Top five On3 NIL Valuations in Texas-Alabama matchup

In a year’s time, Alabama and Texas will be SEC rivals. On Saturday night in Tuscaloosa, the two will meet in the most highly-anticipated non-conference game of the 2023 season.

A year ago, the Longhorns nearly pulled off the upset in Austin. But a Quinn Ewers injury and a strong second-half push from Bryce Young allowed the Tide to escape with the win.

Saturday is a major measuring stick for where Steve Sarkisian’s program is less than a year out from entering the SEC. NFL draft scouts have raved about the talent the Longhorns have compiled. A win would be a good signal. But Texas will have to go against arguably the game’s most successful coach, Nick Saban, in primetime. While the Tide might have some quarterback questions, they still have plenty of talent on the line of scrimmage.

Before kickoff, we’re diving into the top five On3 NIL Valuations in the Texas-Alabama matchup:

1. Arch Manning — Texas

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.9 million
Social media followers: 269K
Position: Quarterback

A former Five-Star Plus+ recruit, Arch Manning has arrived on the college football scene. The grandson of Archie, son of Cooper, and nephew of Peyton and Eli has the second-ranked On3 NIL Valuation in college football. While the 6-foot-4, 215-pound freshman won’t be starting his first season at Texas, he has started to monetize his NIL. He auctioned off his first NIL trading card last month for $102,500. It’s the highest-selling card in Panini America’s website history, knocking off a one-of-one Luka Doncic national treasure card that sold for $100,000. All proceeds from the sale are going to a Central Texas nonprofit with the help of St. David’s HealthCare and St. David’s Foundation. Seven new cards have been released with Panini America, too. With nearly 270,000 social media followers, the NIL opportunities are limitless. Working with his uncles should not be ruled out either. While Maalik Murphy is the backup, Texas plans to travel four quarterbacks to Tuscaloosa this weekend.

2. Xavier Worthy — Texas

On3 NIL Valuation: $1 million
Social media followers: 133K
Position: Wide Receiver

Xavier Worthy will get his second crack Saturday at Alabama. The Texas wide receiver played with a broken hand for much of last season, unknown to the public. This offseason he worked to get his hand healthy. But he also worked to locate his love for football, bettering his mental health. In last year’s edition of the Alabama-Texas matchup, the receiver hauled in five receptions for 97 yards. He had a team-leading seven catches for 90 yards in Week 1. Repped by Rubicon Talent, Worthy has been a successful player in the NIL space. Early on in college sports’ new era, he partnered with Epic Games to promote Fortnite. Shortly later, he entered an NIL deal next to Quinn Ewers supporting Sonic. The third-year player entered an NIL deal with American Airlines this week.

3. Quinn Ewers — Texas

On3 NIL Valuation: $912K
Social media followers: 208K
Position: Quarterback

When Quinn Ewers made the decision to leave high school and enroll early at Ohio State, NIL opportunities were at the forefront of the move. Within days of starting practice with the Buckeyes, he signed notable endorsement deals with a leading autograph dealer, GTSM, and Holy Kombucha. Fast forward two years and the former Five-Star Plus+ quarterback is back home in the state of Texas playing for the Longhorns. He’s shaved the mullet, which was once his trademark. Represented by Sportstars and Rubicon, the quarterback signed at least six endorsement deals last season. In recent weeks, he rolled out his new custom merchandise line produced by Vapor Apparel. The quarterback inked an exclusive NIL agreement with Panini America, too. Plus, he hosted his first event, titled “An Evening with Quinn Ewers,” for fans and boosters. Earlier this month, Ewers formalized a deal with Ryl Tea Company. He made the announcement on his Instagram, promoting a recent meet-and-greet he held with the brand at an Austin Kroger grocery store.

He has plenty to prove on the football field on Saturday night. In a Week 1 win over Rice, Ewers was 19 of 30 for 260 yards and three touchdown passes. After being the No. 3 prospect in the 2021 class, the quarterback has yet to fully live up to his high school ranking. Entering Tuscaloosa and delivering an all-time classic performance would mean everything for Texas and his draft stock.

4. Kelvin Banks — Texas

On3 NIL Valuation: $806K
Social media followers: 19.7K
Position: Offensive Tackle

Just a freshman last season, Texas threw Kelvin Banks right into its starting offensive line. A former five-star recruit, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors and was an honorable mention Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was a key piece of an offensive line that helped Bijan Robinson rush for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Expectations are high this season, as Banks earned a preseason second-team All-American selection and was named to the Outland Trophy watchlist. The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder had a strong showing against Alabama’s vaunted pass rushers last year. An On3 2022 True Freshman All-American, Banks surrendered just two sacks and 12 pressures on 405 pass plays, according to Pro Football Focus. He gave up zero pressures over the final month of the season. 

5. JC Latham — Alabama

On3 NIL Valuation: $681K
Social media followers: 19K
Position: Offensive Tackle

A former five-star recruit, JC Latham started all 13 games at right tackle last season. The 6-foot-6, 360-pound lineman finished with allowed two sacks, 11 pressures, two quarterback hits and committed 10 penalties a year ago. With a full season of experience, the third-year lineman is ready to be a leader for the Tide. Expected to be one of the top offensive tackles in this spring’s NFL draft, Saturday will be a chance to show his value against a steady Texas front. The nation’s No. 2 overall prospect in 2021 has roughly 20,000 social media followers. Alabama racked up 205 rushing yards in Week 1 against Middle Tennessee State.

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.