Latest NIL valuations show top quarterback recruits clear $1 million

The NIL revolution in college football has most affected the top quarterbacks who are in the transfer portal or graduating high school. Massive figures get thrown around almost recklessly and without proper context. However, the growth of NIL collectives has made it easier to report on proper deals.

Top QB NIL Valuations Exceed $1 Million

There are tools available, such as the On3 NIL Valuation tracker, that are interesting for fans to use and speculate with but are often more conjecture than anything substantive. Having worked alongside and spoken with NIL collective personnel, reading On3's latest breakdown on QB NIL values was a dose of reality.

While some NIL deals have been worth millions, potentially, the vast majority of college football recruits aren't banking multi-million dollar, guaranteed contracts. Their NIL potential is linked directly to playing time, production, and social media reach.

On3 dove into the top names we've studied for the 2025 recruiting class and the top transfer passers to create buckets for what each tier of quarterback is worth in their valuations. Let's recap it.

Comparable to elite transfer portal quarterbacks like Dillon Gabriel and Riley Leonard, the leading high school quarterbacks are on par with a $1 million valuation.

The foremost five quarterback recruits for the class of 2025 include Bryce Underwood, who has committed to LSU; Julian Lewis, who is heading to USC; Tavien St. Clair, who has chosen Ohio State; George MacIntyre, who has committed to Tennessee; and Matt Zollers, who has pledged his future to Missouri.

The top names are well above this average, as Underwood is around $1.3 million. But will any of these players ever see this money?

The truth is that some will through highly contingent sponsorship deals. But one transfer, poor season, or failure to win the job by 2026 can shred those totals into tier 2 or 3.

Quarterbacks positioned at ranks 6 through 10 on the On3 Industry Ranking are Husan Longstreet, who has committed to Texas A&M Deuce Knight, heading to Notre Dame; Keelon Russell, who is joining Alabama; Akili Smith Jr., who committed to Oregon; and K.J. Lacey, who has chosen Texas. All of them are four-star recruits, and their average valuation is $540,000.

For the 2025 cycle, four-star recruits making it into the top 250 according to On3 Industry include Madden Iamaleava, committed to UCLA, Ty Hawkins, who will be going to TCU, KaMario Taylor, joining Mississippi State, Ryan Montgomery, headed to Georgia, and Antwann Hill, committed to Memphis. The average NIL Valuation for quarterbacks in this category is $280,000.

These conversations are certainly something fans enjoy, but please remember this is a bit of a gimmick from On3, and most rival sites have opted against putting such valuations on young men like this for good reason.