NIL collectives are an essential component of college football programs, not only for high school recruiting, but for year-to-year roster retention. Which players on the current USC Trojans roster are the highest earners in name, image, and likeness?
USC coach Lincoln Riley spoke before the season about improving the programs NIL to compete for high-profile talent.
“I’ve talked a lot about our NIL and how it’s evolved,” Riley said in August. “Certainly, we’re able to be more aggressive with high school guys than we’ve ever been with it. And a lot of that’s because our NIL has gotten a whole lot better. House of Victory and all those have done a phenomenal job."
That approach helped the Trojans land Edna Karr (LA) five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart over in-state LSU in the 2025 recruiting cycle. USC offered the blue-chip recruit a $2 million per season NIL deal to come out west. With players like receivers Zachariah Branch and Duce Robinson and quarterback Miller Moss leaving via the transfer portal, the incoming freshman is more than likely the Trojans top earner in 2025.
Corona Centennial (CA) five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet, the other gem of the Trojans most recent recruiting class has an NIL Valuation of $897,000 according to On3 and returning quarterback Jayden Maiava has an NIL Valuation of $604,000. Certainly, those numbers could quickly rise with being the starting quarterback for the University of Southern California.
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Safety Kamari Ramsey is estimated at $375,000. The Trojans star defensive back elected to forgo the 2025 NFL Draft and return to school for another season. Receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon are estimated at $240,000 and $223,000 respectively. Lane has partnered with Hollister, a clothing company and Lemon has partnered with Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Water, a bottled water company. After sensational sophomore seasons, Lane and Lemon are certainly two names that could see their potential NIL value skyrocket in the offseason.
Other players on the Trojans roster that are returning next season and have an NIL Valuation of over $200,000 include cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson, defensive end Anthony Lucas, tight end Lake McRee, defensive end Braylan Shelby, receiver Jaden Richardson, linebacker Eric Gentry, offensive tackle Elijah Paige and guard Alani Noa.
“Everybody is having to determine where they place value — on certain positions, on certain people,” Riley said in December. “That’s just the nature of it. The NFL has been doing it forever. You see the discussion on how much you pay a starting quarterback in the NFL. How much is a running back worth? How much is a receiver worth? If a guy has this type of production, then what percentage of a salary cap does that entitle him to? Or does that make sense for the program to be able to give to them? It’s very cut and dry. It's very production based.”
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Kendell Hollowell, a Southern California native has been been covering collegiate athletics since 2020 via radio and digital journalism. His experience includes covering programs such as the USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kendell He also works in TV production for the NFL Network. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kendell was a collegiate athlete on the University of Wyoming and Adams State football team. He is committed to bringing in-depth insight and analysis for USC athletics.
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