Texas QB Arch Manning drops from No. 1 to No. 20 in NIL ranking
· Yahoo Sports
Once the highest paid player in college football, Texas quarterback Arch Manning is down to No. 20 in name, image, and likeness money, according to On3’s NIL rankings index. But a big reason for the drop was Manning's mature decision to help build a better roster.
At Manning's peak, the celebrity QB was ranked No. 1 nationally with an estimated $6.8 million in NIL dollars. Now, the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning and grandson of Archie Manning, is currently ranked No. 20 nationally with estimated $2.5 million.
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Why the fall?
Manning's highest NIL ranking came before the start of last season, when the hype around the New Orleans native was at its highest. Since then, the methodology of tracking NIL has changed.
On3's NIL Valuation measures a current player's contract value. That is a change from when the index was first launched. The list was originally a "proprietary algorithm to establish a baseline market value when there was little public information, structure, or consistency in the NIL marketplace." The goal was to give the players, families, schools, collectives and brands a clear view of roster value and athlete opportunity.
But in July, On3 updated the model "to reflect major shifts in athlete compensation, most notably the rise of direct player contracts and the growing influence of collectives, roster management and market demand." It is not a projection of an athlete’s marketing value, endorsement potential or what was originally understood as “true NIL.” Instead, it is designed to track athletes’ compensation from colleges/collectives.
On3 believes it has sufficient access to deal information "to provide a more accurate assessment of player value based on real market activity, confirmed contracts, and trusted insider reporting."
So, part of Manning's drop is a complete change in how NIL value is tracked. Instead of an estimate, the number is closer to what the player is actually receiving.
In March, Manning signed with Manning has signed a deal with a Google Gemini. Manning also has had big NIL deals with apparel company Vuori, energy drink titan Red Bull, trading card giant Panani, Uber Waymo self-driving cars (which are all over Austin), Raising Cane's chicken tenders, video game maker EA Sports and eye-glasses making Warby Parker.
"I'm trying to get all that stuff out of the way before the season," Manning said at the Manning Passing Academy. "Obviously, you want to take advantage of what you can and make the right decisions on partnering with companies, but I'm focused on ball."
With these national brands in place, and the fact that Manning comes from a wealthy family, the Texas QB asked for a pay cut from the Longhorns direct payout pool. Manning's reason for taking less direct NIL funds was to help improve the roster around him.
It's just like Patrick Mahomes, who regularly gives up millions to help the Kansas City Chief's roster. Tom Brady did it with New England. Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson, Aaron Rodgers and Victor Wembanyama have all helped the rosters around them by taking less.
As college football becomes more of a business, coaches are forced to manage a de facto salary cap in order to build rosters. If your highest paid players "play ball" in that process, money can be freed up for a better overall squad.
With a big name that attracts major brands, Manning doesn't need his big NIL deals supplemented. Most college athletes are paid by the common pool of funds. Manning freed up some of that money for transfers.
“It’s not about the money necessarily,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said at SXSW 2025. “It’s about [Manning] wanting to be a really good player and wanting to be the quarterback at Texas to bring another national championship back here."
Sarkisian spoke about "cap space" at SEC Media Days a couple of weeks ago. Sarkisian said UT had to let some players walk in order to clear room in the offseason to sign the No. 1 transfer class in college football. Manning's reduced cut helped pay for Cam Coleman, Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown and others.
Sark told ESPN's Paul Finebaum how the Longhorns had to think about its "cap space" and be strategic about who they keep and who they let go. Some were key members of the 2025 squad, like wide receivers DeAndre Moore and Parker Livingstone, running back Quintrevion Wisner and linebacker Elijah Barnes.
“I think in this day and age of the Portal and high school, you’ve got to have the ability to be strategic,” Sarkisian said on the Paul Finebaum Show. “To make the moves we make, to bring in a Cam Coleman, to bring in a Hollywood Smothers, to bring in a Raleek Brown, to bring in a Mike Masunas at tight end; we had to let DeAndre Moore go. We had to let Parker Livingstone go. We had to let Tre Wisner go. We had to let CJ Baxter go."
A big piece to that puzzle was Manning's sacrifice. The QB will hope giving up some money now will lead to a national championship for Texas. It could also lead to Manning becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas QB Arch Manning drops from No. 1 to No. 20 in NIL ranking