With the college football season underway and basketball season right around the corner, it’s safe to say that many fans are going to have an eye on their team’s up-and-coming college stars and their performances – after all, new players are the lifeblood of any team.
However, given that some rising college stars are going to be more well-known than others, especially if they’ve been actively making a name for themselves on and off the field, just who exactly are the most marketable college stars out there at the moment?
To find out, the team at Action Network analyzed 100 college athletes on various factors, including their potential NIL valuation, social media performance, audience performance, and overall interest and likability, all to determine who the most marketable college stars are.
Take a look at who came out on top!
What Is NIL?
Standing for Name, Image, and Likeness, NIL allows college athletes to earn money from their personal brand before they turn professional. As of 2021, athletes have been able to sign endorsement deals, promote products, and sell merchandise without losing NCAA eligibility.
However, compensation comes from businesses or individuals, not from the schools themselves, making it a key metric when determining an athlete's marketability, as it can significantly impact their score.
The Top 5 Most Marketable College Stars
Now that you know how we carried out this research and ranked the athletes, let’s take a look at the top five most marketable college stars and how they achieved their high rankings:
1. Livvy Dunne – 61.9 out of 100
Coming in at number one, we have Livvy Dunne, who competes for LSU's gymnastics team. She has gained significant fame for her athletic skills and large following on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Dunne has by far the largest number of followers across her social media channels – a mighty 5.3m (on Instagram) and counting. She also boasts a quality audience of over 4m+ followers and has a low suspicious follower percentage of 6%. Add to this a NIL valuation of $3.9m, the second highest out of the top five athletes, and it’s no wonder Livvy placed first.
Despite Dunne only having 1,112 news articles written about her over the last 12 months (the lowest out of the top five athletes), she receives the highest Marketability Index Score of 61.9 out of 100:
- NIL Valuation – 13.7 out of 20.
- Social Media Performance – 22.9 out of 37.5.
- Audience Performance – 22.6 out of 30.
- Interest and Likeability – 2.7 out of 12.5.
2. Shedeur Sanders – 57.0 out of 100
Known for his precision and leadership on the field, Shedeur has garnered attention for his standout performances in his college football career.
Our stats show that Sanders has the highest NIL valuation at $5.4m, but when you add to this his 1.9m followers, a yearly follower growth of 45.6%, and 4,500+ news articles written about him over the last 12 months (the most out of the top five athletes), it’s no wonder that he ranks so highly.
Overall, Sanders receives the second highest Marketability Index Score of 57 out of 100 – around 5 points below Dunne:
- NIL Valuation – 20 out of 20.
- Social Media Performance – 9.7 out of 37.5.
- Audience Performance – 17.6 out of 30.
- Interest and Likeability – 9.7 out of 12.5.
3. Travis Hunter – 45.1 out of 100
A talented two-way player in college football, Travis Hunter has excelled in recent months as both a wide receiver and cornerback for the Colorado Buffaloes. He gained national attention for his decision to attend Jackson State, following head coach Deion Sanders, before transferring to Colorado.
Hunter’s NIL valuation currently sits at $2.7m and he has over 1.5m followers on Instagram, with very strong yearly follower growth of 60.4%. His newsworthiness is also the second highest out of the top five athletes, with 3,000+ news articles written about him over the last 12 months.
Taking all the metrics into consideration, Travis Hunter scores a Marketability Index Score of 45.1 out of 100, a very strong rating that rightly puts him third on our list:
- NIL Valuation – 8.6 out of 20.
- Social Media Performance – 8.2 out of 37.5.
- Audience Performance – 18.6 out of 30.
- Interest and Likeability – 9.7 out of 12.5.
4. Paige Bueckers – 43.1 out of 100
A standout college basketball player for the UConn Huskies, Paige Bueckers is known for her exceptional court vision and scoring ability. She was the first freshman to win the AP Player of the Year award in women's basketball and is regarded as one of the best players in the country.
