5 College Football Cards With High Upside
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Since the kickoff of the 2023 College Football Season, you probably noticed amazing upsets with individual performances like that of Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (son of Deion “aka Coach Prime”), who had 510 passing yards with 4 TDs in a 45-42 win at No. 17 ranked TCU.
You’ve probably also noticed slight nuances in advertising during commercial breaks, like Sanders and his brother Shilo (a DB for Colorado), starring in KFC ads with their father, as well as defending Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams being featured in TV ads for Wendy’s and Dr. Pepper. This is due to NIL, “Name, Image, Likeness” rules, allowing collegiate players to sign individual contracts with brands.
This has also started to affect the sports card world heavily as well, with players like Arch Manning and Marvin Harrison Jr. signing deals with card companies like Panini and Super Glow, respectively. What once was a Bowman Chrome University-focused world has now expanded, and we take a look at our Top 5 college football cards with upside.
Caleb Williams: 2022 Bowman Chrome University Prospect Auto
Williams is one of our favorite picks for a clearcut moneymaker. In a quarterback-heavy class, he leads the pack for draft projection placement and is currently projected to go No. 1 in the 2024 NFL Draft. His 2022 Bowman Chrome University Prospect Auto last sold for $650, and is up a healthy 53% over the last 90 days.
We would like to note however that the card hasn’t been traded at a high frequency, so this price increase doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve missed your buying window for Williams. We’re using the NFL Draft as our sell marker, as once the talented gunslinger goes No. 1 we expect his cards to see a substantial jump.
Marvin Harrison Jr: 2022 Super Glow
Being the son of NFL receiving legend Marvin Harrison, Marvin Harrison Jr. carries an extra layer of hype heading into the season. Standing 6-foot-4, the Ohio State Buckeye has NFL-ready size and is currently a lottery pick in many mock drafts.
In Week 1, Harrison Jr. tallied just two catches for 18 yards in a disappointing offensive performance (stats that would have been much better had he not stepped out of bounds on a TD catch), but this could actually be beneficial for sports card traders looking to pick him up. Harrison Jr’s only real card available to pick up is his 2022 Super Glow, which does offer several parallel options to accommodate different budgets, as well as some autos.
Note: Harrison is scheduled to have 1st prospect autos in 2023 Bowman University Chrome, which means these Super Glow autos have a shorter runway than originally expected.
Arch Manning: 2023 Panini Prizm
Prizm recently dropped Arch Manning’s first licensed prints, giving flippers an awesome money making opportunity. Manning was previously ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in his entire high school class, and while he currently sits as the 3rd-string quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, Manning has a large runway over the next couple of years to create moments and markers for investors to capitalize on.
If you’re able to pick up his Prizm Base Raw for around $20 to $30 and get it sent to PSA, you could see relatively easy profit. There are also many parallels, serial-numbered versions and autos for those willing to spend top dollar on Peyton and Eli’s nephew.
Drew Allar: 2022 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar got off to a hot start in the 2023 season, completing over 70% of his passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Allar has the physical makeup of an NFL-styled pocket passer, standing 6-foot-5 and over 240 lbs.
Allar has been placed in a system that has touted several successful QB-focused offenses under offensive coordinator Mike Yurich, and we expect the talented sophomore to continue to excel and climb the nation’s quarterback rankings as the year continues. His Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto’s in PSA 10 are trading around the $200 mark, a number that could climb over the coming weeks.
Bo Nix: 2021 Bowman Chrome University 1st Prospect Auto – Refractor
While Bo Nix had both a disappointing end to his Auburn Tiger career and start to his Oregon Duck career, he quickly turned the tides finishing his 2022 season at Oregon with over 3,500 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes. Nix continued his strong play in Week 1 of the 2023 season, completing 85% of his throws while throwing for three scores with no interceptions.
Nix has shown increased comfort in the Duck’s system each game he’s put the jersey on, and if Oregon can improve on last year’s 10-win season, Nix should climb the ranks of the Heisman list where he currently sits 6th at +1800. His 2021 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Refractor in PSA 10 can be picked up for less than $150, which could be looked at as an absolute steal mid/late-season if Nix continues to tear defenses apart.
What’s very interesting about Nix, is that while his 2021 1st Bowman’s are unlicensed with his Auburn uniform clearly photoshopped, his 2022 Bowman Chrome University Prospect cards and autos are licensed, with him in his Oregon uniform, and are much more well designed cards. So we have a classic “1st non-licensed vs. second-year licensed” situation with Nix — something that will be very interesting to watch play out.
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Paul Hickey is a regular contributor to Sports Card Investor, the creator of the Sports Card Investment Report at NoOffseason.com, and the host of the Sports Card Strategy Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. He can be found on Instagram at @sportscardstrategy and on Twitter @nooffseasoncard.
