to AD Mitchell to give Georgia the lead. Bennett was 23 of 34 for 398 yards in the win. Now he’s in a position to be only the fifth quarterback in the past 50 years to start for back-to-back national champions. The former walk-on has evolved into arguably the best quarterback in Georgia history.

Bennett has been able to accomplish plenty of NIL deals since his first national title last year. Working with Everett Sports Marketing, he’s signed partnerships with Fanatics, Georgia Power, AARP, Synovus Bank and Shuman Farms to his list of partnerships.

2. Brock Bowers

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Position: Tight End
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 8

Brock Bowers seemed to make a play whenever needed against Ohio State. On a decisive fourth down in the fourth quarter, the tight end pulled in a catch and levitated, using his hand to propel him past the first-down marker. It was initially called short before a review proved otherwise. And on Georgia’s final drive of the game, he had a key 15-yard catch to keep the ball moving. Bowers finished with four catches for 64 yards. He’s the best tight end in college football. TCU head coach Sonny Dykes could not give Bowers enough props. Entering Monday night’s game, he has 56 catches for 790 yards and six touchdowns. The Horned Frogs will also have to be mindful of what they can do on the ground.

What he’s accomplished on the field these first two years have set him up off the field in NIL. He’s agreed to terms on endorsement deals with Associated Credit Union, Zaxby’s, NOBULL and the nation’s largest injury firm Morgan & Morgan.

3. Jalen Carter

On3 NIL Valuation: $896,000
Position: Defensive Line
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 5

Leading up to the semifinals a week and a half ago, much of the focus centered around Jalen Carter. The Georgia defensive lineman is a force. He can wreak havoc and blow up plays easily. But that didn’t pan out against Ohio State, finishing with one tackle and a pass knocked down. Things could look different on Monday night, though. Carter has proven all year what he can do. In the season opener against Oregon, he used his strength to hold off a lineman with one hand while rushing into the backfield. He had another eye-catching performance in the SEC title game with four tackles and a sack. Carter is the top-ranked defensive lineman in the college football On3 NIL Valuations. Entering the national title game, he has three sacks and a forced fumble, along with 30 total tackles and three passes tipped.

4. Christopher Smith

On3 NIL Valuation: $671,000
Position: Safety
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 59

Christopher Smith is a captain for Monday night’s game. He’s one of the top safeties in the country and the leader of Georgia’s defense, too. And no matter the outcome of the national championship game, he’ll be one of the top defensive backs in April’s NFL Draft. He had one of his best games of the season against Ohio State, racking up eight total tackles. With three interceptions and five passes defended, he’s capable of forcing a turnover in the national title game. He has experience from last year, too, when he picked off Bryce Young in the College Football Playoff championship game. He’s built a NIL brand, too, signing deals with The Players’ Lounge and Clean Energy.

5. Max Duggan

On3 NIL Valuation: $667,000
Position: Quarterback
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 45

Max Duggan did not play his best game against Michigan. He threw two touchdowns and two interceptions. TCU nearly blew its 21-6 halftime lead, too. But the Horned Frogs and Duggan made up for his errors with his ability to scramble, rushing for 57 yards and another score. His ability to evade the pocket is going to be key Monday night. Georgia might not lead the nation in sacks, but the Bulldogs constantly pressure the backfield. TCU also was able to run the ball against Michigan, something that will be much tougher at SoFi Stadium.

The fact TCU is playing for a national championship, however, has plenty to do with Duggan. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. And he’s thrown for 3,546 yards and 32 touchdowns with just six interceptions this season. All of that comes after the TCU coaching staff opted not to start him at quarterback this fall.

From a NIL perspective, Duggan has not actively promoted many deals on social media. He has signed with the TCU-focused Flying T collective. But he does have real value to brands, touting a social media following that has seen a major uptick in the last few weeks, now sitting north of 60,000.

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.