Examining 2023 Ohio State running back NIL valuations
The summer offseason is in full swing, and Lettermen Row is trying to survive it with our annual Position Week breakdowns. By the time all nine units and coaching staff at Ohio State have been covered, training camp and media days will nearly have arrived, and the return of football in the Horseshoe will be just around the corner. We’re continuing our positional weeks with a group that’s full of talent and potential: running back.
COLUMBUS — Having more mouths to feed in the backfield is far from an issue for Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford. Actually, he sees it as a gift.
“The more the merrier,” Alford said last week ahead of summer workouts. “It’s like a kid at Christmas — the more presents you got, the better, right?”
Ohio State returned five scholarship running backs this offseason, including its 2021 leading rusher, TreVeyon Henderson, and its 2022 leading rusher, Miyan Williams, both of whom were hampered by injuries last season.
Henderson was playing on a fractured sesamoid bone in his foot from Week 3 on and missed four of the final five games. Williams missed the Michigan State game with a knee injury, left the Penn State matchup early with a hand injury and then was out 1.5 games with an apparent lower-leg injury he suffered against Indiana. He then rushed just eight times versus Michigan and three times against Georgia in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal.
That meant Dallan Hayden was thrust into action during his first year of action more than anyone expected. Hayden, who arrived on campus this time a year ago, saved the Buckeyes’ season five months later at Maryland, where he fueled a second-half comeback with 26 carries, 143 yards and three touchdowns in the final two quarters.
“You could be up at any time,” Alford said. “If you asked Dallan Hayden when he came in here [last] June, he probably didn’t think he was going to play very much, with the guys that were ahead of him. And, lo and behold, there he is in critical situations playing in the game.”
Chip Trayanum came through for Ohio State the following week. Trayanum switched to linebacker last offseason after transferring in from Arizona State. But the Akron native returned to running back out of necessity, and he never looked back. Trayanum cemented himself in the Buckeyes’ backfield with a 14-carry, 83-yard performance against Michigan.
Alford added: “We needed every bit of depth that we could have last year, and hopefully that doesn’t repeat itself. But it’s always good to have depth. And competition makes everybody rise. So I think it’s a good situation to be in.”
With Henderson and Williams healthy again, Ohio State could have a 1-2 punch similar to its 2018 team, which featured J.K. Dobbins eclipsing 1,000 yards on the ground, and Mike Weber finishing not too far behind with 954 rushing yards. Except, as Alford pointed out, the Buckeyes have more viable running backs now compared that season.
He noted that a deep room gives Ohio State a “full array” of its playbook.
It also opens the door to more opportunities for Buckeyes players at the position who are trying to make their mark. In turn, that could result in more chances for those student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL).
And so, while Lettermen Row is in the middle of our “Running Backs Week,” we decided to break down the current NIL valuations of the Buckeyes’ current tailbacks.
Note: All values are based on the On3 NIL Valuation, the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college-level athletes.
Buckeyes running backs NIL evaluation
On3 Industry Ranking (2021 Recruiting Class): No. 19 nationally, No. 1 RB, No. 1 Virginia
NIL Valuation: Henderson has a current value of $798K. That puts him at 30th among all college football players in NIL valuation, according to On3. The only Ohio State players ahead of him in that department are wide recievers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka as well as defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau. Henderson has approximately 76,000 followers on Instagram and 52,000 followers on Twitter. He has NIL deals with Klarna, GenWealthOne and The City Apartments.
On3 Industry Ranking (2020 Recruiting Class): No. 678 nationally, No. 66 RB, No. 20 Ohio
NIL Valuation: Williams has a current value of $759K. He’s five spots behind Henderson, or 35th, on the national NIL valuation ranking for all college football players, according to On3. Williams has approximately 36,000 Instagram followers, 24,000 Twitter followers and 2,300 TikTok followers. He had partnerships with MoneyLion and Kane Footwear, plus he was in a commercial for Cincinnati’s Kingdom Family Dentistry last year. This year, he already has deals with The Foundation — which announced a merger with fellow Ohio State collective The O Foundation back in February — and the NIL agency Limitless.
On3 Industry Ranking (2022 Recruiting Class): No. 246 nationally, No. 19 RB, No. 7 Tennessee
NIL Valuation: Hayden has a current value of $88K. He ranks 829th among all college football players in NIL valuation, according to On3. Hayden has approximately 14,600 Instagram followers, 7,200 Twitter followers and 1,100 TikTok followers. Now on the map, his NIL valuation has grown by 97% over the last 10 weeks, according to On3. Hayden could have some nice deals on the horizon if he can find a way to build on what he started last year.
On3 Industry Ranking (2020 Recruiting Class): No. 285 nationally, No. 28 RB, No. 5 Ohio
NIL Valuation: Trayanum has a current value of $86K. That puts him at 861st among all college football players in NIL valuation, according to On3. Trayanum has approximately 13,100 Instagram followers and 5,500 Twitter followers. Similar to Hayden, Trayanum’s NIL valuation has taken off this offseason, growing by 102% to be exact, over the last 10 weeks, according to On3. He has a deal with Cameo that he first signed back in 2021 when he was at Arizona State.
On3 Industry Ranking (2021 Recruiting Class): No. 92 nationally, No. 6 RB, No. 5 North Carolina
NIL Valuation: Pryor has a current value of $89K. He’s 810th among all college football players in NIL valuation, according to On3. Pryor has approximately 15,600 Instagram followers and 7,600 Twitter followers. He missed last season with an ACL tear, but if he can bounce back and find a way onto the field this season, expect that valuation to increase.
The post Examining 2023 Ohio State running back NIL valuations appeared first on On3.
