Top five On3 NIL Valuations in women's Final Four

The women’s basketball game continues to grow in popularity, and NIL has played a small role in it. With athletes now able to monetize their publicity rights, their social media accounts are even more valuable, ultimately elevating profiles off the court.

Friday night’s slate of Final Four games is a perfect example. LSU has a pair of basketball stars who have major personalities off the court. Iowa‘s Caitlin Clark has been heralded as the next great women’s basketball star; she was named National Player of the Year on Wednesday. And let’s not forget about South Carolina, which could win back-to-back national titles.

All of it comes with a growing audience. Sunday night’s game between Iowa and Louisville brought in nearly 2.5 million viewers, more than than every NBA game on ESPN this year. Sunday afternoon’s title game is set to be broadcast on network TV (ABC) for the first time since 1995.

On3 is breaking down the top five On3 NIL Valuations entering the women’s Final Four in Dallas.

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson

On3 NIL Valuation: $669,000
Social Media Followers: 1.5 million

For all her popularity off the court, it’s hard to overlook how impactful Flau’jae Johnson has been in her first season at LSU. Entering Friday night’s game with Virginia Tech, the 5-foot-10 guard is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds and shooting 42.9% from the field. The No. 3 seed in the tournament, the Tigers are making their first appearance in the Final Four since 2008. Johnson is a rap star off the court, touting a record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. She announced her commitment to LSU with a new song, and she’s released music videos this year with her rapping around the Tigers’ facility.

The America’s Got Talent star has turned her basketball and rap career into a successful NIL strategy. With more than 1.5 million social media followers, she also has a YouTube page with over 140,000 subscribers. Her list of partnerships includes Puma, HighlightHER, Meta and Taco Bell.

LSU forward Angel Reese

On3 NIL Valuation: $392,000
Social Media Followers: 1.1 million

Formerly a top-ranked recruit, Angel Reese left Maryland after two seasons season. Moving to the SEC and playing for head coach Kim Mulkey has gone nearly perfect. Reese was named to the AP All-America team earlier this month. The face of the LSU program, Reese has also won over fans with her on-court demeanor. The forward enters Friday averaging 23.2 points and shooting 52.6% from the floor. Her 15.7 rebounds per game rank second in the nation. She has also become known for her style, with eyelash extensions and long pink nails.

All of it has earned Reese the moniker “Bayou Barbie.” She’s fully embraced the nickname. Reese posted a photo on Instagram in January with the caption only including the nickname and has since filed to trademark the moniker. With well over 1.1 million total social media followers, she’s developed into an NIL star with 17 deals. Her list of partnerships includes McDonald’s, Sparkling Ice, Xfinity, Wingstop, Outback Steakhouse and Discord, and most recently JanSport.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark

On3 NIL Valuation: $192,000
Social Media Followers: 315,000

The 6-foot combo guard became the first player in women’s or men’s NCAA tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double on Sunday night. She took home National Player of the Year award on Wednesday. On Friday night, she’ll try to get Iowa to the national title game. Caitlin Clark has emerged as the sport’s biggest star this season. There’s no question this tournament run has boosted her value. The guard has a long line of deals, including partnering with Buick, Nike, H&R Block and Hy-Vee. Nike has plans to release name and number tees and sweatshirts for Clark, too. Don’t forget she’s added more than 60,000 followers over the past week on social media. For as much as she’s a threat offensively averaging 27.3 points and shooting 47.4% from the field, she leads the nation with 8.6 assists per game.

South Carolina guard Zia Cooke

On3 NIL Valuation: $180,000
Social Media Followers: 291,000

Entering the season, Zia Cooke was already one of the most decorated players in South Carolina history, then got even better in 2022-23. It’s earned her a windfall of NIL opportunities. The guard has worked closely with Excel Sports, signing notable NIL deals with Beats by Dre, Command, Grammarly and Campbell’s Chunky. She picked up right where she left off this year on the court. Cooke was a first-team All-SEC selection for the second time in her career after averaging a team-best 15.3 points per game and shooting a career-best 40.8% from the field. The Gamecocks enter the Final Four undefeated, with Cooke being a is a big reason why. The guard is averaging 15.1 points entering Friday. If South Carolina wins the national title, the Gamecocks will join rarefied air as one of the few programs to ever win back-to-back championships.

South Carolina center Aliyah Boston

On3 NIL Valuation: $104,000
Social Media Followers: 201,000

Aliyah Boston is just the 10th player to earn AP-All-American honors three times. She’s also the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player and the SEC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She may not have the most social media followers, but there’s little debate about who is one of the top players in college basketball. Boston enters this weekend nearly averaging a double-double with 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. She’s also 25th in the country shooting 56.8% from the floor. And the 6-foot-5 center is one of the toughest players to guard in the country with her size and ability to score around the rim. Her profile has only been amplified by her on-court success.

Thanks to NIL, she has a multi-year shoe deal with Under Armour. She’s also inked partnerships with crocs and Slate Milk, along with Buick and Dick’s Sporting Goods. If this is her last NCAA tournament, Boston is expected to be a lottery pick in April’s WNBA draft.

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 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.

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.