Arch Manning's NIL Market is Going to Be Insane

Last week, Arch Manning announced his commitment to the University of Texas as the recruitment of arguably the biggest name in college football who hasn't played a snap came to an end. It was a bit of a surprise but it is a huge coup for the Longhorns. Starting next fall, Manning will begin his journey to follow in the family footsteps and become one of the top quarterbacks in college football before entering the NFL draft.

But that's a while down the road. For now, Manning is a college player, and it's a damn good time to be a high-profile NCAA athlete with NIL deals in full swing. After Manning's commitment, the next discussion is how much he's going to get paid for endorsement deals. Because it's gonna be a big number.

Manning obviously comes from a well-off family (to say the least) and doesn't necessarily need the NIL money but the Mannings are all smart businessmen and he'll take advantage of his family fame. Manning is the best recruit Texas has landed in years. His endorsement will be worth quite a bit of money, whether it comes from a national brand or a more local establishment.

According to On3, a website dedicated to analyzing the NIL potential of college athletes, Arch Manning has an estimated NIL valuation of $3.1 million. The valuation considers athletic performance and social following as well as other endorsements. Since Manning has no endorsements, that $3.1 million number is based off projecting how good Manning is on the field and how much reach he has off of it regardless of performance. Given Manning has 58,500 Twitter followers despite having only one tweet (his commitment to Texas), that valuation could actually grow over the next few months.

Whatever he ends up doing, it'll be for big money. Signing Manning to an endorsement deal is basically having the whole Manning family's endorsement in the eyes of consumers. That means Arch will be very, very picky about what he chooses, but it also means he has a pot of gold waiting at the end of that particular rainbow.

This Manning is going to operate on a different tier of NIL money than anybody else. He's one of hundreds of five-star recruits. He's a quarterback, of which there are many. And he's a member of a famous football family, which isn't unique in of itself. But he's the only guy in college football who checks all three boxes. And the NIL market will probably never get hotter than it is right now.

A windfall is coming for Arch Manning. The fun part is wondering who will pony up the dough to get his endorsement.