A new report reveals which NCAA athletes have the potential to cash in the most from their Name, Image, and Likeness.
Shareef O’Neal, son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, is the biggest NCAA social media earner, with the potential to bring in a staggering $10,918.51 per post.
Gymnastic stars Sunisa Lee and Olivia Dunne rank as the next biggest earners, potentially earning $6,403.32 and $5,208.44, respectively.
The NCAA is a non-profit organization that regulates nearly half a million college athletes across 24 competitive sports in the U.S. and is amidst its most significant change since it began. A new report from The Action Network has revealed which of our favorite NCAA stars are balling most from their social media, following the recent Name, Image, and Likeness announcement.
Gathering data using HypeAuditor, by attributing a score to each of their number of followers, engagement rates, and the media valuation of the worth of each post, Action Network reveals which college stars could be the most prominent social media earners.
The NCAA Rich List
It’s no surprise that Louisiana State University (LSU) star Shareef O’Neal, son of Hall of Fame legend Shaquille O’Neal, holds the top spot. He could be bringing in a staggering $10,819.51 per Instagram post with his 2,704,877 followers — around three times more than his brother, Shaqir O’Neal, who sits fourth on the list.
Auburn University’s Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee places second on the list. Already an Olympic star securing gold at the 2020 Olympic Games, Lee could be adding an extra $6,403.32 into her bank account every time she posts on Instagram. Lee is followed by Olivia Dunne, an LSU gymnast and social media personality who’s the third-biggest potential earner at $5,208.44, with 1,302,110 Instagram followers and a staggering 4.4 million TikTok followers.
Below is a list of the top-20 NCAA athletes:
| Rank | Full Name | Sports | Followers | Price Per Post |
| 1 | Shareef O’Neal | Men’s Basketball | 2,704,877 | $10,819.51 |
| 2 | Sunisa Lee | Gymnastics | 1,600,829 | $6,403.32 |
| 3 | Olivia Dunne | Gymnastics | 1,302,110 | $5,208.44 |
| 4 | Shaqir O’Neal | Men’s Basketball | 973,992 | $3,895.97 |
| 5 | Paige Buecker | Women’s Basketball | 908,228 | $3,632.91 |
| 6 | Hailey Van Lith | Women’s Basketball | 706,404 | $2,825.62 |
| 7 | Jordan Chiles | Gymnastics | 446,129 | $1,784.52 |
| 8 | Jahvon Quinerly | Men’s Basketball | 444,390 | $1,777.56 |
| 9 | Spencer Rattler | Football | 383,018 | $1,532.07 |
| 10 | JD Davison | Men’s Basketball | 348,644 | $1,394.58 |
| 11 | Marcus Bagley | Men’s Basketball | 338,853 | $1,355.41 |
| 12 | Noah Farrakhan | Men’s Basketball | 334,699 | $1,338.80 |
| 13 | Gable Steveson | Wrestling | 330,224 | $1,320.90 |
| 14 | Chet Holmgren | Men’s Basketball | 326,487 | $1,305.95 |
| 15 | Jaden Owens | Men’s Basketball | 285,536 | $1,142.14 |
| 16 | Hanna Cavinder | Women’s Basketball | 282,634 | $1,130.54 |
| 17 | Zion Harmon | Men’s Basketball | 278,942 | $1,115.77 |
| 18 | Haley Cavinder | Women’s Basketball | 278,677 | $1,114.71 |
| 19 | Jordan McCabe | Men’s Basketball | 254,619 | $1,018.48 |
| 20 | Scotty Pippen Jr | Men’s Basketball | 253,544 | $1,014.18 |
Methodology
To create the NCAA Rich List, research was initially undertaken to discover the most-followed college athlete accounts on Instagram. After this, influencer marketing and analytical tool, HypeAuditor, was utilized to reveal follower counts and engagement rates. This data was accurate as of September 10.
To calculate the amount athletes could earn per Instagram post, social listening data was utilized. This data estimates that a user can earn $0.004 per post per follower. This number is based on the average taken across millions of profiles audited within the social listening tool.
Featured Image: Auburn University Athletics
