Highest NIL Valuations: College Football’s Top Earners For 2024-25

Fact Checked by Thomas Leary

When it comes to Name, Image and Likeness (or NIL as it’s called by many) money, it’s never a bad thing to carry a famous surname, as some of the highest-earning college athletes all do so.  

One such player that’s certainly cashed in on his hall of fame bloodline is Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who shined on a mediocre Buffs’ team in 2023, throwing for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns (to three interceptions).  

Sanders’ stratospheric talents were almost enough to overshadow CU’s 4-8 campaign in his father’s first season in Boulder, though many will remember how the Buffs’ cratered down the stretch, losing six straight against Pac-12 foes to cap off a third straight losing season along the Flatirons. BetColorado is tracking Shedeur Sanders Heisman Odds all season. 

Unsurprisingly, the junior Sanders’ on-field exploits have netted him a seven-figure NIL valuation from the folks at On3.com, which inspired BetColorado.com to break down the highest earning CFB players ahead of the 2024 regular season that kicks off in less than a month.  

Stick with BetColorado for research pieces such as this, plus all news around Colorado sports betting.

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Highest NIL Valuations: College Football’s Top Earners For 2024-25

Rank* 

Player 

Team 

On3 NIL Valuation 

Combined Social Media Followers** 

QB Shedeur Sanders 

Colorado 

$4.8M 

2.5M 

QB Arch Manning 

Texas 

$3.1M 

309K 

WR/DB Travis Hunter 

Colorado 

$2.6M 

2.3M 

T-4 

QB Jalen Milroe 

Alabama  

$1.7M 

223K 

T-4 

QB Quinn Ewers 

Texas 

$1.7M 

265K 

QB Carson Beck 

Georgia 

$1.4M 

118K 

T-7 

WR Evan Stewart 

Oregon 

$1.3M 

2.4M 

T-7 

QB Jaxson Dart 

Ole Miss 

$1.3M 

143K 

T-9 

QB Dillon Gabriel 

Oregon 

$1.2M 

160K 

T-9 

QB Nico Iamaleava 

Tennessee 

$1.2M 

345K 

T-11 

QB DJ Lagway 

Florida 

$1.0M 

79K 

T-11 

DB Shilo Sanders 

Colorado 

$1.0M 

1.4M 

13 

QB Cam Ward 

Miami (FL) 

$998K 

147K 

14 

QB Will Howard 

Ohio State 

$973K 

56K 

15 

QB Dylan Raiola 

Nebraska 

$958K 

121K 

MORE: Colorado sports betting promos

*Rankings based on NIL Valuation from website On3.com 
**Social media following includes Instagram, TikTok and X 

Nationally, Sanders has the highest NIL valuation of any college football player, at $4.8 million, thanks in large part to the 22-year-old Texas-born gunslinger’s massive following on social media. With 2.5 million followers across his online sites, Sanders dwarves the next closest player on our list (Arch Manning of Texas, at 309K), which explains why his NIL valuation is $1.7 million higher than the Longhorns backup quarterback.  

Fellow CU star Travis Hunter is third on On3.com’s NIL valuation leaderboard, at $2.6 million, thanks to his star-studded play on both sides of the ball, while Shedeur’s brother Shilo ranks in a tie with Florida QB DJ Lagway for 11th nationally, with an NIL valuation of $1 million. You can also keep tabs on Travis Hunter Heisman odds all season long here.

The trio of recruiting stars will look to get Colorado back atop the pedestal in their old conference this fall, beginning with CU’s Week 1 showdown against FCS heavyweight North Dakota State on Aug. 31, in which Fanatics Sportsbook Colorado lists the Buffs’ as a nine-point favorite.  

USA Today photo by Candice Ward.

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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