College Football NIL Player Value Rankings in 2024
For the first time in college football history, players are able to make some real money on the level, thanks to the historic NIL system introduced recently. And while most players are able to get something out of it, as expected, there are a lucky few who have parlayed their more famous names into bigger bucks than most.
Players at the most important positions and playing for some of the biggest-name programs in the country are predictably dominating the rankings as we move into the 2024 season. Who are the 10 most valuable players in the NIL market right now?
Rankings via On3 Sports
10. Missouri QB Brady Cook
NIL value: $1.1 million. Cook busted out in his second season as the Tigers' starting quarterback, throwing for a personal-best 3,317 yards, and leading Mizzou to a Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State. Set to come back in 2024 with wideouts Luther Burden and Theo Wease on the field, Cook is set to repeat that success again this fall.
T-9. Oregon WR Evan Stewart
NIL value: $1.3 million. The former five-star wide receiver prospect originally signed on with Texas A&M's historic recruiting class in 2022, but a transfer to Oregon could spell more prominence for a player who already has over 2 million followers on TikTok.
T-9. Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava
NIL value: $1.3 million. A highly-promising former five-star quarterback prospect who signed with Tennessee, the California native got his first start in the bowl game, a victory over Iowa in which he had 3 touchdown carries and another TD pass.
8. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
NIL value: $1.4 million. The veteran signal caller has 125 career passing touchdowns over the last five seasons with UCF and Oklahoma, and his transfer to Oregon will help push the Ducks' offense to a new level in the Big Ten.
7. Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
NIL value: $1.5 million. Dart has 52 career touchdown passes, 43 of which have come as the Rebels' starting quarterback, and he's set to return in 2024 looking to make an impact in the NFL Draft rankings with another successful season.
6. Georgia QB Carson Beck
NIL value: $1.56 million. Beck capitalized on his first season as the Bulldogs' starter under center, throwing 24 touchdowns against only 6 interceptions and hit over 72 percent of his pass attempts, culminating in a 60-point win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. His return in 2024 helps keep Georgia the favorite to win the title again.
5. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe
NIL value: $1.6 million. Milroe fought for, and won, the starting quarterback job for the Crimson Tide last season, passing for 23 touchdowns and running for 12 more while stacking up over 3,300 total yards of offense. His return in 2024 is crucial for new coach Kalen DeBoer to build his offense around.
4. Texas QB Quinn Ewers
NIL value: $1.9 million. Ewers was good for almost 70 percent of his passes and scored 27 total times passing and rushing while leading Texas to its first College Football Playoff appearance. Now he takes the Longhorns into the SEC armed with one of the more promising offenses in the country.
3. Texas QB Arch Manning
NIL value: $2.4 million. With a name like Manning, you're bound to get a lot of attention, and the Longhorns quarterback announced a deal with Panini America, which deals in sports collectibles like trading cards. Likely the backup again in 2024 behind Ewers, Manning should start in the 2025 season.
2. Colorado CB Travis Hunter
NIL value: $2.7 million. Not only is Hunter one of college football's most valuable NIL figures, he's also ranked as the No. 4 overall most valuable college athlete, helping turn Deion Sanders' program into an NIL powerhouse, with more than a dozen reported deals already in place. Hunter has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and is nearing 1 million on TikTok.
1. Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
NIL value: $4.6 million. The top-ranked college football player is also the No. 1 overall athlete in this NIL valuation rankings. The son of CU coach Deion Sanders, the quarterback had a promising Power Five debut for the Buffaloes last season, totaling 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns, and rushing for four more, in 11 starts. Almost three-quarters of his 2.5 million social followers come via Instagram.
-
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
JAMES PARKS