LSU women continue to dominate On3 NIL Rankings

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey brought a National Championship to Baton Rouge in just her second season with the program.

It was the first national title in basketball for the LSU men’s or women’s teams, and the Tigers are making the most of it off the court, as well.

When it comes to LSU’s female athletes taking advantage of Name, Image and Likeness, the Tigers are sitting at the top of the college sports world.

And thanks to the addition of Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith, those numbers are only growing.

Van Lith gives LSU a trio in the Top 5

Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith, the No. 1 ranked player in the NCAA Transfer Portal, announced her commitment to LSU on Thursday morning.

Now, LSU has three of the top five players in the On3 Women’s College Basketball NIL Top 100.

With a combined 3.9 million followers on her social media platforms and a number of NIL deals, LSU star Angel Reese sits at No. 1 in the country with an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.4 million. Prior to the NCAA Tournament and LSU’s National Championship, Reese’s NIL Valuation was below $400,000.

No. 2 on the On3 Women’s College Basketball NIL Top 100 is freshman Flau’jae Johnson, who shined for the Tigers in her first collegiate season.

Johnson has leaped past Iowa star Caitlin Clark with an On3 NIL Valuation set at $824,000 to Clark’s valuation of $810,000.

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.

Now, Van Lith gives LSU three of the top five names on the list.

Van Lith, who has a combined social media following of 827,000, checks in at No. 5 overall with an On3 NIL Valuation of $518,000. Van Lith’s On3 NIL Valuation is only expected to continue to rise with the news of her transfer to Baton Rouge.

Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers, one of the nation’s best players, has a combined social media following of 1.6 million and currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $756,000. That ranks No. 4 on the list, just ahead of Van Lith and behind Clark.

LSU women are sitting atop the NIL landscape

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 given Sunisa Lee, who currently ranks No. 3 on the On3 Women’s NIL Top 100, is leaving Auburn to continue her career with Team USA Gymnastics.

Dunne, who most recently landed a deal to appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, holds a commanding lead at No. 1 with an On NIL Valuation of $3.5 million. Dunne has a combined 11.3 million followers across her social media platforms.

In total, LSU has nine current female student-athletes in the On3 NIL Women’s Top 100, which is the most of any school in the country.

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.”

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.