The Biggest NIL Earners in Women’s Sports From 2022

In the era of college athletes cashing in, women seem to be quickly benefiting from the chance to monetize while in the college spotlight. It’s been almost 18 months since the NCAA adopted its name, image and likeness policy, with 2022 being the first full year student-athletes have been able to profit off their personal brand.

Through November 2022, according to NIL marketplace and tech company Opendorse, football and men’s basketball were the top-earning sports, followed by women’s basketball, women’s volleyball and softball. Gymnastics, women’s track and field and women’s swimming and diving were also in the top 10. While the majority of college athletes are not making anything close to a real salary, a few in women’s sports have seen some major pay days. Here are some of the biggest deals from 2022:

Olivia Dunne, LSU gymnastics

With 6.5 million TikTok followers and 2.5 million Instagram followers, Livvy Dunne has attracted some major partnerships. In 2022, the LSU sophomore signed deals with Forever 21, Grubhub and Linktree, adding to her already-long list of partnerships, including Too Faced Cosmetics, Vuori Clothing and American Eagle Outfitters. On3 has her as the top-earning female college athlete, with a valuation at $2.6 million. In fact, Dunne’s valuation has her as the No. 6 earner for all athletes, according to On3.

Suni Lee, Auburn gymnastics

Looking ahead to Paris 2024, Suni Lee has announced that she is only planning to compete with the Tigers for one more season. But the Auburn sophomore has likely made quite a bit of green to go with her Olympic gold. On3 has her right behind Dunne in all women’s deals, with a valuation of $1.5 million. Lee’s partnerships from 2022 include CLIF bar, Amazon, Gatorade, Invisalign and Target, to name a few.

Paige Bueckers, UConn basketball

Despite being out for the season with a torn ACL, Paige Bueckers is still having an impact on the game as it’s likely top NIL earner, with an estimated valuation of $824k, according to On3. Some of her biggest partners in 2022 include Nerf, Bose and Crocs. These deals are in addition to her partnerships with Gatorade and StockX, a sneaker marketplace that allowed her to give new sneakers to her entire team back in February.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder, Miami basketball

If you’ve been following literally anything having to do with NIL in the last year, then you have seen the Cavinder twins. Haley and Hanna Cavinder—who transferred from Fresno State to Miami ahead of their senior seasons—have more than 4 million followers on their joint TikTok account and are estimated to be nearing $2 million in earnings, according to Forbes. In January, they became co-owners of a streetwear company called Baseline Team and have also inked deals with the likes of Champ Sports, LifeWallet, Core Hydration water, Boost Mobile, Six Star nutrition and numerous other companies. The duo also launched a podcast with iHeart Radio called Twin Talk, which focuses on NIL.

Flau’jae Johnson, LSU basketball

There doesn’t seem to be much that 18-year-old Flau’jae Johnson can’t do. The LSU star freshman, who is averaging 13.2 points per game, signed an impressive deal with Puma before the season started. She also has partnerships with Meta, Taco Bell and Raising Canes. But in addition to all of that, Johnson is a rapper with a record deal under Jay Z’s label Roc Nation, having released an EP this year. As Kim Mulkey’s Tigers attempt to make a deep run in March, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson’s brand grow even more in the NIL landscape.

Jada Williams, Arizona basketball signee

Even though she hasn’t hit the court quite yet for the Wildcats, five-star commit Jada Williams has signed some pretty hefty NIL deals. With more than 1 million followers combined on Instagram and TikTok, Williams has partnered with Spalding, Gymshark, Damian Lillard’s Move and Lemon Perfect water. Already a standout in the sport, it’s likely the deals will keep rolling in once Williams is on campus. Perhaps she can also land a deal with Dunkin Donuts like her future teammate Maya Nnaji.