SEC Athletes Since 2016 Who Could’ve Profited the Most From NIL: Inside the SEC

Late last Friday night, after years of litigation, Judge Claudia Wilken approved the landmark House v. NCAA settlement, which will allow schools to participate in revenue sharing directly with the athletes, and there will be a salary cap system ($20.5 million to athletes) plus roster limits to college sports.

This settlement was from a branch of three lawsuits combined into one case, which addressed compensation for collegiate athletes. The results of this case also bring $2.8 billion in damages for former and current athletes since 2016 who were not able to profit from NIL, as the name, image and likeness model was created in the summer of 2021.

While the form of distribution by sport is yet to be officially determined, like today’s NIL, those in athletic programs such as football and men’s basketball will likely receive a higher paycheck than the other fields. But of course, there are outlying athletes in sports like baseball, softball, gymnastics and more that have earned far more than the average person in their sport.

These Olympians and world-class athletes since 2016 will be compensated over the next 10 years via the $2.8 billion, but how much would they have made if NIL and revenue sharing were available when they were in college?

The Southeastern Conference has produced countless national champions, world record holders and Olympic gold medalists over the last decade who never got to take full advantage of NIL. Here is one former athlete from each SEC school that could’ve profited the most off their name, image and likeness when they were in college.

Note: Oklahoma and Texas joined the SEC in 2024, but the athletes listed below from these schools were in the Big 12 at the time of their enrollment.

Alabama: DeVonta Smith

The former Crimson Tide pass-catcher became one of the all-time greats during the 2020 season as in addition to winning the CFP National Championship, he became just the fourth wide receiver in college football history to take home the Heisman Trophy. He was constantly doubted due to his slim frame, but his ability to overcome it and dominate is what sports companies salivate for.

Runner-up: Tua Tagovailoa, Brandon Miller and Collin Sexton

Arkansas: Kevin Kopps

The former Razorbacks pitcher had too many accolades to not be offered brand deals. In addition to being named the 2021 SEC Pitcher of the Year and landing on the conference’s postseason First Team, Kopps won the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy, was a Unanimous First Team All-American and was named the National Pitcher of the Year by every major organization.

Runner-up: Frank Ragnow

Auburn: Suni Lee

The former Tigers gymnast is a two-time all-around gold medalist, has a silver medal and a bronze as well. But while at Auburn, she was named the 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year, was the NCAA champion on beam, the NCAA runner-up on all-around and was the SEC champion on bars. Her immediate success certainly would’ve attracted brand deals across the globe.

Runner-up: Jabari Smith

Florida: Caeleb Dressel

And speaking of Olympic powerhouses, the former Florida swimmer has won nine gold medals between three Olympic Games. While swimming typically isn’t the most lucrative sport for NIL, companies would’ve clawed their way to Dressel in college as the 28-time All-American (the most you could possibly achieve) was a 10-time NCAA Champion and three-time SEC Swimmer of the Year.

Runner-up: Kyle Pitts

Georgia: Anthony Edwards

Aside from Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Dominique Wilkins, UGA hasn’t really produced notable NBA talent. That was until Anthony Edwards came along and his high-flying freakish athleticism helped him become the No. 1 overall pick of 2020 NBA Draft. The three-time NBA All-Star and 2024 Olympic gold medalist’s confidence with the Bulldogs would’ve been gold for the cameras.

Runner-up: Nick Chubb

Kentucky: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The 2025 NBA MVP and three-time All-NBA First Team member was quite the talent to watch at Kentucky. Despite being on a Wildcats team that had six other future NBA players, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team, the All-SEC Second Team and was named the SEC Tournament MVP. A young standout at a Blue Blood school is an automatic yes to companies.

Runner-up: Josh Hines-Allen

LSU: Joe Burrow

The former Tigers quarterback took a risk when he transferred from Ohio State after two years and his junior season at LSU wasn’t anything special. But a switch flipped in him and he had one of the greatest individual seasons of all time in 2019, as he won the CFP National Championship, the Heisman Trophy and several other awards. Burrow’s story would’ve made him millions in just that year.

Runner-up: Paul Skenes and Sha’Carri Richardson

Mississippi State: Montez Sweat

Msu Auburn montez sweat / Keith Warren, Keith Warren

After barely seeing time on the field in two years at Michigan State, the former Mississippi State edge rusher annihilated opponents during his first season with the Bulldogs. Sweat led the SEC in tackles for loss and sacks to become a First Team All-American. Sweat’s bet on himself paid off and his last name would’ve been great to profit off of for tons of different companies while in college.

Runner-up: Jeffery Simmons

Missouri: Drew Lock

The former Tigers quarterback was a four-year starter who blew up in 2017 after leading the SEC in pass attempts and yards while also being No. 1 in FBS in touchdown passes. Lock, who is just one of three Mizzou QBs to see an NFL gridiron since 2010, was known for his backpack celebration that he performed after his 44 touchdowns. He could’ve had numerous deals with backpack companies.

