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The college football season is right around the corner meaning young players are one step closer to getting their opportunity to see the field for the first time as NCAA athletes.
Those former high school football stars will soon have the ability to profit off their production. NIL contracts have been agreed upon or are in the works. Freshmen will reap the benefits of their talent.
On3 and Rivals have set NIL valuations for many of those incoming prospects. It provides a projection of potential earnings by evaluating a combination of success, social media influence, and marketability.
Here, we’ll take a look at the top 11 (future) earners.
High school football players with highest NIL Valuations.
These prospects hail from both the 2026 and 2027 recruiting cycles. Each has already signed with or committed to a school.
This list will provide a brief player background, NIL estimate, and plan for the future. Let’s dive in.
11. Kavian Bryant
Bryant is a four-star quarterback in the 2027 cycle that committed to Texas Tech last November. He is rated as the No. 2 passer in the class by ESPN and the sixth-best player in the state of Texas.
Bryant’s NIL valuation is $613K. He boasts 4,300 followers on X and 13.5K on Instagram.
10. Kaeden Penny
Penny is a five-star offensive lineman from Bixby, Oklahoma. He committed to the hometown Sooners last September.
The 2027 prospect is considered the second-best player in the state and a Top 25 talent nationally by both 247 Sports and On3.
Penny’s NIL Valuation sits at $634K. He has a following of 2,100 fans on X and 2,400 on Instagram.
9. Ahmad Hudson
Hudson is another 2027 recruit on the offensive side of the ball. The nation’s top-ranked tight end, he committed to LSU in May.
Hudson is a five-star talent. The Louisiana native is considered a Top 25 player nationally.
He should also be one of the highest paid freshmen in his class. He boasts an NIL Valuation of $644K with 6,200 followers on X and 22K on Instagram.
8. Will Mencl
Mencl is a quarterback from Arizona headlining the 2027 class. Rivals rates the passer as the nation’s top signal caller and the 13th-most talented prospect regardless of position.
Mencl is a four-star recruit committed to play at Oregon next year. He made that pledge in April.
He ranks eighth amongst high school football recruits in terms of NIL Valuation at $683K. Mencl has 1,800 followers on X and 4,800 on Instagram.
7. Oluwasemilore Olubobola
Olubobola is a five-star recruit in the 2027 cycle. The offensive lineman is considered the best player in the state of New Jersey.
Olubobola committed to Notre Dame in May.
The 6-foot-6 tackle owns an NIL Valuation of $709K. He has an Instagram following of 2,800 users and an X following of 2,100 fans.
6. Isreal Abrams
Abrams is a four-star quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class. He is ranked as the No. 2 signal caller in the cycle, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois.
Abrams is committed to play for the Miami Hurricanes. He made his pledge to the program in April.
The passer possesses an NIL Valuation of $713K. He has nearly 15,000 followers across Instagram, X, and TikTok.
5. Cooper Hackett
Hackett is a five-star recruit from Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The offensive lineman is ranked as the second-best tackle in the 2027 recruiting cycle by Rivals.
Hackett is the second Oklahoma Sooner on this list. He committed to the school last September after flipping his pledge from Texas Tech.
While he says he will take less NIL money to play in Norman, his NIL Valuation is still $737K. He boasts 4,400 followers on Instagram and 3,500 on X.
4. Mark Matthews
Matthews is another offensive lineman rated as a five-star prospect. He is considered the top player at his position and the fifth-best player in the 2027 cycle.
Matthews committed to play for the Texas A&M Aggies in May.
The 6-foot-5 tackle has an NIL Valuation of $837K with around 7,800 followers across Instagram and X.
3. Elijah Haven
Elijah Haven is the No. 1 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting cycle according to ESPN. The five-star talent is arguably the top player in the state of Louisiana.
Haven plans to leave the state for college. He committed to Alabama in April.
The signal caller has an NIL Valuation of $1 million and has more than 25,000 followers across X and Instagram.
2. Ryder Lyons
Lyons is rated as a four-star recruit in the 2026 cycle. The quarterback is ranked as a Top 6 player at his position and at Top 75 prospect nationally.
Lyons signed on to play at BYU last August. His brother is a tight end for the Cougars.
His NIL Valuation sits at $1 million. He is a legitimate social media star. Lyons has nearly 500K followers on TikTok alone. He also boasts 9,000 followers on X and another 287K on Instagram.
1. Immanuel Iheanacho
Iheanacho is an offensive lineman from Maryland. The five-star tackle is considered a Top 10 player in the 2026 recruiting class and the second-best player at his position.
The 6-foot-7, 380-pound mammoth is an Oregon signee. He has not yet enrolled at the university.
Iheanacho has an NIL Valuation of $1.2 million. He has an Instagram following of 12.2K users and an X following of 4,800.