College Football

Texas QB Arch Manning has highest NIL valuation in college football

Published Apr. 14, 2023 5:21 p.m. ET

Arch Manning has yet to take a snap in a college football game, but the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, and son of Cooper Manning, is already the most marketable player in the sport.

According to a recent report from On3.com, a college sports site that utilizes data to calculate athlete market values, Manning has a current NIL valuation of $3.8 million, which is more than double any other college football player outside USC QB and reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams, who has a reported value of $2.6 million.

Following Manning and Williams, Colorado two-way standout Travis Hunter has a valuation of $1.7 million, while Hunter’s teammate, QB Shedeur Sanders, North Carolina QB Drake Maye and Oregon QB Bo Nix all come in at $1.5 million.

Other notable names to appear on the list include Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. ($1.3M), Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. ($1.3M), Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava ($1.2M), Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman ($1.1 M) and Michigan RB Blake Corum ($1.1M).

Manning, who is the top-ranked prospect in the 2023 recruiting class according to both 247Sports.com and Rivals.com, enrolled early at Texas and is expected to compete with incumbent starter Quinn Ewers and former four-star recruit Maalik Murphy for the Longhorns’ starting QB role.

[Where does Texas QB competition stand as spring football wraps up?]

All eyes will be on Manning when Texas hosts its annual Orange vs. White spring football game on Saturday at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium. The 17-year-old signal-caller faces massive expectations in his first season at Texas, which Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is certainly aware of.

"He’s a kid. He’s a college kid," Sarkisian said, noting Manning twice lost his student ID in a week. "I think, so many times, you see the Manning name and you think he’s this perfect, in a box, like nothing’s wrong with him. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with him, but he’s still a kid. I love that about him."

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The NFL requires players to be at least three years removed from high school before they can make the jump to the professional ranks, meaning the earliest Manning could declare for the NFL Draft would be 2026. He will have plenty of opportunities to capitalize on his personal brand before then, and if he is able to win the starting QB job and get on the field as a true freshman, chances are that value will only increase.

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