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It is really weirdthatAmerican universities can earn millions of dollars off the effort of their student-athletes, sell merchandise with their face and name, use their likeness for school advertising, and make them perform, practice, travel, and train on a regular basis, often at the expense of their schoolwork, and not have to compensate them in any way all while making the majority of student-athletes still pay tuition.Even though student-athletes are still not paid, the rule against allowing them to make money from their ownlikeness (usually referred to as NIL: name, image, likeness) ended in the summer of 2021. Thishas greatlybenefited several athletes, including the followingtop 10 NIL earners.But, for some reason (usually greed) manypeople are opposed toallowing students to own and make money from their face. So, the issue of NIL is still being battled outthrough Congress andthe way the industry is heading, it’sspeculated that it will end up as something closer to an employment model with revenue sharing, rather than freelance marketing for individual athletes and NIL collectives.
Why Are We Talking About This?
Inside a college locker room.
We should always support young people going to college, and we should work to make their lives better and easierthan our own. There is no argument for not letting students profit from their own hard work other than greed . For that reason, we celebrate these ten student-athletes who have found success under the new (perhaps temporary) freedom.
#10 Jamal Shead
A photo of college basketball.
- Sport : Basketball
- Number of New Deals : 6
Up until recently, Jamal Shead played College Basketball for the Houston Cougars. He was draftedinto the NBA Toronto Raptors in June 2024. When he wasplaying for Houston, he achieved one of the best individual seasons in Houston Cougar history. He earned the Big 12 Player of the Year award, Defensive Player of the Year, and the Consensus First-Team All-America Honors. In his senior year, he averaged 12.9 points and 6.3 assists per game. Shead was drafted in the second round of the NBA draft and was the Sacramento Kings’No. 45 pick. He was sent to the Toronto Raptors to complete a trade. Shead is said to be,“the best full-court defender in this class, bringing nonstop intensity and toughness,” by ESPN Draft Analyst Jonathan Givony.
#9 Chase Griffin
A college football game.
- Sport : Football
- Number of New Deals: 6
Chase Griffin is a quarterback for UCLA and was voted team captain of the QB Squad in 2023. Besides being an excellent quarterback, Griffin recently testified before the U.S. House of Representatives to give testimony against the proposed FAIR College Sports Act, which Griffin and other players believe would be another detriment to their earning potential in the NIL. He is an advocatefor student-athletes and believes that athletes should have the right to their ownbrands. Griffin earned his undergrad from UCLA in public relations and two mastersdegrees in legal studies and transformative coaching and leadership. At UCLA, he was the recipient of the 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year Award, a two-time winner of the National NIL Male Athlete of the Year, launched the Chase Griffin Foundation, donated more than $50,000 of his NIL earnings to local organizations, mentored students, and served on the Governor’sCalifornia Student-Athlete Task Force. Among other awards won was the Arthur Ashe Jr. National Football Scholar of the Year, UCLA Black Alumni Association’sFlorence Griffith Joyner Award, the Athletic Director’sAward, and Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll, and was initiated into the Order of the Golden Bruin in 2023.
#8 Caleb Williams
A photo of a college football game.
- Sport : Football
- Number of New Deals: 6
Caleb Williams followed his coach, Lincoln Riley, in 2022 from Oklahoma to USC football. Since then, Williams has won the Heisman Trophy, built an NIL Portfolio worth $10 million, and partnerships with multiplenational brands such as Beats, Dr. Pepper, and ALO Yoga. Williams was recently drafted by the Chicago Bears as their No. 1 overall pick.
#7 Jasmine Williams
Photo of a softball field.
- Sport : Softball
- Number of New Deals : 7
Jasmine Williams is a softball shortstop player from USC. Williams achieved first-team All-Pac-12 at Oregon as a freshman, has a degree in interdisciplinary studies, a degree in sociology, has a large number ofNIL deals, a successful social media career, and is known as a mother who is a college athlete. She also recently had a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit spread. On her motherhood and athletic journeyshe said,“Showing women that you can do whatever you set your mind to and [that] there are still opportunities for you [is my goal.] Just because you have a kid now, you get to do everything with your kid by your side, which is so fun because you get to create the experience with them, as well.”
#6 Flau’jaeJohnson
A college basketball crowd.
- Sport : Basketball
- Number of New Deals: 7
Flau’jaeJohnson is a NCAA championship-winning guard from Louisiana State University. She achieved the SEC Freshman, McDonald’sAll American, opening several arena shows for artists such as Jermaine Dupri, and had a golden buzzer on America’sGot Talent. She has garnered a lot of NIL Deals,and is releasing her debut album,“Best of Both Worlds,” which will be releasedin July under the name Flau’jae. She considers herself an artist first,and basketball player second, and credits her basketball talent to her mom, who signed her up for the boys’basketball league as a child.“I reallywant to be a legend in both. My story will go down as iconic. Thisis only the beginning.”
