The 10 college athletes with the highest NIL valuations

Flory Bidunga has one of the highest NIL valuations among student-athletes. Ed Zurga/Getty Images The 2025-26 academic year was the first full season in which colleges could pay athletes directly. The On3 NIL valuation reflects the current player contract value. Some are valued in the millions. Top college athletes have worked with brands like Nike and Beats by Dre. Some of the top college athletes are making millions of dollars. Name, image, and likeness deals — or NIL deals for short — have become a billion-dollar industry since their introduction to amateur sports in 2021, allowing student-athletes to earn significant amounts of money. Plus, in May 2024, as part of a major antitrust settlement, the NCAA and its five power conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) agreed that schools can directly pay their athletes for the first time in college athletics history.