Alabama Crimson Tide Star WR Leads Freshman NIL Valuations

The next era of college football stars is star-studded and the biggest NIL winner already is no exception.

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) celebrates after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The NIL era of college football is coming at the right time for the next group of stars as a handful of freshmen are already sitting with hefty valuations. Leading the way is an electric Alabama Crimson Tide playmaker.

Megastar Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams currently holds the top NIL value for any college football freshman as On3 currently has him at $1.7 million.

For context, the other two stars of the sport sitting with the same value are LSU Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Ole Miss star Jaxson Dart.

Williams is the second-highest rated non-QB, behind only Colorado Buffaloes star Travis Hunter.

The 17-year-old sensation has earned his impressive ranking amongst his peers through stellar play on the field. His current stat line of 31 catches, 649 yards and seven touchdown catches (eight total) is enough to impress alone. However, they don't do justice to how fun it is to watch him play the sport.

Highlight player after highlight play in huge games has his popularity through the roof, despite the Alabama season actually being quite disappointing up to this point.

The Mobile native is in a great spot to earn a lot of money over the next few season before getting an even bigger payday in the NFL.

The second-highest ranked freshman is actually another wide receiver, Ohio State Buckeyes star Jeremiah Smith, sitting just behind at $1.5 million.

Smith was the highest-ranked prospect in all of football, so it's not too shocking to see him included in this group. His career has gotten off to fast start with seven touchdown catches of his own.

Patrick Mahomes look-a-like, Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola leads the way for passers at a valuation of $1.3 million.

Raiola has been subject to countless memes to begin his career, but he's a talented player on his own. His freshman campaign has taken a hit, but he has a bright future.

Florida Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway is the last of the 'freshman millionaires' as he sits with a $1.1 million number.

Lagway exploded for 456 yards and three touchdowns against Samford in Week 2, but has been a bit more tepid since. His game against Kentucky Wildcats had some explosive plays in it, but no touchdowns.

There are a handful of high schoolers that have already cross the $1 million threshold with LSU commit Bryce Underwood leading them at $1.3 million.

NIL has completely changed the outlook of the sport, but at least the athletes are finally getting compensated for their undeniable star value.