The Oregon Ducks have thrived in this Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) day of age in college athletics, specifically college football . That's thanks to the continuous, considerate contributions of Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike.
According to On3, returning Oregon redshirt junior quarterback Dante Moore's NIL valuation is the highest on coach Dan Lanning's roster at $3 million, which is ranked No. 7 amongst all the NCAA programs. He has a roster value of $2.8 million.
What is an NIL valuation? It's described as an estimation of how much a specific college sports player’s NIL is worth at a given point in time. It's not the actual dollar amount that an athlete is making.
As for roster value, that refers to the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives such as the Ducks' Division Street. It's the primary factor influencing most players’ NIL valuation.
Following Moore, redshirt wide receiver Evan Stewart has the second-highest NIL valuation/roster value on the 2026 Oregon roster at $1.5 million (ranked No. 42 in the country), but a $633K roster value. He's looking to bounce back from a significant right patellar tendon tear that kept him out of the entire 2025 season.
Nebraska Cornhuskers junior quarterback transfer Dylan Raiola follows with a $1.3 million NIL valuation and roster value for his first season inside Autzen Stadium. He plans to be the backup for Moore under first-year offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer.
After Raiola, redshirt senior defensive lineman Bear Alexander is right behind him. With the announced return of Alexander for next season, his NIL valuation has jumped all the way up to $1.2 million and a similar roster value of $1.2 million. That places him at No. 68 in the sport.
Here is how the rest of the top-10 NIL valuations and roster value numbers look for the Ducks heading into the 2026 season in Eugene, Oregon.
Close by at No. 11 is the Minnesota Golden Gophers junior safety transfer Koi Perich with a $586K NIL valuation and $562K roster value.
Oregon's top-10 NIL valuations signal a new era for the Ducks as underclassmen like Dakorien Moore, and Brandon Finney Jr. rise up. Also, offensive playmakers Stewart and Johnson jump into the top-10 with expected larger roles in 2026.
The top-three NIL valuations/roster values in all of college football come from Texas Longhorns senior quarterback Arch Manning ($5.4 million/$2.9 million), Ohio State Buckeyes junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ($4.2 million/$3.2 million), and former Arizona State Sun Devil turned LSU Tigers redshirt junior quarterback Sam Leavitt ($4 million/$3.9 million).
Leavitt will be the first man under center in the coach Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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