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

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**
1	QB Shedeur Sanders	Colorado	$4.8M	2.5M
2	QB Arch Manning	Texas	$3.1M	309K
3	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
6	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

*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

@cgboan

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.