Playing college sports isn’t just about gaining influence, winning scholarships, or fulfilling a lifelong dream. There is money to be made now from Name and Image Likeness (NIL) Offersand some college athletes are raking in millions.
These deals allow college athletes to profit from their own personal branding through sponsorships, endorsements and other marketing tactics such as social media. Among the biggest winners in the NIL are those who participate in this year’s March Madness, which pits the most successful college basketball teams against each other in a weeklong tournament.
NIL agreements have become a controversial topic in the world of college athletics, with sports policy experts saying there is both. positive and negative points for them. While athletes “finally get compensation for all the work they put into what they do,” the deals can also make players “selfish” or serve as a distraction from playing the sport itself, wrote Jon Willis of Center on Sports Policy and Conduct.
Revered former University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban has also been an outspoken critic of NIL deals. He said these agreements created a “caste system» where sporting success was based on the amount of university programs paying each player.
“I don’t think that’s the spirit of college athletics,” Saban said during an NIL panel discussion in 2024. “I don’t think that’s ever been the spirit of what we want college athletics to be. That’s my main concern: the combination of pay-for-play, free agency and its impact on development.”
On the other hand, Vince Thompson, founder and CEO of sports marketing company MELT, said TMG Sports “NIL could be the greatest grassroots marketing opportunity in sports history.”
Several college athletes participating in this year’s March Madness tournament are earning at least $1 million through NIL deals. Fortune has compiled a list of these athletes and their deals. Note that this list is not exhaustive as some terms and compensation are not disclosed.
Getty Images – Jacob Kupferman
1. Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg is Duke University’s star freshman player. should be the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Even as a freshman, he has already secured numerous NIL deals with companies such as New Balance, Cort Furniture, Gatorade, Fanatics, and the NIL Store.
Its current NIL valuation represents a whopping $4.8 million, according to Le3a media technology company that tracks recruiting, transfers and NIL deals for college and high school players. This places him second on On3’s list that tracks players with the highest NIL valuations; he is right behind Arch Manningthe Texas Longhorns quarterback, whose NIL valuation is $6.5 million.
Duke is scheduled to play at Arizona State University on Thursday, March 27 at 9:39 p.m. EST.
Getty Images—Ben Salomon/NCAA Photos
2. Braden Smith
Braden Smith is a junior playing for Purdue University. In the middle of the March Madness tournament, Smith announced a void deal with Stanleythe company that makes mugs Gen Zers and millennials are obsessed with.
Smith’s NIL valuation is nearly $2 million, according to On3, and he has other deals with NIL Store, HeyDude Shoes and Purdue NIL Store.
Purdue will face the University of Houston on Friday, March 28 at 10:09 p.m. EST.
Getty Images—Steph Chambers
3. PJ Haggerty
PJ Haggerty is a second year player from the University of Memphis and was one of the highest paid players in college basketball for a while. He is currently ranked #32 on On3’s NIL Top Earners list with a valuation of $1.7 million.
Haggerty’s biggest contracts were with the Memphis Redbirds, Bluff City NIL and The Flying T Club, On3. data watch.
The University of Memphis lost to Colorado State University on Friday, March 21.
Getty Images—Sarah Stier
4. Kam Jones
Kam Jones is a senior player for Marquette University. Although some “precise details of all of Jones’ sponsorships remain hidden,” according to College Sports NetworkOn3 estimates its NIL valuation at $1.6 million.
One of his disclosed NIL deals involves the Marquette NIL store. He’s also on Cameo, a service in which users can pay for personalized videos of their favorite celebrities, according to College Sports Network.
Marquette lost to the University of New Mexico on Friday, March 21.
