Penn State Sports Magazine
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M In an August ranking compiled by On3's NIL expert, Pete Nakos, Penn State was not listed among the top 15 in the sport. Four of the Nittany Lions' Big Ten rivals did make the list: Ohio State at No. 1, Oregon at No. 4, Nebraska at No. 8 and Michigan at No. 13. Nakos reported that the Buckeyes' NIL collectives — the 1870 Society and The Foundation — spent roughly $20 million on this year's roster, with about 10 play- ers making more than $1 million apiece. Meanwhile, Oregon's Division Street collective was co-founded by Phil Knight and has deep ties to Nike, while Nebraska and Michigan are being supported by well-heeled backers of those programs. The Cornhuskers' collective, 1890 Ne- braska, helped lure five-star quarterback prospect Dylan Raiola to Lincoln after he had initially committed to Georgia. Michigan's Champions Circle collective played a key role in keeping the Wolver- ines' off-season personnel losses to a minimum after Jim Harbaugh and much of his assistant coaching staff departed for the NFL. To help boost its own efforts, Penn State staged an NIL event in Inglewood, Calif., the day before the USC game. The team held its "Fast Friday" practice at SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. Immedi- ately afterward, the Happy Valley United collective welcomed Penn State support- ers to its Fan Kickoff Luncheon. Tickets to the event cost $300 per person and $500 per couple. A second event is set to take place on Nov. 8, the day before Penn State's home game against Washington. Dubbed the "White Out Weekend: White Party," the gathering is being staged by Happy Val- ley United and will take place from 7-11 p.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn on cam- pus. A number of notable Penn State let- termen are slated to attend, including Brandon Short, Blair Thomas, Christian Hackenberg, Jason Cabinda, Michael Mauti, Kyle Brady, Adam Taliaferro and more. "Our team looks forward to welcom- ing Penn State football fans to the newly renovated Nittany Lion Inn for the first annual Penn State White Out: White Party in support of NIL," said Happy Valley United general manager Jen Fer- rang via press release. "The expansion of this year's White Out event reflects the commitment to excellence in NIL by the supporters, and our goal is to deliver them an unforgettable night with their favorite coaches, student-athletes and lettermen." Whether through special events or other forms of community outreach, Franklin is looking to maximize Penn State's fundraising efforts. While not- ing that the advent of revenue sharing in college football will help "stabilize the market" in the next couple of years, he still urged fans to bear in mind what a forward-looking NIL approach will mean for the program in the seasons to come. "We're going to need to totally em- brace NIL like a lot of the other programs in the country, because it's a major factor and it's having an impact on rosters and programs," Franklin said. "I don't think it's going away. If we're waiting for it to go away or for changes to come in, I don't think that's happening." ■ "We're going to need to totally embrace NIL like a lot of the other programs in the country, because it's a major factor and it's having an impact on rosters and programs. I don't think it's going away." F R A N K L I N Drew Allar Headlines Penn State's NIL Top 10 On3's NIL tracker keeps tabs on the valuations of college athletes throughout the country, taking into account both their roster value and media presence. The On3 algorithm is very quarterback- friendly, with five signal-callers in the national top 10, including the nation's No. 1 player overall, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, with a valuation of $5.8 million. Two quarterbacks are in Penn State's top 10, with junior Drew Allar at No. 1 and true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer at No. 4. The Nittany Lions' top 10 athletes are listed below. All are football players. The Lions' highest-ranked athlete in a sport other than football is graduate point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. of the men's basketball team, who is listed 16th. Rk. Name Pos. Elig. Valuation 1. Drew Allar QB Jr. $1.4 million 2. Abdul Carter DE Jr. $857,000 3. Nicholas Singleton RB Jr. $675,000 4. Ethan Grunkemeyer QB Fr. $432,000 5. Tyler Warren TE Sr. $374,000 6. Dani Dennis-Sutton DE Jr. $306,000 7. A.J. Harris CB So. $306,000 8. Julian Fleming WR Sr. $268,000 9. Olaivavega Ioane OG R-So. $259,000 10. Jaylen Reed S Sr. $246,000 Allar has the Nittany Lions' top NIL valuation accord- ing to On3 and is 33rd nationally at $1.4 million. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL