Top five On3 NIL Valuations in SEC championship game

Georgia has quickly become the it team in the SEC since Kirby Smart took over in Athens in 2016. The Bulldogs delivered the program its first national title since 1980 last season.

But the last time Smart hoisted an SEC conference championship trophy was back in 2017. Georgia is back in the sam position it was in a year ago, where it ultimately lost to Alabama. The Bulldogs have been perfect this fall, ranking fourth in total defense.

Brian Kelly stands in the way of them easily clinching the top seed in the College Football Playoff. In Year 1 at LSU, Kelly has LSU back in the SEC title game. Can the Bengal Tigers play the upset role?

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

1. Brock Bowers

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.1 million
Position: Tight End
Per Post Value: $1,700
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 9

The Georgia tight end has only ramped up his NIL activity following his breakout freshman season. In Year 1 with the Bulldogs, Brock Bowers delivered a national championship and led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. All of it made for a strong NIL foundation which he’s carried into this fall. He first signed on with Associated Credit Union, then inked a long-term agreement fast-food chain Zaxby’s. He’s recently added NOBULL and the nation’s largest injury firm Morgan & Morgan to his NIL portfolio. Bowers has 46 catches for 645 yards and five touchdowns. It’s what he’s been able to do on the ground that really shows what he brings to the Georgia offense, though. On just six carries he has 93 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Kayshon Boutte

On3 NIL Valuation: $972,000
Position: Wide Receiver
Per Post Value: $1,200
On3 Impact 300 ranking: N/A

LSU’s top wide receiver has slowly started to find his place in the Tigers’ offense. The former five-star recruit Kayshon Boutte has 42 catches this season for 431 yards, averaging 10.3 yards per reception. But he only has a single touchdown on the season. Boutte landed a notable deal with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys back in January. McKernan has been one of the most active figures in NIL. He hasn’t generated as much national attention as Miami mega-booster John Ruiz and LifeWallet. But McKernan and his firm have struck significant NIL deals with top student-athletes at all of the top college programs in Louisiana. Boutte’s deal with the firm was reportedly enough to keep him in Baton Rouge for another season. There’s no questioning the skill he has — went off for an SEC-record 308 yards against Ole Miss in the final game of the 2020 season. He’s fully capable of being the face of this LSU offense. Now it’s time to remind the SEC why he is the league’s top receiver.

3. Jalen Carter

On3 NIL Valuation: $888,000
Position: Defensive Lineman
Per Post Value: $749
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 10

Jalen Carter kicked off the year with one of his best defensive performances during his time with the Bulldogs. The Georgia defensive lineman blew up plays all day against the Ducks, at one point shoving off Ducks offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu with one-hand, then blew up a play in the backfield. He’s continued to build on that, racking up 25 total tackles with 18 quarterback hurries. A finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation’s top lineman, Carter is the top-ranked defensive lineman in the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations. He’ll have another platform to build his brand on Saturday in the SEC title game.

4. Stetson Bennett

On3 NIL Valuation: $866,000
Position: Quarterback
Per Post Value: $2,900
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 107

The Georgia quarterback had a strong start to the season, but the Bulldogs offense has had a few hiccups. Stetson Bennett and his offense struggled against Mizzou, only escaping with a 26-22 victory. And while his 3,151 passing yards rank in the top 20 in college football, he’s thrown 16 touchdowns along with six interceptions. Bennett has not had any problems finding NIL opportunities this year. He added Fanatics, Georgia Power, AARP and Synovus Bank to his list of partnerships before the start of the season. He added another in early October, signing with Shuman Farms. And earlier this month, Bennett switched his nickname from the “Mailman” to “Milkman” in his latest agreement, this time striking a partnership with Georgia Dairy Alliance. Combined, the deals are nearing the combined seven-figure threshold.

5. Harold Perkins

On3 NIL Valuation: $762,000
Position: Linebacker
Per Post Value: $1,100
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 14

The top linebacker in his class , Harold Perkins continues to show why his recruitment was so contested. He’s a quickly matured into a college football star. In LSU’s upset of Alabama in Death Valley this season, the freshman finished the game with with seven tackles, a pass breakup, three quarterback hurries and a sack. The next week against Arkansas, he became the first SEC player since 2000 to post 8+ tackles, 4+ sacks and multiple forced fumbles in a single game. His On3 NIL Valuation has continued to spike thanks to his on-field performance, a $427,000 growth over the past 10 weeks. He recently joined Boutte as another Gordon McKernan ambassador, 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.