JuJu Watkins headlines the top collegiate NIL earners over the past year

NIL has become the new norm in college sports, and athletes across different areas have been cashing in on big-time deals over the past year, including big names like USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins and North Carolina's R.J. Davis.

New data from sponsorship data company SponsorUnited has revealed which players were the biggest beneficiaries of NIl over the past 12 months, and to nobody's surprise names like Travis Hunter, Quinn Ewers and Paige Bueckers were all on the list.

RJ Davis’ decision to return to North Carolina is yet another example of the new NIL paradigm has been a huge boon for college hoops. He doesn’t have to go play for money because he can STAY and play for money. Everybody wins!
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) April 25, 2024

Davis led all men's athletes with 25 NIL deals, while Watkins was the first-ranked women's player with 20 deals of her own. Meanwhile, the Cavinder twins - Hanna and Haley - combined for 18 deals and Bueckers had 16 as well, once again proving that women's sports have been increasingly popular.

According to the report, athletes are now part of an NIL industry that's worth over $1 billion, and while athletes competing in basketball and football certainly have a leg up on other sports that doesn't mean that others aren't able to cash in themselves.

CU football standout athlete Travis Hunter with his finger after a win against CSU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown

CU football standout athlete Travis Hunter flashes a No. 1 with his finger after a win against CSU in the Rocky Mountain Showdown at Canvas Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. / Cris Tiller / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Interestingly enough, the most common brands that were associated with NIL endorsements were EA Sports, Raising Cane's, Powerade, Epsilon and Adidas.

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R.J. Davis headlines the top collegiate NIL earners over the past year

By Matt Reed | Apr 2, 2025