In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald discusses which college basketball players could profit the most from NIL going into effect, along with his 2022 Commit of the Week and an major player who entered the transfer portal.
*****
RELATED: Five of the most marketable young prospects
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
STARTING FIVE: Five college players that will profit from NIL
The talk of college athletics this week has been the new legislation regarding student athletes making money off their own name, image and likeness starting on July 1. If you follow any of the higher-profile college athletes on social media, you’ve probably already seen them taking advantage of the new opportunity to make money by promoting different brands.
With that in mind, who are some players I could see making good money this year in college basketball?
1. Let’s start with Gonzaga freshman forward Chet Holmgren. He comes into college with a machine behind him as the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 class, along with a few appearances on ESPN during his senior year of high school. He’ll be playing for the No. 1 team in the country in the preseason rankings, which will only help his brand, and his 278,000 Instagram followers will be attractive.
2. UCLA is coming off a Final Four and has a roster ready to make another run this season, led by point guard Tyger Campbell. Playing in Los Angeles will certainly help his opportunities to capitalize on the rule as will his 54,000 followers on Instagram. Let’s also not forget that his hair could help him earn deals to promote hair products.
3. Like Holmgren, Duke freshman forward Paolo Banchero comes into college as one of the highest-ranked prospects in the 2021 class. Playing for Coach K in his final season before retiring on a Blue Devil team that should have a chance to be a top 10 team at some point will certainly give him options. He also brings 75,800 Instagram followers to the table.
4. It’d be hard to do this list and not include someone from Kentucky, given how much support there is in Big Blue Nation. Kellan Grady transfers in with only 13,500 followers on Instagram, but his profile should get bigger and bigger as he has a great season for the Wildcats.
5. Alabama freshman guard JD Davison arrives in Tuscaloosa with 349,000 followers to his name already. That, combined with his ability to make highlight reel plays and his terrific hair, gives him a real opportunity to cash in this year with the Crimson Tide.
*****
TRANSFER OF THE WEEK: Kofi Cockburn goes into the portal
With no significant transfer news in the past week, let’s look at a potential transfer to watch in the near future. Illinois sophomore center Kofi Cockburn entered the NBA Draft last month, but he also entered his name into the transfer portal on Thursday to give himself the opportunity to play elsewhere next season if he decides to return to college. If he does come back to college, it’s hard to imagine he would end up anywhere other than Kentucky. Two of his former assistant coaches at Illinois with whom he had a strong relationships with left for Kentucky. It’s definitely a situation to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
*****
2022 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Justin Taylor to Syracuse
Syracuse secured a significant commitment in the 2022 class this week with four-star small forward Justin Taylor giving the Orange good news. The Virginia native chose Syracuse after also considering Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The opportunity to play in a similar way to how Jim Boeheim has used his son Buddy Boeheim was a strong factor in Taylor choosing the Orange.
