College Athletes with the Highest NIL Valuation

Last Updated on November 20, 2024

It’s no longer news that college athletes can now get paid by selling the rights to their name, image, and likeness. Since 2021, the NCAA has broken a longstanding tradition that prevented athletes from making money off their image, and numerous athletes across all sports have taken advantage of this rule to earn big bucks! These athletes continue to leverage their popularity and skill to attract several top brands and ink lucrative deals.

Former college athletes like Bronny James and Caitlin Clark earned a fortune while playing for their respective programs before turning pro during the summer, while current college players continue to secure brand deals and partnerships. Who ranks as the highest earners in college sports?

Shedeur Sanders

No surprises here. Shedeur Sanders is one of the most popular college football players right now and could turn pro next season. The Colorado Buffaloes quarterback is the son of former NFL cornerback Deion Sanders aka Coach Prime, who also serves as his head coach in Boulder.

Sanders’ NIL is currently valued at $5.8 million according to On3. The former Jackson State Tigers player won the Jerry Rice and Deacon Jones trophies before transferring to Colorado in 2023. He signed a NIL deal with popular energy drink brand Gatorade in 2022, which made him the first HBCU player to do so. The 22-year-old has also partnered with Apple’s Beat by Dre and became the first college football player to ink a deal with Nike when he signed with the company in August 2024.

Aside from being a college star, Sanders has also released music, with his song “Perfect Timing” amassing over two million streams since it was released in May. He currently has more than three million followers across his social media platforms.

Livvy Dunne

Next on the list is famous college gymnast Livvy Dunne. She’s a member of the LSU Tigers gymnastics team, where she helped the program win their first national championship after edging out the University of California, Berkeley in 2023. Before attending LSU, she was part of the USA junior gymnastics team that won gold at the 2017 Jesolo Championship in Italy.

Her success, however, transcends the world of gymnastics. Dunne attained social media fame on TikTok during the pandemic, and has since become the most followed college athlete on social media, with over 15 million followers across her pages. She signed a deal with WME Sports, becoming the agency’s first NIL athlete. Dunne also has endorsement deals with Bodyarmor, Vuori, and Grobhub, to name a few.

During an appearance on NBC’s Today, the LSU star told show host Stephanie Gosk that her income now totals seven figures. On3 values her NIL deals at $4 million, making her the highest-valued women’s collegiate athlete in the country.

Travis Hunter

Another Colorado Buffaloes player makes the list and its none other than wide receiver Travis Hunter. Like Shedeur, Hunter played at Jackson State before transferring to Boulder to play with Coach Prime in 2023. He registered 751 yard receptions and five touchdowns in nine games, enough to earn him Consensus All-American and Second-Team Pac 12 honors in his first stint at Colorado. He also received the Paul Hornung Award, a trophy given to the most versatile player in NCAA football.

Hunter secured an NIL deal with coffee company J5 Caffe in 2022, and has several brand endorsements with financial company Greenwood and Michael Strahan Brands. The University of Colorado junior was unveiled as one of EA Sports’ cover athletes for College Football 25 in May, and has an estimated $3.3 million NIL valuation as of summer 2024.

Arch Manning

The Manning family is a dynasty in football, and has produced some of the greatest football players of all time, and a third generation is already making big waves in college football. Arch Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, grandson of Archie Manning, and nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning. Both his grandfather and uncles are recognized greats in the world of football, and he is on his way to upholding the Manning family legacy.

The 19-year-old University of Texas freshman plays quarterback for the Longhorns. He helped the team to a blowout win over Louisiana-Monroe and earned his first win as a starter in Week 4 against Mississippi State.

Despite only being the Longhorns’ back-up quarterback, the five-star recruit is said to have a NIL valuation worth $3.1 million, a figure which is set to grow considering the hype around him. He inked a deal with Panini America, one of the world’s largest collectibles, renowned for auctioning sports and entertainment artifacts. He also has a deal with EA Sports and was reportedly paid around $60,000 to promote College Football 25.

With Manning and starting quarterback Quinn Ewers on the roster, the Longhorns have the fourth best odds of winning the national championship on most sportsbooks. College football fans seeking to bet on Texas can make use of this state-by-state guide for comprehensive information on how to place college football bets in their respective jurisdictions.

Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg is a rising talent in basketball, and is the consensus top recruit in the 2024 Class. The 17-year-old small forward from Duke University could declare for the 2025 NBA Draft next year which would make him one of the youngest players to play in the NBA, and he is the current favorite to be selected No. 1 overall next June.

Flagg committed to play for Duke University’s basketball team, the Blue Devils after receiving multiple offers from other top Universities like UConn in October 2023. He was named McDonald’s All-American in January and earned Gatorade’s National Player of the Year honors in March. His name, image, and likeness is said to be worth $2.6 million dollars, making him the highest paid college basketball player in the country. Former ESPN sportswriter Adrian Wojnarowski announced on August 26 that Flagg had signed a significant shoe deal with New Balance ahead of his Duke debut. He was also announced as Gatorade’s first men’s college basketball athlete in October.