LSU could soon hold top three spots on On3 Women's NIL Top 100

When it comes to LSU athletes taking advantage of NIL deals, the women on campus are making the most of their opportunities.

With the latest update to the On3 Women’s NIL Top 100, LSU now has three of the top four names on the list in gymnast Livvy Dunne and basketball stars Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson.

Soon, the Tigers could well be holding down the top three spots on the list.

Cavinder Twins stepping away from basketball

Miami basketball players Hanna and Haley Cavinder decided not to take their fifth year of eligibility and step away from college basketball. The twins made the announcement on social media a week ago.

“Hanna and I have decided to not take our fifth year and start a new chapter in our lives,” Haley wrote. “The U will always be home and we are forever proud to be Hurricanes.”

The pair have become two of the biggest NIL stars in college sports over the past two years.

On3 College Business Reporter Pete Nakos said, per sources, the twins “have multiple business opportunities ahead of them and will remain social media influencers. Entering into some of the deals may have been restricted due to NIL policies if they stayed at Miami.”

Haley Cavinder was ranked No. 4 on the On3 Women’s NIL Top 100 with a valuation of $930,000. Hanna Cavinder checked in at No. 5 with a valuation of $924,000.

Now, both have moved on and are not part of this week’s updated NIL Top 100, which bumped Reese and Johnson up the list.

Another top NIL earner is moving on from college

The Cavinder twins aren’t the only female athletes inside the On3 Women’s NIL Top 100 who are done with their collegiate careers.

Auburn gymnast Sunisa Lee, who was the 2020 women’s all-around gymnastics champion in Tokyo, was the first reigning Olympic champion to compete at the NCAA level. Because of NIL legislation, Lee was able to capitalize on endorsement deals that put her On3 NIL Valuation at $1.4 million.

Now, Lee is leaving Auburn behind to focus on training for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. While she currently sits in the No. 2 spot on the On3 Women’s NIL Top 100, her departure from college athletics will take her off the list.

Like with the Cavinder twins leaving Miami, it will mean LSU’s Reese and Johnson move up the list.

Can LSU take over the top three spots?

For On3 College Sports Business reporter Pete Nakos, there’s little debate over which college has taken center stage with NIL in the women’s game.

“In the first 21 months of NIL, it’s become clear women are the biggest winner,” Nakos told The Bengal Tiger. “LSU is arguably the best case study of that.

“Livvy Dunne has a multi-year deal with Vuori Clothing and is the most followed college athlete on social media. It feels like Angel Reese is the biggest name in college sports right now, and she’s really just getting started in NIL. Meanwhile, Flau’jae Johnson is still a freshman. She just won a national title and she’s a well-known rapper. Sky is the limit for her. We’ll have to see how it all shakes out the next few months, but they could rank 1-2-3 in the Women’s NIL 100.”

The No. 1 student-athlete on the On3 Women’s NIL Top 100 is LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, who has an On3 valuation of $3.5 million. Dunne has 11.2 million combined followers on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. That was more than double the total of the next most-followed female collegiate athletes in the Cavinder twins, who both have just north of 5 million combined followers across the three platforms.

Dunne is expected to return to LSU for her senior year next season. The LSU gymnastics team is coming off an appearance in the Final Four at the NCAA Championships.

With Sunisa Lee leaving Auburn, the next name expected to slide into the No. 2 spot behind Dunne is Reese. Reese saw her On3 NIL Valuation surge from $371,000 before the NCAA Tournament to $1.3 million following LSU’s National Championship win. Two weeks later, the On3 NIL Valuation has moved up to $1.4 million.

One week ago, the next two names on the list were Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, whose valuation was at $830,000, and Johnson’s is currently $813,000. Now, Johnson has leaped past Clark with an On3 NIL Valuation set at $813,000 to Clark’s valuation of $808,000.

Johnson is also rap star off the court, touting a record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. She’s teased a possible collaboration with Lil Wayne. She’s appeared multiple times on America’s Got Talent, and she’s inked NIL deals with brands like Puma, LG Electronics, Powerade, Raising Canes and more.