Top 10 On3 NIL Valuations in 2023 women’s NCAA Tournament

March Madness creates opportunities for student-athletes to capitalize off their name, image and likeness. And while a lot of attention has been on football since NIL’s inception, more and more brands understand that women’s basketball stars have massive social media followings and can create a solid return on investment for NIL deals.

The women’s NCAA Tournament begins Wednesday with the First Four games. First-round games start Friday. South Carolina finished the regular season undefeated and will enter March Madness as the top overall seed. On3 breaks down the top 10 On3 NIL Valuations of players in the women’s NCAA tournament.

Miami guard Haley Cavinder

On3 NIL Valuation: $835,000
On3 NIL 100 Rank: No. 36
Social Media Followers: 4.8 million

Few have generated more headlines since NIL became a reality in July 2021 than Haley Cavinder and twin Hanna.

They have capitalized on their social media stardom – a combined 4.3 million TikTok followers – to become a part of some of the biggest NIL deals in the country. They’ve partnered with top brands such as Victoria’s Secret PINK, Intuit TurboTax, Raising Cane’s, Under Armour, Campbell’s Chunky Soup and many more companies.

For her part, Haley Cavinder averaged 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and shot 41% from the field, helping Miami earn a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With that success, Haley and Hanna Cavinder have an On3 NIL Valuation of $835,000.

Miami guard Hanna Cavinder

On3 NIL Valuation: $835,000
On3 NIL 100 Rank: No. 37
Social Media Followers: 4.8 million

The Cavinder twins also grabbed national headlines when they were mentioned as part of the first-ever NIL-related NCAA infraction.

The NCAA sanctioned Miami after two of the most prominent names in the NIL era had an impermissible meal with Miami booster John Ruiz during their transfer portal recruitment. The twins were not sanctioned, and Ruiz was not disassociated from the program. Miami coach Katie Meier sat out the first three games of the 2022-23 season as part of the sanctions. The NCAA said the ruling will not be a precedent for future NIL-related cases because this case was processed before the organization lowered its violation standard on January 1.

Hanna Cavinder played in 30 games this season for the Hurricanes, averaging 4 points and shooting 37% from the field.

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson

On3 NIL Valuation: $654,000
On3 NIL 100 Rank: No. 59
Social Media Followers: 1.4 million

Flau’jae Johnson is a world-class talent in a number of different areas.

Johnson became the first McDonald’s All-American recruited to LSU by coach Kim Mulkey. She made an immediate impact for the Tigers this season, averaging 11.8 points, grabbing 178 rebounds and shooting 45% from the field. LSU is a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and faces Hawaii in the first round.

Off the court, Johnson’s also a rap star with a recording deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Johnson announced her commitment to LSU with the release of a new song “All Falls Down,” accompanied by a music video that featured Baton Rouge’s Lil Boosie.

She’s also making a big impression in the NIL world through major deals with Puma, HighlightHER, Meta, Taco Bell and others. With a résumé like that, it’s easy to see why her On3 NIL Valuation is at $654,000.

Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith

On3 NIL Valuation: $480,000
On3 NIL 100 Rank: No. 95
Social Media Followers: 756,000

Hailey Van Lith continues to build on her accomplishments on and off the court.

Van Lith arrived at Louisville in 2021 as one of the nation’s most heralded recruits. She made an immediate impression, earning honors for her success in the ACC and in the NCAA tournament. She got even better this season, earning first-team All-ACC recognition. She’s averaging 19.2 points and 4.8 rebounds and shooting 40% from the field. Van Lith’s play sparked Louisville to a No. 5 seed, and the Cardinals face Drake in the first round.

Van Lith also has been a force in NIL. She has a social media presence of more than 756,000 followers and has executed deals with Invesco QQQ, Adidas, Dicks Sporting Goods, Valentino, Overtime, Billionaire Girls Club and many more. Her On3 NIL Valuation of $480,000 has remained consistent throughout the 2022-23 season.

LSU forward Angel Reese

On3 NIL Valuation: $371,000
On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank: No. 6
Social Media Followers: 957,000

Before taking Baton Rouge by storm this season, Angel Reese was an impact player at Maryland, where she earned All-America honors as a sophomore after leading the Terps to the Sweet 16 in 2022 as their top scorer and top rebounder.

This season, Reese has started all 30 games, averages 23.4 points and 15.4 rebounds and is shooting 54% from the field. She set the LSU single-season record for double-doubles with 28 and recently was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Women’s Player of the Year award.

Reese has a big social media following and has executed numerous NIL deals, including with top brands like Coach, Amazon Merch on Demand, McDonald’s, Sparkling Ice, Xfinity, Wingstop, Outback Steakhouse and Discord. Her On3 NIL Valuation has increased 227% this season, to $371,000.

