Top five On3 NIL Valuations in UCLA-Oregon matchup

Chip Kelly is headed back to Autzen Stadium for the third time since he left the Oregon program. This trip with UCLA will be the biggest stage yet, though.

With an unbeaten team and a No. 9 national ranking, Kelly has delivered on the Bruins rebuild. It’s been a slow burn, using the Transfer Portal as well as any other program in the country. And quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has bloomed into one of the nation’s top players.

The first two trips back to Eugene with UCLA have been embarrassing for Kelly. And this Oregon team is plenty capable of delivering the same result again under first year head coach Dan Lanning. Minus the blemish to Georgia, the No. 10 Ducks sit at 5-1.

There’s plenty of storylines swirling around, especially with College Gameday set to be on location. None may be bigger than this. A win from UCLA would make it the only unbeaten team remaining in the Pac-12. A path to the conference title game and College Football Playoff would not be far off.

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

1. Dorian Thompson-Robinson

On3 NIL Valuation: $912,000
Position: Quarterback
Per Post Value: $3,600
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 43

Dorian Thompson-Robinson has not had any trouble finding NIL deals. The UCLA quarterback has signed partnerships with SoFi, crocs and Candy Digital, just to name a few. And he earned enough in the first year of NIL to rent out a yacht for his teammates to enjoy before the start of training camp. For all the success he’s found off the field, he’s made sure to deliver on the field this season. Thompson-Robinson has the Bruins at 6-0 and entering this weekend’s game in Eugene with a real opportunity to set them up for a College Football Playoff berth. Ever since he landed in Westwood, he’s shown why he was a four-star recruit coming out of Bishop Gorman. This year has been his best season yet, though. Entering Saturday game, the quarterback has thrown for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions, adding another four scores on the ground. Delivering a top-10 win on the road could put him in serious contention for the Heisman.

2. Zach Charbonnet

On3 NIL Valuation: $467,000
Position: Running Back
Per Post Value: $556
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 48

Chip Kelly tried to land the four-star tailback in his 2019 recruiting class. Just turns out it took a two-year stint with Michigan for Zach Charbonnet the best place to play his college ball was back at home. The
Oaks Christian product has emerged as a star in UCLA’s offense these past two seasons. And while so much of Kelly’s offenses have been known for the fast-paced, passing-first style, he’s built his program in Westwood on smashmouth football. Charbonnet has been central figure of that formula. He had his first 1,000 yard season of his college career in 2021, racking up 1,137 yards on 202 carries and 13 touchdowns. He’s more than halfway there through six games this season. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound back is averaging 7.1 yards per carry this year and already has six touchdowns as well. Charbonnet is one of the top running backs in the Pac-12, if not the top. UCLA will need a complete performance from him Saturday against the Ducks.

3. Bo Nix

On3 NIL Valuation: $430,000
Position: Quarterback
Per Post Value: $2,000
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 245

When Bo Nix decided to enter the Transfer Portal, it came as a shock. A legacy at Auburn, it almost seemed like a given the quarterback would close out his college career with the Tigers. Instead, he headed west and reunited with his former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. Despite a bumpy start against Georgia, everything else has gone according to plan. With a 70.4% completion percentage through the air, Nix has torn apart defenses using his feet. The quarterback has 40 carries for 331 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He’s added 12 more through the air, too. Oregon is currently averaging 42 points per game and off to a 3-0 start in Pac-12 play. Nix’s decision to join the Ducks has a lot to do with this.

4. Laiatu Latu

On3 NIL Valuation: $425,000
Position: EDGE
Per Post Value: $302
On3 Impact 300 ranking: No. 46

The former Washington edge rusher, Laiatu Latu was not even allowed to play college football two years ago. A neck injury cut his career short at Washington. He sustained the injury at the beginning of the 2020 season, and team doctors weren’t ready to allow him back on the field the following fall. All signs pointed to his career coming to an end. Then Latu’s old Washington position coach moved to UCLA, and the edge rusher received medical clearance from one of the country’s top spine surgeons. Fast forward and he is now terrorizing Pac-12 offensive lines. The redshirt junior has tallied seven tackles for loss this season, including 6.5 sacks. He’s forced two fumbles, too. Laiatu Latu could give Bo Nix and the Oregon offense fits Saturday.

5. DJ Johnson

On3 NIL Valuation: $414,000
Position: Linebacker
Per Post Value: $3,500
On3 Impact 300 ranking: N/A

Touting NIL deals with both Division Street and Ducks Rising, D.J. Johnson has built one of the top social media followings in college football. The linebacker has 338,000 total followers, with more than 331,000 coming just on Instagram. He’s inked countless deals, promoting Opendorse on his Instagram and using also Burst Sports for NIL representation. Johnson has also found plenty of success on the field. The Miami transfer has registered four sacks this season along with a fumble recovery.

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.