Recent Five-Star Plus+ commits KJ Bolden, Dylan Stewart see significant On3 NIL Valuation growth
Five-Star Plus+ prospects KJ Bolden and Dylan Stewart were two of the most highly sought-after recruits in the 2024 cycle.
Both made their decisions in the last 10 days. Bolden made his decision Saturday night on the On3 YouTube channel, picking his dream school of Florida State. Meanwhile, Stewart committed to South Carolina. The Gamecocks have picked up five-star recruits in consecutive classes now.
Both have seen major growth in their On3 NIL Valuations. The spike comes from the major school brands now associated with the prospects. Playing for a preeminent program guarantees eyeballs will be on the athlete and signifies just how talented the prospect is. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index and sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes.
Here’s a look at the breakdown of recruits who saw their valuations jump this week following their commitment:
KJ Bolden — Florida State
Position: Safety
On3 NIL Valuation: $434,000
Increase over last week: $66,000
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 8
Heading into Saturday, Auburn, Georgia and Ohio State each thought they had a shot to land the top-ranked safety in the class of 2024. But KJ Bolden of Buford (Georgia) High opted to stick with his dream school since he was a kid, committing to Florida State. The Five-Star Plus+ prospect also built a close connection with head coach Mike Norvell throughout his recruitment. The 6-foot-0, 180-pounder made several stops in Tallahassee but never made an official visit. Instead, he gave Auburn and Hugh Freeze the last stop on his list of official visits. The decision gave the Tigers some momentum heading into his commitment.
An attendee at the inaugural On3 Elite NIL Series, Bolden has been honest about how NIL factors into the recruitment prospects for top prospects. Trying to force schools to offer a NIL package is not the point of the conversations, he said. A talented defensive back, his goal is to reach the NFL. Yet, he understands he will only play college football once.
“In college, you’re going to get paid if you play well,” he previously told On3. “You have to pay your best players or they’re going to transfer. I choose NFL over NIL. Once you get there, you can go a lot farther. You do want to get paid, but shouldn’t focus on it too much.”
Dylan Stewart — South Carolina
Position: EDGE
On3 NIL Valuation: $358,000
Increase over last week: $37,000
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 10
Not many were expecting an imminent decision from Dylan Stewart. The Five-Star Plus+ EDGE from Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy announced his commitment to South Carolina last week, picking the Gamecocks over Ohio State, Georgia, Miami and Maryland, among many other suitors. The No. 10 recruit in his class, Stewart’s high-end size, athleticism and explosiveness have set him apart. He has clocked 40-yard dashes in the 4.6-second range at college camps ahead of his junior season. And he racked up racking up 16 sacks while earning DCSAA Class AA all-state honors in 2022.
It’s another notable pickup for Shane Beamer‘s staff. Stewart also attended On3’s NIL event in Nashville this past June. The No. 2 EDGE in the nation said he’s seen everything thrown at him during his recruitment.
“You can tell,” Stewart told On3 about when schools are lying about NIL. “I’d say ridiculous numbers without any numbers behind them. When they don’t inform you on anything because you’re new to it. What’s going to happen when I get there?”
Amari Jefferson — Alabama
Position: Wide Receiver
On3 NIL Valuation: $87,000
Increase over last week: $18,100
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 208
For as talented a prospect Amari Jefferson is on the football field, he’s also a highly-touted baseball recruit. A Tennessee baseball pledge for the last two years, Knoxville appeared set to be his college home. Then Alabama and Nick Saban offered in March. The four-star receiver took trips to Tuscaloosa in March and April, along with a final stop in late July before announcing his commitment. A rising senior at Chattanooga (Tennessee) Baylor School, Jefferson tallied 72 catches for 1,370 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. The Tide has emerged as a wide receiver factory, producing Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith. Jefferson is next in line, and it’s a reason why he picked Alabama over Georgia and Tennessee.
Nathaniel Frazier — Georgia
Position: Running back
On3 NIL Valuation: $174,000
Increase over last week: $15,600
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 45
Georgia now has three running backs in its 2024 recruiting class. Five-star running back Nathaniel Frazier announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on Sunday, opting to leave the West Coast. He joins a stacked running back room, which includes pledges from in-state back Dwight Phillips and former Florida pledge Chauncey Bowens. A star at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California, he rushed for 693 yards and averaged 11.4 yards per carry with eight touchdowns last season. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound tailback picked the Bulldogs over Oregon for their history of developing running backs.
“If you look at the history of Georgia with their two backfield players like Sony Michel, Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and D’Andre Swift, all of those guys were around playing with each other at the same time,” Frazier told On3’s Chad Simmons. “They all made it to the NFL so if you look at that closely and when they played, if you’re a good player and you go to Georgia, you’re going to play.”
About the On3 NIL Valuation
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.
About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value
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.