Colorado's Shedeur Sanders Tops CFB NIL Valuations at $4.8M; Arch Manning 2nd

Shedeur Sanders' Heisman Trophy candidacy ran aground after Colorado fell back to earth, but the Buffaloes quarterback remains head and shoulders above all other college football players in terms of earning potential.

On3 projected Sanders to have a $4.8 million NIL valuation. That's $2 million higher than the next-closest player, Texas' Arch Manning ($2.8 million).

According to On3, the junior has NIL deals with Topps, Beats by Dre, Under Armour, Gatorade and Mercedes-Benz among others. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders quipped a watchmaker should join the ranks given how his son's watch flex is growing in popularity.

"We on the biggest stage, much love and shoutout to DJ Khaled—he's the one who stamped it, he and Rick Ross—that's hood royalty," Coach Prime told reporters. "It's hilarious to me, I love to see it, we joke about it on a daily basis. We gotta get him a lucrative watch deal, he can't do it for nothing. We gotta capitalize on the moment, he is my son."

NIL valuations are an inexact science, but the dollar figure floated by On3 underlines how Sanders may not jump at the first chance to move on to the NFL.

He was omitted from the top 30 players in Bleacher Report's initial 2024 big board, while The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner listed him in the third tier of QB prospects for 2024, which equated to a late first-round pick or early Day 2 selection.

Sanders might benefit from another year at Colorado, and his NIL status means he may not lose much by forgoing an NFL paycheck.

In the case of Manning, one can't help but wonder where his valuation will be once he starts playing regularly. The true freshman has yet to throw a pass while backing up Quinn Ewers on the Longhorns.

If Manning is as good as advertised on the field, he could be pulling down the equivalent of an NFL rookie's salary in endorsements alone.