Top 10 most expensive college athlete influencers for brands

In the new era of college sports, it pays — literally — to be a basketball player with a considerable social media following. For the top 10 athletes with the highest price per post on Instagram, six of them are basketball players, according to a September report by The Action Network, which does sports betting analysis. The Action Network determined the 100 most-followed college athlete profiles on Instagram using HypeAuditor, an influencer marketing analytics tool. The company then calculated the posing fee athletes could charge per Instagram post by taking the average amount from millions of audited influencer accounts. That average was about $.004 per post per follower. While The Action Network report focuses on Instagram followings, brands should also take into account athletes’ TikTok followings, with some athletes boasting even bigger followings on that platform, like Oregon’s Sedona Prince or UCLA’s Kaila Novak. The NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness policy (NIL), which went into effect in July of this year, allows college athletes to use their name, image, and likeness for brand partnerships and endorsements, a perk previously reserved for professional athletes. The laws surrounding NIL vary by state, and colleges have even set up classes and new departments to help athletes navigate the new laws. Athletes with big followings are already fielding deals, making a post on their social media accounts a coveted goal. No. 10 JD Davison 352,000 Instagram followers, 6,291 TikTok followersPrice per post: $1,394.58 JD Davison is a freshman guard for the Alabama men's basketball team. He already has NIL deals with PSD (Pants Saggin’ Dezign) Underwear, Moneyball Sportswear, and Traphouse clothing. With his Instagram following, it’s estimated he could stand to make more than $1,300 per post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by JD DAVISON (@jdavison02) No. 9 Spencer Rattler 389,000 Instagram followers, 86,300 TikTok followersPrice per post: $1,532.07 Spencer Rattler is the quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. Rattler has trademarked his own logo for his merch line, and already has a few NIL deals. One is with fast-food chain Raising Cane’s, and he also works with PlantFuel, a protein supplement maker. He was also given two cars by Fowler Automotive, a Norman, Ok. car dealership, to promote. Recently, Rattler posted for Champs athletic wear. Rattler donates a portion of his NIL earnings to “help underserved people and underserved communities” according to his Twitter. The quarterback could be bringing in $1,500 per post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Spencer Rattler (@spencer_rattler) No. 8 Jahvon Quinerly 442,000 Instagram followersPrice per post: $1,777.56 Jahvon Quinerley transferred to Alabama from Villanova and is now a guard on the Alabama men’s basketball team. His brother Jaden also plays on the team. The two have a deal with Mobley and Sons, a local men’s clothing store in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Jahvon has also posted for the Conquer app, which finds local pick-up games. He could be set to pull in $1,700 per post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jahvon Quinerly (@jelllyjq) No. 7 Jordan Chiles 444,000 Instagram followers, 237,700 TikTok followersPrice per post: $1,784.52 Jordan Chiles, the Olympic gymnast who won a silver medal in Tokyo this summer, could make $1,700 per post. Chiles, who is a freshman at UCLA, stepped up when teammate Simon Biles withdrew from the competition, taking her place on the balance beam and uneven bars. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jordan Chiles (@jordanchiles) No. 6 Hailey Van Lith 705,000 Instagram followers, 56,500 TikTok followersPrice per post: $2,825.62 Hailey Van Lith is a guard for the University of Louisville women's basketball team. She was also a part of the 2018 U.S youth basketball Olympic team. With over 700,000 Instagram followers, she could receive $2,800 per post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by HVL (@haileyvanlith) No. 5 Paige Bueckers 906,000 Instagram followers, 340,000 TikTok followersPrice per post: $3,632.91 Paige Bueckers is a guard for the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team. She’s also the first freshman in women's college basketball history to win the Wooden Award, which is awarded to the most outstanding basketball player each year. She also won the ESPY this year for best female college athlete. Her nearly 1 million Instagram followers mean she could charge $3,600 per post. She has filed a trademark application for "Paige Buckets." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paige💕 (@paigebueckers) No. 4 Shaqir O’Neal 971,000 Instagram followers, 3.6 million TikTok followersPrice per post: $3,895.97 Shaqir O’Neal, the son of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, is committed to play basketball for Texas Southern University, an HBCU. He’s another athlete to watch when it comes to his TikTok following. On Instagram, he could be making $3,000 per post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shaqir O’Neal (@shaqironeall) No. 3 Olivia Dunne 1.3 million Instagram followers, 4.5 million TikTok followersPrice per post: $5,208.44 Olivia Dunne is a gymnast at Louisiana State University. While her Instagram following could be earning her $5,200 per post, Dunne has one of the most-followed TikToks among college athletes. She recently signed an exclusive brand deal with active wear brand Vuori, and also has a partnership with and stock in PlantFuel, which makes plant-based protein. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne) No. 2 Sunisa (Suni) Lee 1.6 million Instagram followers, 1.6 million TikTok followersPrice per post: $6,403.32 Suni Lee was a member of the 2020 U.S. women’s gymnastics team this summer in Tokyo, taking home the gold in the all-around, as well as a silver team medal and the bronze in the uneven bars. Lee currently attends Auburn University and is a part of its gymnastics team. Her social media reach could earn her around $6,000 per post. She's partnered with Pearson+, which provides access to thousands of digital textbooks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunisa Lee (@sunisalee) No. 1 Shareef O’Neal 2.6M Instagram followers, 1.5M TikTok followersPrice per post: $10,819.51 Another son of Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef O’Neal is a forward for Louisiana State University's men’s basketball team, after transferring from UCLA. With 2.6 million Instagram followers, O’Neal could be making over $10,000 per post. Shareef is currently on Cameo, and has posted for Zoa energy drinks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shareef O'Neal (@shareefoneal)

Top 10 most expensive college athlete influencers for brands

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