College football NIL player rankings for 2025

The latest rankings for what college football players are dominating the NIL market in 2025.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is among the 10 college football players dominating the NIL market in 2025. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

For the first time in college football history, amateur players are able to legally put money in their pockets thanks to the innovative NIL rules introduced to the game in recent years.

And while most players are able to get something out of it, as expected, there are a lucky few who have parlayed their name, image, and likeness into bigger bucks than the competition.

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 2025 season.

Who are the 10 most valuable players in the NIL market right now?

Rankings courtesy of On3 Sports valuations

College football NIL player rankings for 2025

10. Sam Leavitt

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Arizona State quarterback

NIL valuation: $3 million

Leavitt predictably jumped into the national spotlight after the Sun Devils dominated in the Big 12 title game and made the College Football Playoff for the first time, passing for 24 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions while throwing for nearly 3,000 yards as a redshirt freshman.

And that $3 million estimate is a marked increase in value from when On3 Sports previously placed Leavitt’s NIL value at around $616,000 earlier in the season, ranking 15th in the Big 12.

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9. Nico Iamaleava

Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Tennessee quarterback

NIL valuation: $3.1 million

Iamaleava has almost tripled his estimated NIL value over the past year since emerging as the unchallenged starter for the Volunteers, throwing for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns and boasting a statement win over Alabama, and he’ll have another cast of blue-chip receivers to work with in 2025.

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8. Drew Allar

Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State quarterback

NIL valuation: $3.2 million

A former five-star prospect from the Cleveland area, Allar is coming off his best season, completing 66 percent of his passes for 3,327 yards, both career-highs, and scored 24 touchdowns, his second-best career mark, helping lead the Nittany Lions all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinal round.

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7. Cade Klubnik

Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Clemson quarterback

NIL valuation: $3.3 million

Another former five-star recruit, Klubnik threw for a personal-best 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, helping Clemson to its first playoff showing since 2020, and notably inked an NIL deal with Beats by Dre back in 2023.

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6. Garrett Nussmeier

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

LSU quarterback

NIL valuation: $3.6 million

Nussmeier led one of college football’s most productive passing attacks last season, eclipsing 4,000 yards in the air while scoring 29 touchdowns, and the Tigers quarterback was one of several NCAA stars to appear in a commercial for Powerade last summer.

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5. LaNorris Sellers

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

South Carolina quarterback

NIL valuation: $3.7 million

Sellers was named the National Freshman Offensive Player of the Year after posting 2,534 passing yards and scoring 18 touchdowns, adding another 7 TDs and 674 yards on the ground, and signed an NIL deal with Cheez-It ahead of the Gamecocks’ appearance in the Citrus Bowl.

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4. DJ Lagway

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida quarterback

NIL valuation: $3.8 million

Lagway stepped into the starting role at Florida after Graham Mertz’s injury, only to be forced out by his own injury, but still left a very good impression during his limited exposure, throwing for 1,915 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he signed an NIL deal with Nintendo and Epic Games at the start of the 2025 calendar year.

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3. Jeremiah Smith

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Ohio State wide receiver

NIL valuation: $4 million

The only non-quarterback in these rankings, the first to crack the $4 million mark, and one who is still reportedly hearing offers from other schools, Smith is considered the best wide receiver in college football, catching 76 passes for 1,315 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns, and he has NIL deals with Nintendo and Red Bull signed over the last few months.

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2. Carson Beck

Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Miami quarterback

NIL valuation: $4.3 million

Beck seemed poised to enter the NFL Draft after playing at Georgia, but instead landed at Miami in arguably the biggest transfer of the year, and on the heels of a reported $4 million NIL package. Beck has deals with Beats by Dre, Chipotle, and Morgan & Morgan, per reports.

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1. Arch Manning

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Texas quarterback

NIL valuation: $6.5 million

The name Manning goes a long way in college football, especially in the era of NIL, as the Longhorns quarterback signed a deal with Red Bull this offseason as he prepares to take over the starting role from Quinn Ewers for good heading into the 2025 season.

(On3)

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