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Because NIL came around in 2021, it’s impossible to quantify the potential valuations of players prior to that point. The vast majority of college football history happened before NIL came around, which means we can only speculate how valuable a player may have been in the past.

However, speculation doesn’t have to be unscientific. Using the data we have available, we can at least try to discern the NIL value of past players. That’s exactly what we’re going to do today with LSU legend Joe Burrow.

This story is only for NIL Wire All-Access subscribers. Don’t worry, though — it costs less than a cup of coffee a month to subscribe for an entire year! Just click here to sign up, and you’ll get two additional stories a week — that means more retro NIL evaluations, NIL valuation trends, and legal breakdowns.

— Cole, Justin and Collin

Retro NIL Valuation: Joe Burrow

Joe Burrow’s college football career was one of a kind. Raised in Ohio, he became a backup for Ohio State the first few years of his college career. He soon found himself buried behind J.T. Barrett in the depth chart though, and eventually future NFL first-rounder Dwayne Haskins.

Ultimately, that crowded QB room resulted in his transferring to LSU. Becoming a Tiger was the best thing that could ever happen to him, though. In 2019, he threw for over 5600 yards, 60 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. To this day, many consider it one of, if not the best QB season in college football history.

But what would Joe Burrow’s fame have translated to in NIL dollars? It’s an interesting question – and perhaps an impossible one to truly answer. Nevertheless, we attempt the impossible here at NIL Wire, so we’re going to try anyways.

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