Which Michigan signees have the highest NIL Valuations?

Michigan went all-in on an NIL push to complete its 2025 recruiting class. For Five-Star+ Bryce Underwood and four-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood, the Wolverines made offers that were not going to be topped. 

General Manager Sean Magee brought his NFL experience to Ann Arbor and helped U-M sign its highest-ranked class since 2017. Five-star tackle Andrew Babalola and Underwood headline that group that includes a whopping 8 Top 100 signees. 

Some of Michigan’s commits carry lofty NIL Valuations, a metric created by On3 that “determines the projected annual value (PAV) of college and high school athletes by combining Roster Value and NIL Value.”

Here’s On3’s explanation of how the NIL Valuation works. To be clear, it is not meant to project how much money an athlete actually receives from a collective. 

“Using a proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation establishes a baseline value that helps athletes, schools, and brands negotiate roster contracts and marketing opportunities more effectively. 

“Roster Value is the primary factor influencing most athletes’ NIL Valuation. It is determined mainly by collected deal data within the college marketplace and represents the compensation athletes receive from schools and collectives for competing, similar to contracts and salaries for professional athletes.

“NIL Value, on the other hand, measures an athlete’s market value in terms of licensing and sponsorship. This value is influenced by on-field performance, media exposure, and social media presence. Typically, only elite national athletes or those with a strong social media following generate significant revenue from brand marketing compared to their Roster Value. 

“The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects outcomes over the next 12 months.”

Now, let’s take a look at the Michigan signees who have the five highest NIL Valuations. 

1) Five-Star+ quarterback Bryce Underwood— $2.9 mil

Believe it or not, the nation’s No. 1 quarterback and top-ranked overall prospect is pretty marketable. Michigan reportedly offered Bryce Underwood a massive NIL contract, and he flipped from LSU to the Wolverines in November. He has the top NIL valuation in high school football by $200k and also ranks No. 14 amongst all college athletes— placing first on Michigan’s roster. Underwood has 155k Instagram followers. 

2) Five-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola— $711k

Andrew Babalola holds the third-highest NIL valuation on Michigan’s roster, sandwiching him between Rayshaun Benny and Rod Moore. The Wolverine signee is the No. 14 recruit in the nation and the No. 4 tackle in the country. He only has a few thousand followers on his social media platforms, but his ranking and future at a premium position like left tackle boosts his NIL valuation. 

3) Top 100 offensive tackle Ty Haywood— $357k

Ty Haywood was a five-star until a week ago and still ranks as the No. 48 recruit in the country and No. 8 tackle nationally. Like Babalola, he plays a premium position and ranks amongst the top prospects in his class. He was one of the most coveted linemen in the 2025 cycle, and his NIL valuation ranks fifth on the Wolverines current roster. 

4) Top 100 edge Nate Marshall— $211k

Nate Marshall is one of the more exciting players in this class as an explosive edge rusher. He’s the No. 39 recruit in the country and was one of the top performers at this year’s Navy All-American Bowl. After flipping from Michigan to Auburn in August, the nation’s No. 6 edge rusher switched his commitment back to the Wolverines late in the cycle. 

5) Top 100 cornerback Shamari Earls— $138k

Shamari Earls did not play his senior year of high school football due to injury and would have likely been ranked higher than No. 89 nationally if he had. Virginia’s top-ranked recruit is a tall corner at 6-2 with impressive speed. He has skill set to be a true lockdown corner on the outside of Michigan’s defense and has an NIL valuation that reflects that.