North Carolina guard Deja Kelly

On3 NIL Valuation: $223,000
On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank: No. 8
Social Media Followers: 721,000

Deja Kelly earned first-team All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season. Kelly leads UNC and ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring with 16.5 points per game; she averaged 17.1 points in conference action. She ranks 11th in the league in assists (3.3 per game), 11th in field goal percentage (.381), 12th in assist-turnover ratio (1.3) and 14th in free throw percentage (.713).

Kelly was MVP of the Phil Knight Invitational earlier this season and was named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team and the Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the Wooden Award. North Carolina enters March Madness as a No. 6 seed and will face either Purdue or St. John’s in the first round.

Kelly has amassed a huge following on social media, including nearly 478,000 on TikTok, which has helped build her NIL brand. Her videos on TikTok have generated more than 9.3 million likes. It’s no surprise she’s racked up a long list of NIL deals, including from companies like crocs, Beats by Dre, Essentia Water, Actively Black and KINLÒ. Kelly’s On3 NIL Valuation has climbed 11% during the season and now sits at $223,000.

Stanford forward Cameron Brink

On3 NIL Valuation: $181,000
On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank: No. 9
Social Media Followers: 353,000

Cameron Brink is one of the most decorated players in the country. She’s a three-time Pac-12 champion at Stanford, a two-time All-American and an NCAA champion (2021). This season, Brink averages 14.9 points and 9.5 rebounds and has 111 blocks. She helped lead the Cardinal to a 28-5 record and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Stanford faces either Sacred Heart or Southern in the first round.

Brink has turned heads off the court through social media and her NIL deals. She has an Instagram following of more than 234,000. Brink has major NIL deals with Buick, Urban Outfitters, GOAT, Hearth, Next 22, Hyperice, Visible Mobile and others. Brink has an On3 NIL Valuation of $181,000.

UConn guard Azzi Fudd

On3 NIL Valuation: $181,000
On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank: No. 10
Social Media Followers: 329,000

Azzi Fudd arrived at Connecticut for the 2021-22 season as the No. 1 recruit in the country coming out of St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C.

As a freshman, Fudd was named to the NCAA Tournament Bridgeport All-Region Team and was a first-team All-Big East Freshman pick. Fudd battled injuries for much of this season, but she returned in the Big East tournament and helped the Huskies win the championship with 11 points against Villanova. When she has been on the court this season, she’s averaged 15.5 points. Now that she’s back, she’s expected to play a significant role for UConn, which is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and faces Vermont on Saturday in the first round.

Fudd has an On3 NIL Valuation of $181,000. She’s built a partnership with Curry Brand and has starred in commercials for American Eagle Outfitters, TikTok, BioSteel and Chipotle. She also was a part of the “See Her Greatness” NIL campaign with Buick that was announced Tuesday.

South Carolina guard Zia Cooke

On3 NIL Valuation: $179,000
On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank: No. 11
Social Media Followers: 289,000

Entering the season, Zia Cooke already was one of the most decorated players in South Carolina history, then got even better in 2022-23.

Cooke was a first-team All-SEC selection for the second time in her career after averaging a team-best 15.3 points per game and shooting a career-best 40.8% from the field. She leads South Carolina with seven 20-point games this season, including a sterling 24-point outing in the SEC tournament championship game, which also included three steals and five rebounds to lead the Gamecocks to their seventh title at the event. She is a big reason South Carolina is undefeated and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

Cooke has been active on the NIL front, earning major deals with companies all over the country. Cooke has an On3 NIL Valuation of $179,00 – a number that has remained steady throughout the basketball season. She’s also been an advocate for doing deals with female student-athletes.

“It just shows that we can do a lot of things that a lot of people say we can’t do,” she told CBS News.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark

On3 NIL Valuation: $154,000
On3 College Women’s Basketball NIL Rank: No. 12
Social Media Followers: 248,000

Caitlin Clark has risen to national stardom at Iowa because of her Stephen Curry-esque shooting range and video game-like statistics.

Clark was a five-star recruit coming out of West Des Moines (Iowa) Dowling Catholic and also was a two-time gold medalist as a member of Team USA after winning the 2016 U16 FIBA Americas Tournament and the 2019 U19 FIBA World Cup. Clark made an instant impact at Iowa, leading the country in scoring as a freshman two seasons ago and becoming the first woman to rank first in both scoring and assists during her sophomore campaign. This season, she has emerged as a leading candidate for Naismith Player of the Year honors after averaging 27 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists while leading Iowa to the Big Ten tournament title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. 

Clark has an On3 NIL Valuation of $154,000, a number that has grown by 7% over the past 10 weeks. With her name being mentioned as a potential No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, it’s no surprise that she’s already executed deals with Buick, Nike, Topps, H&R Block and Hy-Vee.

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.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.