Five Kentucky Wildcats Featured in On3 NIL 100

NCAA officials are pleading with Congress on Capitol Hill to take action by providing universal NIL policies across the country. While they debate on how college athletes should properly profit from their Name, Image and Likeness, college athletes are cashing in, especially at the University of Kentucky.

Five Wildcats are in the latest edition of the On3 NIL 100. The rankings use On3’s NIL Valuation, a proprietary algorithm that sets the standard for market NIL value. It includes male and female athletes in high school and college and illustrates that Kentucky is a place where the best of the best can be successful on and off the court.

No. 36 Rob Dillingham

NIL Valuation: $846,000
Position: Combo Guard
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 10 overall, No. 2 Combo Guard

Rob with the Shifts has 357,000 followers on Instagram and the fifth-highest NIL Valuation among high school basketball players. He spent his final season earning money with NIL through Overtime Elite’s new program that preserves an athlete’s college eligibility.

56. DJ Wagner Jr.

On3 NIL Valuation: $690,000
Position: Combo guard
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 3 overall, No. 1 Combo Guard

DJ Wagner flexed his NIL muscles during an MVP-caliber week at the McDonald’s All-American Games. An Adidas-sponsored event, the Nike-NOCTA athlete only wore shoes with a swoosh during competition. He pulled up to the game in Houston driving a Rolls Royce, thanks to a new NIL deal with a Lexington exotic car company. It’s abundantly clear Wagner will be one of the sport’s highest-profile athletes once he arrives to Kentucky.

81. Justin Edwards

On3 NIL Valuation: $549,000
Position: Small forward
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 2 overall, No. 1 Small Forward

A 6-foot-7 swingman from Pennsylvania, Justin Edwards led Imhotep to the Public League championship and PIAA Class 5A title in 2022, averaging 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He signed with the Klutch Group before taking his talents to Kentucky this fall.

85. Aaron Bradshaw

On3 NIL Valuation: $516,000
Position: Center
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 4 overall, No. 1 Center

Well-acquainted with Wagner, the two New Jersey natives and former teammates will run it back in Lexington. The 7-foot-1 center drew rave reviews in practices before posting 18 points and 8 rebounds in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

90. Devin Leary

On3 NIL Valuation: $494,000
Position: Quarterback

Kentucky’s quarterback has a NIL Valuation that ranks No. 55 in CFB. A gunslinger that tallied 35 touchdowns and only five interceptions for NC State in 2021, Leary signed with The 15 Club shortly after arriving in Lexington this spring. He’s already going to work for the collective, headlining The 15 Club Fan Fest in January.

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 calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.

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.