This is how much money USC’S JuJu Watkins makes in NIL deals

The Women’s NCAA Tournament starts on Friday and one of the top teams in the tourney is led by one of the game’s biggest stars. The USC Trojans are a one seed in the Big Dance and Juju Watson is a big reason why.

Watkins named Big Ten PTOY

Watkins had a break out freshman year scoring 27.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists and was in the conversation with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for best player in the nation. This year she has the Trojans as a one seed in the tournament after a 28-3 regular season and a Big Ten regular season championship.

She was named the Big Ten Player of the Year after the regular season, and she comes into the Big Dance averaging 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Watkins has become a star not just in Los Angeles, but around the country and the women’s game continues to grow more popular by the year.

With that popularity and with that stardom comes cash. It’s a new day in the NCAA, and student athletes have been getting compensation for their Name, Image and Likeness rights (NIL) since 2021.

Over 20 NIL deals for Watkins

Being in a big market and playing at a historic school like USC, Watkins was always going to be a top target for companies looking to strike and NIL deals. More than a few worldwide brands came knocking at the door. She has deals with more than 20 companies, and those rake her in a total of $765,000 according to On3.

That puts Watkins ninth on the earnings list on the On3 Women’s NIL 100. In her time in Southern California, she has reached terms with international brands like Estée Lauder, Nike, Gatorade, Degree deodorant, and United Airlines among others.

Watkins is a sophomore in college and had two years of eligibility left after this one, if she chooses to stay around instead of going to the WNBA. In the WNBA, the top four picks in the Draft are projected to make less than $80,000 next year, which is drastically less than Watkins would make next year in LA playing with the Trojans.

The Trojans play the University of North Carolina Greensboro at 3 p.m. ET to start their tournament campaign. They have won the title twice before, when they were lead by Cynthia Cooper who was the Juju Watkins of Souther California long before Juju or NIL existed.