Over 2m people follow Bueckers on Instagram and her yearly follower growth is incredibly high at 98.1%. While her NIL valuation is the lowest out of the top five athletes, it’s still strong at $1.4m. She has also had 2,170+ news articles written about her over the last 12 months, which is no small figure.
In total, Bueckers ranks fourth with an impressive Marketability Index Score of 43.1 out of 10:
- NIL Valuation – 3.1 out of 20.
- Social Media Performance – 16.8 out of 37.5.
- Audience Performance – 16.7 out of 30.
- Interest and Likeability – 6.5 out of 12.5.
5. Arch Manning – 41.0 out of 100
The nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch Manning is a highly touted high school quarterback prospect. Known for his strong arm and football IQ, he committed to the University of Texas and is seen as a future star with immense potential in college football.
With a NIL valuation of $3.1m combined with 280,000+ followers, a 21.2% yearly follower growth and 1,560+ news articles written about him over the last 12 months, Manning shows serious potential for greater fame over the coming years.
Sticking in line with the other top players on our list, Manning receives a Marketability Index Score of 41.0 out of 100, putting him firmly in the top five most marketable college stars in America:
- NIL Valuation – 10.3 out of 20.
- Social Media Performance – 6.0 out of 37.5.
- Audience Performance – 21.3 out of 30.
- Interest and Likeability – 3.4 out of 12.5.
Catch Your Next Match With Action Network
So, there you have it; those are America’s most marketable college stars at this moment in time. Of course, the rankings can always change, and there’s always the chance of a dark horse sneaking in and stealing the thunder from underneath the favorites – it all depends on what happens over the next few months.
Naturally, if you’ve been following your favorite college stars, and want to make sure you never miss a match, then head over to Action Network. Keep up to date with upcoming matches and appearances, and place your bet with one of the best sportsbooks to see how well you think they might do.
A few popular sportsbook promo codes are:
Methodology
To identify the most marketable college and high school stars, Action Network analyzed 100 athletes across four key dimensions:
- NIL Valuation
- Social Media Performance
- Audience Performance
- Interest and Likeability
We assessed these dimensions using 15 relevant metrics, detailed below, with their assigned weights. Each metric was rated on a 100-point scale, where a score of 100 denotes the highest level of marketability.
To determine the overall ranking, we then calculated each athlete’s weighted average across all metrics and summed these scores to produce a final indexed score:
- NIL Valuation (Out of 20):
- (=20) On 3’s NIL Valuation algorithm, which considers: Roster Value Performance, Influence, Exposure and Deal Data.
- Social Media Performance Score (Out of 37.5):
- (=15) Number of Followers – The total number of followers across their social media accounts.
- (=5) Yearly Follower Growth Percentage – The percentage change in followers over the last 12 months.
- (=5) Engagement Rate % – The percentage of the followers engaging with the content.
- (=5) Average Likes – The average number of likes per Instagram post.
- (=5) Average Comments – The average number of comments per Instagram post.
- (=2.5) Suspicious Follower Percentage – The percentage of accounts considered to be bots or inactive (lower score = better)
- Audience Performance Score (Out of 30):
- (=10) Audience Quality Score – A 1-100 scale which measures the overall quality of the athlete’s audience, taking into account follower growth patterns, engagement, and authenticity.
- (=5) Quality Audience Count – The total number of followers who are deemed high quality and real people.
- (=5) Audience Reachability Percent – The percentage of followers who are likely to see each post from the athlete.
- (=5) Audience Yearly Household Income – The percentage of followers whose household income is above $50k.
- (=5) Audience Demographics – The percentage of followers between the ages of 18-44.
- Interest and Likeability Performance Score (Out of 12.5):
- (=5) Social Buzz – The total number of social media posts made about the athlete over the last 12 months.
- (=5) Newsworthiness – The total number of news articles written about the athlete over the last 12 months.
- (=2.5) Online Sentiment – The percentage of social media conversations deemed positive.
