Top five On3 NIL Valuations in Pac-12 championship game

USC has never earned an invite to the College Football Playoff. The only thing standing in the way of Lincoln Riley delivering the completed turnaround in Year 1 in Los Angeles is Utah in the Pac-12 championship game.

Some believed the Utes would be playing for a playoff berth at the start of the season. They’ve slipped up a few times. And they also beat USC at home back in October, delivering the Trojans their only loss of the season on the last play of the game.

If USC does win and punch its ticket to the playoff, Caleb Williams will have to deliver on the national stage. The Heisman favorite is possibly just a final performance away from cementing himself as the runaway winner.

But first, he and the Trojans will have to get past Utah.

Before kickoff, On3 is breaking down the top-five On3 NIL Valuations ahead of the showdown.

No. 1 Caleb Williams

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.5 million
Position: Quarterback
Per Post Value: $5,500
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 1

The Heisman frontrunner entering conference championship weekend, Caleb Williams has not skipped a beat this season. When he entered the portal nearly a year ago, the former Oklahoma quarterback had his pick of suitors. For a moment, it appeared he was even giving Wisconsin a long look. Ultimately, however, he followed Riley out to Los Angeles. He’s thrived on the field at USC, surrounded by one of the country’s top receiving corps. Williams has thrown 34 touchdowns and three two interceptions with a 65.8 completion percentage. And he’s shown why he was a top-rated quarterback coming out of high school, rushing for another 10 touchdowns on the ground. He’s dominated the NIL space in recent months, too. Working closely with the marketing firm Smith & Company to shape his brand, he’s inked deals with Futuremood, Fanatics Authentic, AC+ION Water and Beats By Dre. Williams has also taken a part-owner role with the brand Faculty. Plus, he’s helping former USC quarterback Matt Leinart in creating an arcade-style video game that will have an NIL component.

No. 2 Jordan Addison

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.2 million
Position: Wide Receiver
Per Post Value: $811
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 22

When Jordan Addison has been missing this season for USC, there’s been an obvious difference. In the Trojans’ loss at Utah back in mid-October, the receiver was injured on the final drive of the third quarter. What appeared to be a leg injury, he was tackled awkwardly on the Trojans’ sideline and finished the game on crutches. Now he is back and ready to play another game against Utah. When he has played this season, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner has continued to put up stats. In 10 games this season, Addison had 54 catches for 810 yards and eight touchdowns. When he has played, defenses have been forced to make sure they know where he is on the field every play. All of that’s not to mention the exposure he’s received since moving out to Los Angeles. His social media following continues to grow and now sits north of 46,000.

No. 3 Tuli Tuipulotu

On3 NIL Valuation: $443,000
Position: Defensive Lineman
Per Post Value: $217
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 41

Tuli Tuipulotu has continued to mature into one of the top defensive linemen in the country this year. The junior earned 2021 All-Pac-12 first team. He’s only built on that. He has 40 tackles on the season, including 20 tackles for loss. Tuipulotu has also tallied two forced fumbles and three pass breakups. A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award, Tuipulotu’s 12.5 sacks are the most in a single season at USC since Kenechi Udeze set the record with 16.5 in 2003. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman has been rewarded in the NIL space, too. When USC‘s NIL collective BLVD announced an official partnership with Fletcher Jones Motorcars, the largest Mercedes-Benz dealership in the country, Tuipulotu landed a Mercedes-Benz S500. The car is valued at $120,000. With under 7,000 social media followers, his On3 NIL Valuation of $443,000 is growing thanks to his on-field performance. His evaluation ranks No. 59 among college football players.

No. 4 Dalton Kincaid

On3 NIL Valuation: $432,000
Position: Tight End
Per Post Value: $189
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 46

Dalton Kincaid may not be a finalist for the Mackey Award, but the Utah tight end is one of the top players at his position. The Las Vegas native will be playing in his hometown on Friday night. He has 66 receptions this season for 850 yards and eight touchdown catches. Kincaid leads all tight ends in receiving yards, and his performance against USC earlier this season earned him national attention. He finished the game against the Trojans with 16 catches for 234 yards and a touchdown. With a 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame, Kincaid is hard for teams to scheme for. He has the size and speed to cause problems for linebackers. And returning to school this year instead of leaving for the NFL Draft has paid dividends.

No. 5 Cameron Rising

On3 NIL Valuation: $422,000
Position: Quarterback
Per Post Value: $2,000
On3 Impact 300 ranking: N/A

Cameron Rising committed to Texas and redshirted his first year on campus before transferring to Utah following the season. Despite losing the starting job to Charlie Brewer last season, he earned back the title and led Utah to its first Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl appearance. With that came NIL opportunities. Since last March, he’s inked partnerships with Leaf Trading Cards, C.W. URBAN and Mountain America Credit Union. And he inked a deal with Performance Toyota Bountiful, which landed the quarterback a new 2022 Toyota Tundra. He’s thrived on the field this season, passing for 2,629 yards with a 66.4 completion percentage. He’s also thrown 22 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Rising has added another six scores on the ground, too.

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.