#5 Jess Gardner
A photo of a track and field event.
- Sport : Track & Field
- Number of New Deals: 8
Gaining immense popularity on TikTok, Jessica Gardner is a pole-vaulter on Nebraska Track & Field. She has won a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award, two-time Big Ten All-Academic, three-time Academic All-Big Ten member, 10th place at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll, Tom Osborne Citizenship Team, and pole vault at Mark Colligan Memorial among others. She is also the first track-and-field student-athlete on a trading card with her NIL deal with Leaf Trading Cards.
#4 Savannah Schoenherr
A photo of a gymnast.
- Sport : Gymnastics
- Number of New Deals: 9
Savannah Schoenherr started gymnastics when she was4 years old in Columbus, Ohio.After recovering from a spinal fracture, she signed on with the University of Florida and earned multiple All-American Awards,and one SEC Championship. She spent her final season of collegiate gymnastics at LSU and helped her team win the 2024 National Championship. Schoenherr gained Social Media fame in 2020 when she posted a viral coming-out video. Schoenherr said that growing up in the South kept her closeted out of fear of discovery from her family, church, and teammates. She was worried about being judged and being treated differently. She was surprised to find overwhelming support from her family and friends after the video went viral.
#3 Angel Reese
A photo of college basketball.
- Sport : Basketball
- Number of New Deals: 9
Angel Reese recently made the WNBA All-Star roster by being drafted by the Chicago Sky as their overall No.7 pick. She led the Tigers to a NCAA national title in 2023 and is graduating this month from LSU. She is valuedat $1.6 million through her NIL deals. She is known for her magnetic personality and hersignature stylewhere she wears one legging with all ofher uniforms.Reese is from Baltimore, Maryland, and played forward at LSU. She is highly decoratedwith an SEC Player of the Year, First Team All-SEC, four-time SEC Player of the Week, 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue, USBWA First Team All-America, Sporting News Athlete of the Year, WBCA All-America, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Greenville Regional 2 MVP, seven-time SEC Player of the Week, and Wooden Award All-America Team.
#2 Faith Masonius
A college basketball game crowd.
- Sport : Basketball
- Number of New Deals : 9
Faith Masonius has been playing guard at the University of Maryland since 2019. She is currently a graduate student working towards a degree in management studies. Masonius is known for her positive attitude, consistent smile, and vast social media following. She is highly decoratedrankingNo. 25 overall player by Blue Star, No. 10 overall wing by ESPN, and No. 49 overall player by ESPN. She hit 2,000 career points as a senior, Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, James H. Kehoe Award, Fort Myers Tip-Off All-Tournament Team, and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree amongmany other awards.She has made a name for herself with NIL earnings. IN 2022, she spoke on a panel at the INFLCR NIL Summit. She primarily uses TikTok to build upher brand among other social media platforms. Her videos started going viral when she told her story on the platform after tearing her ACL. She features GRWM (Get Ready With Me),videos. She is currently partneredwith brands such as Under Armor, Washington Capitals, and Steve Madden. She ensures that any brand she partners with aligns with her values and content. Masonius values authenticity and believes that being authentic can bring in NIL deals.
#1 Alex Glover
A photo of a volleyball.
- Sport : Volleyball
- Number of New Deals: 19
Alex Glover is the most successful NIL College Athlete by far. She is considered an NIL Specialist and often speaks on panels and podcasts on the topic. She is a professional content creator and emcee. In 2023, she partnered with more than 40 brands and also helped bring indonations for women'sathletics at her school. Glover recently finished her fifth season of D1 Volleyball as a middle blocker at Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas. Besides being an asset to her team, she also is an author. She wrote a book about her NIL experiences, guiding readers on land NIL deals. On top of that, Glover has over 10years of professional acting and modeling. Glover is one of 30 female student-athlete members of Meta’sNIL Empower 2.0 NIL program.She won the 2024 NIL Female Athlete of the Year. She is an advocate for equal opportunities for female athletes. Before she broke into the space, most of SMU’sNIL deals focused on men’sfootball and basketball. She decided to become a driving force to change the status quo and help female athletes maximize their NIL earnings. She has NIL deals with Ulta, Buffalo Wild Wings, Meta, Skims, Coach, and Dove, among over 40 others. She has helped female athletes surpass men in NIL deals,and inturn,has helped Women’sSports gain popularity, funding, and viewership.In her career at SMU, she played 92 sets and wasnamed AAC Defensive Player of the Week, Two-time AAC Weekly Honor Roll, and American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team amongother recognitions.
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