The Texas Longhorns are looking more and more like a powerhouse basketball program, and the athletic department is doing all of the right things to ensure that continues.
This offseason, head coach Sean Miller has praised the University for investing in the program and doing what was necessary to push the Horns to the next level.
"[Texas] is investing in our basketball program to allow us to compete for the top prize," Miller said.
In the latest numbers from the NIL Standard, specific numbers were put to that "investment," and it was exactly what teams will have to do in the modern era of college sports to reach the level of a title-contending program.
- David Punch, $4 million
- Isaiah Johnson, $3 million
- Elyjah Freeman, $1.1 million
Transfer acquisitions David Punch, Elyjah Freeman, and Isaiah Johnson are all taking home over a million dollars in NIL money. Even sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis's paycheck is near the seven-figure mark ($998,811 to be exact), and quite a few freshmen are projected to earn six figures this season.
The Longhorns are dedicated to more than just success in football
Now, the multi-million NIL deals have become commonplace in college football, but they aren't seen as often in college basketball, men's or women's. At the end of the day, not all collegiate athletic programs can afford to shell out that kind of cash to all of their sports.
However, Texas can, and Texas is.
That's huge. That is the kind of support that a program needs to succeed in the ever-changing landscape of college sports.
Recruits are looking for a team to invest in them, and these days, that comes in the form of bigger and better NIL deals.
Of course, Texas isn't the only school doing this. The Kentucky Wildcats reportedly lead the charge with a $22-million roster. The BYU Cougars, Duke Blue Devils, and Arkansas Razorbacks are also some of the teams spending eight figures, but they aren't boasting a top-tier football program alongside that.
Meanwhile, the Longhorns are setting the standard across the board, pouring money into all of their sports to cement themselves as the top athletic program in the country.
What Miller said earlier this summer about Texas allowing the team to "compete for the top prize" is what the University is doing for all of its sports.
Of course, when it comes to the Longhorns' swimming and diving, softball, and track and field teams, Texas has been doing that for years (even before NIL deals were allowed).
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