Biggest NIL Spenders In Transfer Portal? Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes

The Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes consistently are at the top of college football when it comes to landing elite players in the transfer portal with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. Oregon is bringing in talented transfers like running back Makhi Hughes and offensive tackle Isaiah World.

Dec 31, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day (left) and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning pose with the Leishman Trophy during the Rose Bowl head coaches press conference at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks are among the biggest spenders across all of college football. Oregon will be bringing an elite class of transfers for the 2025 season. Where does this class rank and how much are the Ducks spending compared to the rest of the country?

Oregon Ducks Among Big Spenders

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning walks the field ahead of the game as the Oregon Ducks host the Boise State Broncos Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Oregon Ducks present great opportunities on and off the field to incoming transfers. This is reflective by how many Oregon players succeed and take their game to the next and level, and additionally, how much their NIL valuation is worth. On3 spoke with personnel staffers and NIL collectives across the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC about which schools spent the most money in this offseason’s transfer portal. 

“Traditional big brands like Tennessee, Oregon, and Ohio State. Texas too,” a source from an SEC NIL Collective told On3. “They’re going to spent at the top of the market year in and year out.”

An SEC personnel staffer had a similar take to this collective.

“It’s Oregon and Ohio State, it’s rinse and repeat. That’s where kids want to go because they’re winning. It just so happens they have the best deals.”

Oregon’s 2025 transfer class is ranked as the No. 4 class in 2025. The Ducks will welcome 10 incoming transfers, headlined by offensive tackle Emmanuel Pregnon, running back Makhi Hughes, offensive tackle Isaiah World, safety Dillon Thieneman, and cornerback Theran Johnson.

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Ducks Transfer’s NIL Valuations

Sep 14, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Samuel Omosigho (24) defends during the first half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Former Tulane and now Oregon Ducks running back Makhi Hughes has the highest NIL valuation of any incoming Oregon transfer of $1 million per On3. This is the 17th-highest NIL valuation of all 2025 transfers. 

The next highest Oregon transfer NIL valuation is former Purdue Boilermakers safety Dillon Thieneman. His $854,000 valuation is the 23rd-highest in the 2025 transfer class. 

The Ducks have two more incoming 2025 transfers that rank in the top 50 of the highest NIL valuations. Former USC Trojans offensive tackle Emmanuel Pregnon's value is ranked No. 41 at $655,000, and former Northwestern Wildcats cornerback Theran Johnson is 46th with $638,000. 

Highest Valued Transfer In 2025

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) walks off the field after the game of an NCAA college football matchup Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Florida Gators 34-20. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The player in the 2025 transfer portal that has the highest NIL valuation is former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck. Beck transferred to the Miami Hurricanes following the 2024 season. His valuation is at $4.3 million.

An ACC NIL collective had this to say when asked who the highest paid player in the transfer portal was.

"Carson Beck. Whatever he got is very significant, something like $3.5 million," the collective said. "What was different in this year's portal was multiple offensive tackle prospects went for $1.5 million. The value on specialists go up pretty quickly."

An interesting side note about Beck being so highly thought of with NIL is his elbow injury. Beck tore his UCL in his throwing arm during this season's SEC Championship game. He had surgery a couple weeks later. Will he be able to make a full recovery in time for Miami's season opener in late August?

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