When the 1-2 Florida Gators visit Hard Rock Stadium to take on the undefeated (3-0) Miami Hurricanes for a nationally televised showdown Saturday night, statewide bragging rights will be at stake, and so will, quite possibly, Gators head coach Billy Napier’s job.
But there will be another competition very much on the mind of Miami’s fifth-year senior transfer quarterback Carson Beck. After three stellar performances to start the season, most notably a season-opening 27-24 win over Notre Dame that saw Beck throw for two touchdowns and 205 yards without an interception, Beck has experienced an uptick in his NIL valuation.
He is now closing in on the Texas Longhorns’ heavily hyped Arch Manning, who has seen his cash value dip with a series of largely unimpressive outings to start the 2025 campaign.
Beck Ranks No. 2 in NIL Valuation
Beck is ranked No. 2 overall behind Manning in NIL valuation, according to the site On3 which estimates the value of individual players’ NIL packages.
Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway ranks 17th at $2.2 million.
NIL, or “name, image and likeness” is the way college players get paid since a 2021 United States Supreme Court decision opened the door for the previously “amateur” student-athletes to receive financial compensation for representing their schools on the athletic field.
Beck Sees Cash Value Jump $600K in 3 Weeks
When Beck transferred to Miami from Georgia after last season, his NIL valuation â an estimate of the total package of endorsement payments and payouts from a school’s pooled NIL cash â was $4.3 million.
But after Beck led Miami to its eye-opening win over the Fighting Irish, then followed up with a 45-3 destruction of the overmatched Bethune-Cookman Wildcats â in which Beck topped Vinny Testaverde’s 39-year-old Hurricanes record for consecutive pass completions with 15 â On3 added about nine percent to Beck’s financial value.
But Beck did not stop there, at $4.7 million. With Miami’s 49-12 stomping of USF â a team that upset then-13th ranked Florida 18-16 in Week Two â Beck rose to become in the eyes of some college football experts the Heisman Trophy favorite and potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick in 2026.
In those two categories, if indeed Beck is now the favorite, he surpasses Manning â and also comes closer to Manning in the NIL valuation race. On3 now lists Beck’s value at $4.9 million.
Manning Needs Stellar Performance Against Sam Houston
Manning, the nephew of former NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, started the season valued at $6.3 million. But after a disappointing loss to Ohio State to start the season, and a couple of underwhelming outings against outclassed opponents San Jose State and Texas-El Paso, Manning has watched almost a million dollars in NIL value simply evaporate.
He now stands at $5.5 million, according to On3. But Manning will get another chance to raise that number when the Longhorns take on another mismatched foe in the Sam Houston Bearkats on Saturday.
While Beck still has a $600,000 gap to close, a solid performance against Florida, who face Texas next on October 4, could narrow the distance between him and Manning in the race for richest player in college football â at least according to the On3 estimates.
Beck already has two national championship trophies on his mantelpiece, from Georgia in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. But the Jacksonville, Florida, native could put Miami in title contention with a win over Florida and a 4-0 start to the season.
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