Colorado Buffaloes Star Passes Current NBA Player's NIL Total

The NIL landscape continues to grow, along with the ceilings on professional athletes' salaries, with a new leader in the clubhouse.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Name, Image, and Likeness has become a part of the everyday lexicon surrounding collegiate athletics since its inception in 2021.

Gone are the days of teams not-so-secretly paying for play, and here are the days where teams now create outside organizations to pay for play, along with student-athletes now being able to accept sponsorship deals from actual outside organizations like Nike, Red Bull, Dr Pepper, and other well-known brands.

Student-athletes have now gone from "making no money," to making millions, all with the commencement of NIL, and the race has begun to see who can make the most money every year.

Last year, the crown went to Lebron James's son, Bronny James, who was head and shoulders above the rest of the collegiate landscape thanks to a deal with Nike, and the basketball star was reportedly making $5.9 million.

Bronny has since moved on from college basketball, entering the NBA and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers with his dad, King James.

According to my limited knowledge of royal hierarchy, (mostly coming from HBO's hit series Game of Thrones) that makes Bronny, Prince James.

This year, it is another all-time great's son leading the charge, but in a different sport, and with a higher total, and he is not the next in line of a royal family.

Fueled by the Colorado Buffaloes 5430 Initiative, superstar quarterback and Primetime Deion Sanders's son Shedeur Sanders leads the way for student-athletes via NIL this year, reportedly making $6.2 million.

This is a massive increase from the $4 million that Shedeur was reported to be making last year, and if you have turned on a television in the last six months, the fourteen Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials every hour on the hour are a big reason why.

Not even to mention the plethora of other deals that Shedeur has earned during his time as a college quarterback under his dad's system, previously partnering with Mercedes-Benz, Gatorade, and the BRADY brand.

Shedeur's recent deal with Nike feels like a perfect fit (there's a Cinderella joke in there somewhere) as Deion released a line of shoes and cleats under the Swoosh during his time as a professional athlete.

Shedeur has previously made it known that he would like to expand his collaboration with Nike, planning for new designs and models of his making.

NIL is still widely uncharted territory, but with players like Prince James and Shedeur Sanders leading the charge under their immensely famous fathers, the bottom line will only keep climbing.