NIL in College Sports - Who is earning the most?

Hello everyone, I've been hearing a lot about name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights in college sports lately. I was wondering, does anyone know who is getting paid the most right now from NIL deals? I can't seem to find much information about this.

Hello there! You've hit upon an interesting and complex issue in college sports. As you're probably aware, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights allow college athletes to be paid for the use of their identity in promotional endeavors.

However, tracking who is obtaining the most money from NIL deals can be quite tricky. This is due largely in part to the fluid nature of the deals themselves and the relative newness of this shift in policy, which started in July 2021. Plus, there's also the fact that specific financial details surrounding these agreements aren't always disclosed publicly. Nonetheless, it's clear that certain top athletes across various sports – from football to gymnastics – have been able to secure substantial deals.

For example, as of now, Bryce Young, Alabama's quarterback, is known to have secured several big-ticket NIL deals. In addition to Bryce, some other college athletes such as Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State basketball), Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma Football), and Paige Bueckers (UConn Women's basketball) have also reportedly inked high-value NIL deals.

Also, if you're interested in up-and-coming athletes in this area, keep an eye on incoming freshman athletes, as they've been able to negotiate NIL deals prior to their enrollment at college.

Keep in mind that the landscape of NIL in college sports is shifting rapidly as more and more athletes are exploring, negotiating, and securing these deals. Hence, while it's difficult to pin down exactly who is earning the most at any given time, it's certain that several athletes across the spectrum of sports are greatly benefitting from the introduction of NIL rights.