Georgia Football Class of 2023 NIL Valuations: Defense

With Early National Signing Day over, Georgia’s recruiting class for 2023 looks close to complete, already taking in 29 players between high school prospects and the transfer portal. For each player, On3 has applied an algorithm to each player, assessing the players’ NIL value.

The algorithm is created through a combination of each players’ performance, influence and exposure so far in their football career. The algorithm-driven On3 NIL Valuation comes from 27 years of data and science innovation in college sports publishing and is meant to be used as a tool in providing college athletes and businesses with an assessment of the players’ value in the Name, Image, and Likeness era.

So, let’s take a look at the NIL Valuation of each player in Georgia’s Class of 2023. Starting with the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs have had 14 high school prospects commits so far, but are yet to take a player out of the transfer portal. 

In case you missed it, the player with the largest NIL value on the offensive side of the ball is currently tied between Tyler Williams and Lawson Luckie at 156k, meaning that there are eight Georgia defenders with a larger NIL value than any offensive player.

14. Kyron Jones – 6.3K

While his On3 profile currently lists him as an Athlete, it is expected that former NC State commit will play in the Dawgs’ secondary. Of any player to commit to the Bulldogs in 2023, Kyron Jones has by far the lowest NIL value. However, it can be expected that this number will increase with Jones headed to Athens.

13. Daniel Harris – 6.6K

Similarly to Jones, Daniel Harris’s NIL value will likely increase following signing with the Bulldogs. Compared to any other player on Georgia’s roster, Harris’s NIL value matches his recruiting ranking the least. While Harris is ranked as the 42nd overall player in the On300, his NIL ranking for all high school football players is at No. 3,192.

12. Chris Peal – 25K

Coming in at No. 12 is Chris Peal, the third cornerback to be featured on this list already. While his NIL value is vastly larger than that of Jones or Harris, Peal’s value comes in at No. 576 in all of high school football, a low ranking for the No. 77 overall player in the On300.

11. Justyn Rhett – 39K

Rhett, a cornerback for Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, committed to the Bulldogs in late April of 2023 and has increased his NIL value ever since. Rhett was the first of Georgia’s five cornerbacks to commit to the Dawgs.

10. Jamaal Jarrett – 54K

The 6’5, 380 pound defensive lineman from Greensboro (N.C.) has drawn several comparisons to Jordan Davis following his commitment to Georgia. Although Jarrett announced his commitment to the Dawgs back in July, the defensive lineman saw a massive increase in his NIL value over the past week, going from 30k to 54k in a seven day window.

9. Jordan Hall – 139K

There’s a huge jump from No. 10 to No. 9 on the defensive side of the ball, as Georgia newest DL commit Jordan Hall eclipses the triple digits for the Bulldogs. While it’s tough to predict exactly how signing with the Bulldogs will affect his NIL value, it’s safe to assume that there will be a significant bump for Hall.

8. CJ Allen – 157K

As the first of the Bulldogs’ three inside linebacker commits in the class of 2023, CJ Allen provides Georgia with impressive depth at a position that is currently very deep for the Dawgs. Similarly to Jarrett, the Georgia commit saw a huge increase in his NIL value over the past week, going from 133K to 157K.

7. Gabriel Harris – 158K

Getting to the top half of the defensive side of the ball, IMG DL Gabriel Harris saw an increase of 24K in the past week, rising from 134K to 158K. Several times throughout the 2022 football season, Harris had highlight clips go viral on social media, making significant contributions to his high NIL value.

6. Troy Bowles – 169K

Bowles, son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles, has proven to be an elite athlete due to his family background and experience in high school. After playing basketball his first two years of high school, he ran a 11.73 100-meter dash as a junior in high school.

5. AJ Harris – 216K

Harris, the 17-year-old cornerback out of Phoenix City (Al.), saw an interesting dip in his NIL value of the past few months. Back on October 18th this year, Harris’s NIL value was up at 218 thousand, before taking a dip down to 192 thousand the following week. Now, back up at 216 thousand, Harris looks to make another jump after arriving in Athens this past week.

4. Damon Wilson – 220K

Wilson, the No. 4 overall player in the On300, committed to the Dawgs this past week following a whirlwind of a battle between Georgia and Ohio State. The elite edge commit was one of the most sought after recruits of the 2023 cycle, which is reflected in his high NIL value.

3. Samuel M’Pemba – 223K

M’Pemba, an edge rusher who did not even start playing football until seventh grade, makes the top three after displaying his elite combination of size and athleticism for the IMG Academy. On December 13th, M’Pemba had an NIL value of 246 thousand, which would have landed him No. 1 overall on the list, before taking a 23 thousand dollar dip this past week.

2. Joenel Aguero – 230K

Joenel Aguero, the hard-hitting safety for St. John’s Prep comes in at No. 2 on the list. While many have compared Aguero to former Georgia safety Lewis Cine, On3 also draws comparisons to another former Bulldog (Georgia and Mississippi State) safety in Johnathan Abram.

1. Raylen Wilson – 241K

Last but clearly not least, we’ve got Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson. Despite being the fifth highest rated player in Georgia’ 2023 recruiting class, Wilson has the largest value of any player, offensive or defensive and has the 28th highest of any player in high school football.