Ranking the 2023 Michigan signees using On3's NIL Valuation

The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

The NIL valuation is comprised of a number of dynamic data points that focus on two primary factors – an athlete’s social media presence and their level of athletic performance.

A base valuation is generated from the number of followers on each social media platform an athlete has (Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok). Each platform is weighted differently based on the number of marketing dollars that brands and advertisers typically spend on each.

Michigan closed the book Wednesday on National Signing Day by signing all 21 verbal commitments and added two more four-star additions. As the Wolverines now look ahead to the College Football Playoff, the traditional period in February, and the 2024 recruiting class, we examine the NIL valuations for each of the 2023 signees and rank the top 10 in order.

1. EDGE Enow Etta — $123K

Etta is the highest-ranked signee in Michigan’s 2023 recruiting class in NIL valuations and the On3 Consensus. Growing an immense following fast on Twitter with nearly 5,000 followers, Etta was routinely covered throughout his recruiting process and also regularly conducted interviews, allowing the Michigan fan popularity of the Colleyville, Texas, native to grow. Etta stayed committed to the Wolverines since July despite late pushes from schools like Miami.

2. RB Cole Cabana – $42K

Cabana, the No. 2 overall senior prospect in the state of Michigan, according to the On3 Consensus, has an outstanding following on Instagram with 14,500 followers. Announcing his commitment back in February, Cabana never wavered with the possibility of flipping leading up to signing day, despite offers from the likes of Miami and others. Cabana is also heightening his following on both Twitter and TikTok with over 6,000 followers on each platform.

3. LB Semaj Bridgeman – $27K

The thumping linebacker out of Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter is an active poster on Twitter and is nearing 3,000 followers on both that respective social media app and Instagram. Bridgeman is fairly new on TikTok but a regular presence on the platform will only increase his NIL valuation. Bridgeman committed to Michigan in the summer and after transferring to Imhotep for his senior year, was one of the standout defensive stars for the Pennsylvania juggernaut.

4. IOL Amir Herring – $22K

Herring was the first offensive line commit of Michigan’s 2023 recruiting class and helped solidify the well-known pipeline established between U-M and West Bloomfield (Mich.) High. Herring is one-of-two West Bloomfield seniors to enroll in Ann Arbor next year. Social media numbers for Herring are growing exponentially in recent months on both Instagram and Twitter with the four-star in-stater enjoying 5,300 combined followers.

5. OT Evan Link – $21K

Link, the anchor out of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga, isn’t proactive much on social media but his trajectory at Michigan as an elite offensive tackle has allowed him to finish in the top five among all 2023 U-M signees. Link, who committed to the Wolverines in August over Stanford and Penn State, has garnered a combined following of 3,000 on Twitter and Instagram.

6. WR Semaj Morgan – $18.9K

Morgan, the second of two West Bloomfield (Mich.) High signees alongside Herring, should see the benefits of NIL opportunities as early as his freshman year at Michigan because of the three-star wideout signing a non-exclusive deal with 4EVR Sports, a marketing agency who’s sister company, 4EVR Records, works with popular hip-hop artists like Jack Harlow. The company will help Morgan, who was the second-longest verbal commitment for Michigan in the 2023 class, and his family navigate through sponsorship deals and partnerships with interested brands.

7. WR Karmello English – $18.6K

English, who committed and signed with Michigan on National Signing Day at his high school of Central High in Phenix City, Alabama, has a strong presence on TikTok with over 16,000 followers. The elite wideout picked up a large amount of followers on Instagram because of him going live with his commitment on Wednesday. English was one-of-two additions for Michigan on National Signing Day as the Wolverines beat out Kentucky in the final stretch.

8. TE Deakon Tonielli – $18.1K

Tonielli, the four-star offensive weapon from suburban Chicago, was able to get his Twitter profile returned after going months without it due to reasons outside of his control. Having that important social media account in possession again around the same time of Tonielli’s signing will mean an elevated following leading up to his enrollment in June. Graduating from Oswego (Ill.) High, Tonielli would end a three-month commitment drought for Michigan back in June after officially visiting campus that month.

9. CB Jyaire Hill – $18K

Hill followed suit with English by announcing his commitment and signing with Michigan on National Signing Day at his school of Kankakee (Ill.) High. Not included in Hill’s top five, the Wolverines pulled off the supposed upset for their fourth pickup from the state of Illinois in 2023. Hill recently released his clothing line called ”Suga Hill Brand”, which has it’s own Instagram account. The more embracement of NIL by Michigan this offseason will bring more eyes to Hill’s product. The No. 2 overall senior recruit in Illinois has over 9,000 combined followers on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

10a. CB Cameron Calhoun – $15.5K

Calhoun, who had a late-surge in his recruitment in the month of November after decommitting from both West Virginia and Cincinnati, is arguably the most frequent user of Twitter among all of the 2023 Michigan signees. The three-star cornerback out of Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods is seeing an uptick of followers on Twitter and is now at 4,200 after Wednesday. His Instagram following is over 2,000 as well. Calhoun’s positive and outgoing personality on-and-off the field will make him a priority target for brand deals as a student-athlete. It’ll be interesting to see how much Calhoun takes advantage of this profound opportunity.

10b. ATH Jason Hewlett – $15.5K

Hewlett, out of Youngstown (Ohio) Chaney, was recruited heavily by co-defensive coordinator Steve ClInkscale (also a native of Youngstown) this fall, who successfully flipped the versatile defensive athlete from Cincinnati back in November. Much like Etta, Hewlett has regularly done interviews with reporters since announcing his decision and is getting a lot of warranted attention on social media. His combined following on Twitter and Instagram is 5,000.

Rounding Out The Class

WR Fredrick Moore – $15.1K

RB Benjamin Hall – $14.8K

CB D’Juan Waller Jr. – $12.8K

DL Roderick “Trey” Pierce – $9.8K

K Adam Samaha – $9.9K

IOL Nathan Efobi – $8.6K

QB/ATH Kendrick Bell – $8.3K

DL Brooks Bahr – $6.6K

LB Hayden Moore – $6.4K

LB Breeon Ishmail – $6.2K

EDGE Aymeric Koumba – $6.1K