Top 10 college football players with highest NIL deals in 2023

NIL deals have taken college sports by storm since the NCAA adopted the name, image, and likeness ruling in 2021, allowing student-athletes to earn from their fame.

As football leads the way due to its humongous fan market share among college sports, some of the highest NIL deals have been handed to football prospects. Let's look at 2023's top 10 NIL earners in college football.

#10 - Sam Hartman

Sam Hartman is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's starting quarterback. His first NIL deal was with Beats by Dre, followed by Mizzen+Main and Topps.

He has a social media following of 135,000 and an NIL valuation of $1.2 million, per On3.

#9 - Michael Penix Jr.

Washington State quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has dealt with Beats by Dre, Simple Seattle, and Panini America.

Michael has 43,000 followers on social media and an On3 NIL valuation of $1.3 million.

#8 - Bo Nix

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was among the first NIL deal earners. In 2021, he signed deals with Milo's Tea Company and Topps.

A deal with Candy Digital followed, but he signed a lucrative deal with Bose last year, propelling him up this list. He has 197,000 social media followers and an On3 NIL valuation of $1.3 million.

#7 - Marvin Harrison Jr.

Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was featured on the package of Grippos Chips and has NIL deals with Dr. Teal's and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's energy drink, ZOA Energy.

Harrison has 470,000 social media followers and an On3 NIL valuation of $1.4 million.

#6 - Drake Maye

Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye signed NIL deals with Heels4Life and Jimmy's Famous Food.

His most significant deal was with Dwayne Johnson's ZOA Energy, which also has LSU's Angel Reese as an ambassador.

Maye has a social media following of 75,000 and a NIL valuation of $1.5 million, per On3.

#5 - Evan Stewart

The Texas A&M Aggies' Wide Receiver signed NIL deals with NOCO. Coach, and Texas Aggies United.

He has a total of 2.4 million followers in social media and an On3 NIL valuation of 1.6 million.

#4 - Travis Hunter

Travis Hunter was a five-star recruit when he opted for Jackson State and once again followed coach Deion Sanders to Colorado.

Hunter signed NIL deals with NXTRND, Kastking, and Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits. He has 1.8 million social media followers and an On3 NIL valuation of $2.2 million.

#3 - Caleb Williams

USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. He has inked NIL deals with Neutrogena, United Airlines, Beats By Dre and PlayStation's Playmaker program.

Williams has 319,000 social media followers and a NIL valuation of $2.6 million, per On3. He just missed out on the top spot to a prospect with special circumstances in his favor.

#2 - Arch Manning

Arch Manning hails from football royalty, the Manning family. He joined the Texas Longhorns, and an anecdote speculates that his grandfather, Archie Manning, stopped him from earning from potential NIL deals before he became a starter.

Manning has a social media following of 274,000 across all his platforms.

He only recently inked his first NIL deal with Panini America and already has an On3 NIL valuation of $2.9 million.

#1 - Shedeur Sanders tops the football NIL deals list

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders followed his father, Deion Sanders, to Colorado and is a heavy hitter in the NIL space.

He has a social media following of 2.1 million followers and an On3 NIL valuation of $5.1 million.

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In the overall NIL space, college football dominates the top spots, with seven of the top 10 being football players.

The dominance is only broken by exceptions like Bronny James, a brand name; Livvy Dunne, who has a massive social media following; and the charismatic Angel Reese, the biggest riser this year.