10 college football players with highest NIL valuation entering Week 3; Shedeur Sanders and Arch Manning sustain top spot

The NIL has changed the landscape of college sports and football has gotten plenty of money.

NIL refers to name, image and likeliness, which allows college football athletes to make money off their name through sponsorships. It's something NCAA athletes have wanted for years and has finally come to fruition.

Now, with the 2023 college football season underway, here are the players with the highest NIL valuation.

College football players with the most NIL valuation

Here are the top 10 in descending order:

#10 Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas, $1.2 million

Ewers is making $1.2 million according to ON3, and that could only increase after he led Texas to a road upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

#9 Michael Penix Jr, QB, Washington, $1.3 million

Penix decided to stay in college and remain in Washington and comes in ninth in NIL valuation, as he's estimated to make $1.3 million.

He's in his sixth college season, and this year, he has led the Huskies to a 2-0 record and is ranked eighth.

#8 Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State, $1.4 million

Harrison Jr. is arguably the best wide receiver in college football and has been at Ohio State since 2021. He has played 28 games, catching 97 passes for 1,580 yards and 19 touchdowns.

#7 Bo Nix QB, Oregon, $1.4 million

Bo Nix is another quarterback who decided to remain in college and returned to Orgeon rather than entering the NFL Draft. Nix was at Auburn to begin his career in 2019 and transferred to Oregon for the 2022 season.

In his first year with the Ducks, Nix went 294-for-409 for 3,593 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

#6 Drake Maye, QB, UNC, $1.5 million

Maye is in his third season as the quarterback at North Carolina, but 2022 was his first year as the starting quarterback. In 2022, Maye went 342-for-517 yards for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns.

#5 Evan Stewart, WR, Texas A&M, $1.7 million

Texas A&M went out and added plenty of players through the transfer portal and through high school with NIL money.

Evan Stewart was one of those players. In his freshman season in 2022, he caught 53 passes for 649 yards and two touchdowns.

#4 Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado, $1.8 million

Hunter is the most electric player in college, as he plays both offense and defense for the Colorado Buffaloes. The No. 1 recruit shocked many by going to Jackson State last season and then followed Deion Sanders to Colorado.

#3 Caleb Williams, QB, USC, $2.6 million

Williams is the reigning Heisman winner and will likely be the first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams is the favorite to repeat as the Heisman winner this year.

#2 Arch Manning, QB, Texas, $2.9 million

The lone player who isn't starting on this list is Arch Manning, who is the backup to Quinn Ewers.

The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning was one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in college football and ended up committing to Texas.

#1 Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado, $4.1 million

Sanders leads the way atop this NIL list, as he's the starting quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Sanders has become a frontrunner for the Heisman through two games as he helped the Buffaloes pull off a massive upset against TCU.