NCAA Basketball: Top 25 offseason winners entering 2024-25 season

No. 18 - Coleman Hawkins and Great Osobor: Hefty NIL deals

If one thing is not in question, it’s the fact that the NIL era of college sports offers big-time paydays for athletes looking to find a new home. Coleman Hawkins and Great Osobor can attest to that.

Osobor, the reigning 2023-2024 MWC POY, was the spark for Utah State’s 28-win season, reaching the Round of 32 in Danny Sprinkle’s first season in Logan. With Sprinkle off the Big Ten ranks at Washington, Osobor -- among the top players in the portal --  followed suit, reportedly landing a record-setting $2 million NIL deal in the process. According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, the deal was the highest-known NIL valuation in the entire sport.

Nearly a month later, Coleman Hawkins found himself in the same boat. After withdrawing from the 2024 NBA Draft, Hawkins immediately became the most sought-after talent from the portal. The 6-foot-10 stretch four committed to Kansas State in mid-June. He landed an NIL deal north of $2 million, according to Matt Norlander, CBS Sports.

For Great Osobor and Coleman Hawkins, landing monumental NIL deals in the $2 million range is quite a hefty sum, making them among the top offseason winners as the 2024-25 season quickly approaches.