Penn State Sports Magazine
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M speculating that he could become the highest-paid defensive player in league history. Although Parsons' windfall came the old-fashioned way — through a lucra- tive pro contract rather than an assort- ment of NIL deals — Franklin said college athletes could learn from his example. Franklin also shared a story about how former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson would wear fake jewelry that looked more expensive than it really was. The coach's point was that if highly paid pro athletes are watch- ing how they spend their money, college athletes should do so, too. "I worry about that a little bit in to- day's day and age," Franklin said. "I'm a supporter of NIL, very much so. But I also really think that it sets up unrealis- tic expectations of how hard it is to earn a dollar. And I think a lot of times when you're the head football coach and you talk about things like that, people don't want to hear it from me and people in my position. But I worry about that." While he's concerned about how young athletes are going to respond to the sudden boost in their earning power, Franklin also understands that Penn State needs to be competitive in the NIL economy if it's going to continue to en- joy the kind of on-field success that its followers are accustomed to seeing. To that end, the Nittany Lions have been receiving some help from another All-America linebacker. Prior to the team's White Out game against Iowa, LaVar Arrington returned to his alma mater for an appearance at Lubrano Park. Arrington, who was in- ducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last year, was on hand to rally sup- port for Happy Valley United, the col- lective that's been backing the Nittany Lion football program. He said the idea was to interact with Penn State fans in an informal setting in the hope of rais- ing awareness about how NIL consider- ations are changing the sport. "Right now, it's more about educa- tion and making people more aware," Arrington told BWI via text. "Coach Franklin has always tried to get me in, some way, somehow. But it just never really happened until now. I've always helped out, but I have also wanted to help out in a more official capacity. "I have begged for the opportunity to be empowered to communicate with our community and rally us to support our school and our athletes." Arrington credited Penn State ath- letics director Pat Kraft with opening up that opportunity. In addition to his recent appearances on behalf of the col- lective, he has partnered with Franklin this season on a series of weekly pod- casts, which are available to Happy Val- ley United members. He noted that he's financing the content for the collective and creating value for the community. "No longer are you going to a stale, boring web page and just being begged for money," he said. "We are giving con- tent that is original and unique to us. We are also building the profiles of our athletes through content to build brand value." Arrington acknowledged that there is urgency behind the push. The Nittany Lions are determined to field a champi- onship-caliber football team, and to do so, they will need to be nationally com- petitive in the NIL realm. That means mobilizing their massive fan following for what comes next. "It's just [a matter of] understanding the ever-changing landscape of college sports," Arrington said. "Schools are now faced with new challenges as it ap- plies to bringing in quality people and keeping them. "We have so many active people in our community. I believe if they are ed- ucated about what NIL is and how they apply, they will be excited about play- ing a vital role in our school's success. I believe our community can create the most powerful collective in all of college sports, period." ■ It's good to be a quarterback now that college athletes are allowed to be paid. To be clear, it was always good to be a quarterback, but it's an especially lucrative distinction these days, and Penn State is following the national trend. Sophomore quarterback Drew Allar was up to No. 2 among Penn State athletes in On3's NIL tracker as of late September with a valuation of $846,000. Even as a backup last fall, Allar was in PSU's top 10, but his valuation skyrocketed with Penn State's 4-0 start to the 2023 season. He trailed only junior offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, a likely future first-round draft pick who had received an $868,000 valuation. On3.com has been tracking NIL valuations for college athletes using a proprietary formula that incorporates on-field performance, social media influence and overall media exposure. The for- mula determines a player's "Brand Value Index" and "Roster Value Index." The former assesses licensing and sponsorship potential, while the latter takes into account data from collectives. Quarterbacks dominate On3's NIL rankings for college football. Of the top 25 players na- tionally, 13 are signal-callers. Colorado's Shed- eur Sanders is No. 1 overall with a valuation of $5.2 million, followed by Texas's Arch Manning ($2.9 million) and USC's Caleb Williams ($2.6 million). Among all college athletes, USC basketball guard Bronny James is No. 1 with a $6 million valuation. Sanders is No. 2, followed by LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne ($3.2 million). In addition to Fashanu (29th) and Allar (35th), two more Penn State football players rank among the top 100 college athletes in On3's list. Junior cornerback Kalen King is 82nd ($547,000) and sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter is 93rd ($512,000). Here's a look at PSU's top 10: DREW ALLAR RISES IN PENN STATE'S NIL LEADERBOARD RK. NAME POS CLASS NIL VALUATION 1. Olumuyiwa Fashanu OT Jr. $868,000 2. Drew Allar QB So. $846,000 3. Kalen King CB Jr. $547,000 4. Abdul Carter LB So. $512,000 5. KeAndre Lambert-Smith WR Jr. $236,000 6. Chop Robinson LB Jr. $235,000 7. Curtis Jacobs LB Jr. $231,000 8. Nicholas Singleton RB So. $214,000 9. Kaytron Allen RB So. $185,000 10. J'ven Williams OL Fr. $177,000