Being able to compensate college athletes over the last few years has changed the landscape of college sports, most notably the revenue behemoth that is college football. Name, Image and Likeness has helped usher in a new era of bidding wars and recruiting efforts that didn’t exist just less than a decade ago. And now, with the House Settlement, things will change even more.
Especially at a place like Ohio State that has a huge athletic department and a massive budget.
But NIL is still in practice, and there are still athletes getting paid for the usage of their name, so it’s a big deal. We always hear about the astronomical figures the top-end stars are pulling in, but there are smaller ones as well. However, the multi-million dollar contracts aren’t as prevalent as one would think. In fact, we’re ranking the top Big Ten NIL valuations, and there are fewer than ten that make the list worth mentioning.
Here’s a list of the top eight NIL valuations according to On3 in the Big Ten, ranked from least to most expensive. You may be surprised by what and who is on this list., and of course, the bigger programs with the most money like Ohio State appear on this list more than some that do not at all.
No. 8 – Evan Stewart, Wide Receiver | Oregon Ducks
NIL Valuation – $1.7 Million
National Rank – No. 25
Stewart had a great year last season, but played second fiddle to Tez Johnson in star power. This year, it should be him as the No. 1 threat and player personality many will follow.
NIL Valuation | $1.8 Million
National Rank – No. 21
Singleton is entering his senior year and is part of a running back tandem that should be very dangerous this season. He’s a star running back for Penn State, and that alone garners attention and a pretty significant NIL package.
