Georgia's Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers, Malaki Starks use NIL to give back during holiday season
A trio of Georgia players took their time off this weekend to give back thanks to NIL.
Brock Bowers and Malaki Starks partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Associated Credit Union to take 16 kids Christmas shopping, each with a $300 to use. Bulldogs’ quarterback Stetson Bennett followed suit, tapping into his previous relationship with Onward Reserve to take 10 kids shopping with a $200 budget.
The two trips were organized and facilitated by Everett Sports Marketing (ESM), which represents the three Georgia athletes in NIL. More than $7,000 was spent on Christmas shopping, assisting 26 kids.
“We are so proud that Brock, Stetson and Malaki would volunteer on their off day to surprise a total of 26 deserving kids with almost $7,000 in Christmas shopping,” ESM’s NIL marketing agent Faryn Heatly told On3. “Several clients donated their own NIL money to this cause and additional funds were provided by brand partners including Associated Credit Union, Dick’s, Onward Reserve and Zaxby’s. NIL done generously and responsibly can impact lives.”
Bennett landed fourth in Heisman Trophy voting earlier this month. He’s emerged as one of the leaders in NIL over the last year, too. Working closely with ESM, he has inked endorsement deals with Fanatics and Georgia Power. He’s also added AARP, Synovus Bank and Shuman Farms to his list of partnerships. And he switched his nickname from the “Mailman” to “Milkman” in his last deal, striking a partnership with Georgia Dairy Alliance.
Bowers has also been active in NIL, signing with Morgan & Morgan, NOBULL and Zaxby’s. He won the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end, earlier this month. Starks recently brought on ESM for representation and is expected to ramp up his activity in the next few months.
Georgia stars hold massive On3 NIL Valuations
Stetson Bennett holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.3 million. The evaluation ranks No. 14 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. The valuation also ranks No. 8 in college football.
His top target, Brock Bowers, is not far behind. The sophomore tight end has a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation. With nearly 80,000 social media followers, he sits at No. 19 in the NIL 100 and No. 12 in college football.
A Georgia native, Malaki Starks has a $274,000 On3 NIL Valuation. The safety has built a strong following of more than 22,000. And he has excelled in his freshman season, tallying 63 total tackles and two interceptions.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.
The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.