USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams is not only among the most talented players in college football right now, but he's also one of the most marketable.
In this era of multiple name, image, and likeness deals, Williams has been inundated with lucrative endorsement offers from reputable brands, and the more he produces on the gridiron, the more the companies seek him out.
How much is Caleb Williams getting paid?
According to On3, Caleb Williams has an NIL valuation of $2.8 million (as of November 2023), which puts him at No. 3 among football players, just behind Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Pete Nakos, On3.com's College Sports Business reporter, recently wrote that Williams is "the most marketable college football player." Nakos believes the QB prospect has the "strongest NIL resumes" in the country.
Caleb Williams, the face and voice of college football
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the undisputed face of college football, and as the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, his value has skyrocketed.
He is also attempting to become the first player to win two Heismans since Robert Griffin in 1974 and 1975.
Williams has several lucrative NIL deals with brands like Beats by Dre, United Airlines, Neutrogena, Fanatics, Alo Yoga, and Wendys, among others.
His deal with United Airlines will involve him appearing on campaigns involving the company and posting social media endorsements.
Williams joined prospects like Bryce Young by being one of Topps Trading cards ambassadors last year in what is one of his most significant NIL deals.
As an avid gamer, William's collaboration with PlayStation’s Playmaker program, which includes athletes like LeBron James, is a match made in heaven.
Williams is also quite outspoken about the payments companies are making to student-athletes.
In August, he advocated for EA Sports to pay prospects their worth when it emerged that players would only be paid $500 for the game to use their image and likenesses without any possibility of future royalties.
“It’s like if you go to school and you are a straight-A student, and there’s another kid whose strong suit isn’t school, and he gets B's or B-minuses,” Williams said. “How fair would it be if you get the same grade as him? That never works in school, and it doesn’t make sense. That’s how I look at that game with the situation with the $500.
“That’s football evolving. Outside of football, we have NIL now. College has to evolve. Sports have to evolve. It’s just, how do the people in charge adapt to it and not hold things back and make stupid rules to affect people instead of protect people?”
There has been speculation that Caleb Williams might opt to return for an extra year instead of declaring for the 2024 draft, and with the NIL-rich environment in college sports currently, who would blame him?
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