Y'all Saw The Numbers On TikTok? Let's Talk About It.

Okay, okay, okay — thank you for all the love on TikTok, y'all! I see you. I see the comments, I see the shares, and I see y'all's jaws hitting the floor over these basketball numbers. And listen, I told you I'd break it down further, so grab your chocolate, get comfortable, because we finishing this conversation right here.

And I'm a say it now so nobody comes for me later: that basketball money is just the appetizer. Football is the main course, and it is a whole 'nother conversation. We getting to both.

The Basketball Tiers — Real Numbers, Real Talk

Here's what's got everybody buzzing. Freshman AJ Dybantsa, who just led the entire country in scoring at BYU, is sitting at a reported NIL valuation of $4.2 million — and that's before he's even played a full season at the next level. Right behind him, you got Texas Tech's JT Toppin at $4 million, and Duke's Cameron Boozer coming in around $2.2 million.

And this isn't just a men's game thing, mamas. On the women's side, LSU's Flau'jae Johnson has more than 20 active brand deals and has disclosed her total arrangements sit around $4.5 million. That's a whole business, y'all. That's not a "college athlete side hustle," that's a corporation.

Now here's the tier breakdown so you understand where your baby might realistically fit:

• Tier 1 — The Superstars: $2 million and up. This is Dybantsa, Toppin, Boozer, Flau'jae territory. These kids came in as five-star recruits with massive social followings, or they're proven, dominant transfer portal pieces.

• Tier 2 — The Rising Names: Mid six figures to low seven figures. Strong role players, breakout sophomores, kids who are productive AND building a brand off the court.

• Tier 3 — The Everyday Grinders: This is where most Division I roster spots actually live — smaller deals, local business partnerships, social media sponsorships. Still real money, still worth negotiating for, but it is NOT the $4 million headline.

And that's important, mamas. Because when your baby sees these numbers on TikTok, they think that's the floor. It's not. It's the ceiling. Most kids are living in Tier 3, and there is nothing wrong with that — that's still money that used to not exist five years ago.

Now Let's Talk Football, Because Baby, It's Different

I said basketball was the appetizer. Here's the main course.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning is currently the highest valued college athlete in ANY sport, with an On3 NIL valuation of $5.4 million — and that number actually peaked at $6.8 million the year before. Right behind him, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is sitting at $4.2 million, and get this — he reportedly turned down an offer described as "over $10 million, easy" to transfer schools, and he stayed put anyway. LSU's Sam Leavitt jumped to a reported $4 million valuation after his transfer, and Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby locked in a transfer deal worth close to $6 million.

You hear that? A high school kid's decision on where to play football is now a multimillion-dollar business decision, not just a scholarship offer. The whole game changed.

Here's why football money runs bigger, in plain terms:

1. Roster size. Football teams carry over 100 players. More jersey numbers, more positions, more collective money moving around.

2. TV money. Football drives the lion's share of conference television deals, so schools and collectives have deeper pockets to spend.

3. Quarterback premium. Eight of the top ten college football earners this season are quarterbacks. The position itself commands a premium because one good signal-caller can turn a program's whole season — and recruiting class — around.

What This Means For YOUR Athlete

Now don't let these numbers get y'all's family off track. Here's my real talk:

These are outlier numbers. Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith, AJ Dybantsa — these are once-in-a-generation names with once-in-a-generation followings before they even signed. That is not the baseline expectation for your son or daughter, and any recruiter or "advisor" who tells your family to expect that kind of number off the jump is trying to get in your pocket, not build your child's future.

What IS realistic — and what I help families do every single day — is understanding:

• How your athlete's actual production, position, and market translate into a fair NIL number

• How to read a collective deal versus a straight sponsorship deal

• How the transfer portal factors into leverage — and when it helps versus when it hurts

• How to protect your baby from bad advisors chasing a commission off your child's name

That's the whole reason MamaHen exists. Thirty-plus years as a coach's wife, an AAU mom, and now an NFL mom — I've watched this system from every angle, and I built this community so no family has to walk into these conversations blind.

Come Talk To Me

I want to hear what y'all saw on TikTok that shocked you the most. Drop it in the comments, or better yet — come catch me live and let's talk numbers, tiers, and what it actually means for your household.

Visit MamaHen.org to book a consultation, join the community, and get connected with a mama who's already walked this road.

We rest so we can show up for each other stronger. Let's go get this scholarship money — and this NIL money — together.