Runner-up: Sophie Cunningham

Ole Miss: A.J. Brown

What’s better than leading the SEC in receiving yards once? How about twice? That’s just what former Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown, who is the Rebels’ all-time receiving leader, did in 2017 and 2018. What also made Brown very marketable besides his accolades was the fact that he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2016 as an outfielder. Two-sport athletes are a gold mine for third parties.

Runner-up: D.K. Metcalf

Oklahoma: Kyler Murray

And speaking of two-sport athletes, in high school, Murray became the first player to be named Mr. Texas Football twice after winning three consecutive state championships and was also a highly touted baseball star. Murray was eventually picked No. 9 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft. But in that same year, he won the Heisman Trophy and was later selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft!

Runner-up: Baker Mayfield, Jocelyn Alo and Trae Young

South Carolina: A’ja Wilson

Wilson is another athlete who became a known name in high school, as the three-time WNBA MVP was named the National High School Player of the Year in 2014. Her college career was even more illustrious as the three-time SEC Player of the Year won the Wooden Award and Naismith Award in 2018. Simply put, Wilson had way too many accomplishments to not have endorsements.

Runner-up: Aliyah Boston

Tennessee: Grant Williams

The former Tennessee forward ruled the Southeastern Conference during his tenure as he was named the SEC Player of the Year in 2018 and 2019––the first player to win the award in back-to-back years since 1995. Williams was also a consensus First Team All-American in 2019 and his intensity and tenaciousness on both sides of the ball would certainly draw interest from a variety of brands.

Runner-up: Jalin Hyatt

Texas: Mo Bamba

The former Texas center may not be the No. 1 athlete on this list, but his last name might’ve made him the most money. Bamba grew up with rapper Sheck Wes in Harlem, N.Y., and the rapper created a song during Bamba’s freshman year called “Mo Bamba”––a worldwide phenomenon. Who knows how much money Bamba could’ve made from this and the NIL opportunities that would follow it?

Runner-up: Scottie Scheffler

Texas A&M: Myles Garrett

A lot of No. 1 overall ranked high school prospects over the years didn’t exactly pan out while others met the major expectations in the future. The former Texas A&M defensive end was certainly the latter as the four-time NFL First Team-All Pro was the unanimous No. 1 recruit in 2014 and was selected No. 1 in the 2017 NFL Draft. NIL seeks the best and he exceeded expectations at all stages.

Runner-up: De’Von Achane

Vanderbilt: JJ Bleday

Former Vanderbilt outfielder JJ Bleday had quite the 2019 campaign as he was a First Team All-American, the SEC Player of the Year and the SEC Tournament MVP. The No. 4 pick of the 2019 MLB Draft’s 27 home runs were a Vanderbilt single-season record and it also led the country. Being the star player on a College World Series championship-winning team is the golden ticket to NIL deals.

Runner-up: Darius Garland

Official Tally:

After a tremendous regular season for the conference that “just means more,” a record-breaking 13 teams from the SEC were selected to participate In the 2025 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. This is the second time this year that the Southeastern Conference broke a tournament record as men’s basketball had 14 teams featured in the NCAA Tournament.

Of those 13 baseball teams, eight of them hosted a regional––half of the 16-team and 1-seed field. This historic feat had all eyes on the SEC over the past couple of weeks, which also put a target on the conference’s back.

Simply put, SEC opponents during the regionals round hit a bullseye. Regional hosts Vanderbilt and Texas, the overall No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively, were quickly eliminated. It was just the second time ever that the No. 1 and 2 national seeds both failed to make the Super Regionals.

Only four of the 13 SEC teams advanced to the Super Regionals in the best-of-three format last week. Auburn fell to Coastal Carolina in two games, national 3-seed Arkansas defeated SEC foe and defending national champion Tennessee in the same fashion and 6-seed LSU cruised past West Virginia 2-0 as well.

In short, of the 13 SEC teams who made the regionals round, only Arkansas and LSU advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, along with six other teams. The eight Super Regional winners are split into two double-elimination brackets with four teams in each. Here’s a look at the first matchups for each bracket, as the two SEC programs will face off right away.

Following the House v. NCAA Settlement, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua met with United States President Donald Trump on Sunday at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J. to discuss the impacts of the historic court case.

“I’ve always appreciated his interest in college sports,” Sankey said on Monday, per Matt Fortuna on X (formerly known as Twitter). “We’ve hosted him at some of our games. … It was helpful for me and for Pete as well to hear his thought and his perspective and share some of ours. I think those are best left for the moment on the golf course.”

Sankey went on The Paul Finebaum Show on Monday and discussed the meeting.

Inside the SEC will appear every Wednesday.