Arguably the 2025-26 Alabama football and basketball seasons will be unprecedented. Unprecedented not just for Alabama, but for all programs navigating the tricky waters of roster management. Many programs are spending large amounts of NIL funds, while expecting an added boost of $20M-plus from the anticipated House settlement.
The combined sources of funds has led to claims that some college football teams will have player budgets as high as $40M and some men's college basketball budgets will approach $20M.
Indiana head coach (and former Alabama football assistant) Curt Cignetti recently said, "There's five or six (programs) out there that have unlimited NIL resources. It's kind of scary for everybody else. Our little pot of gold (at Indiana) is pretty nice, but we're not at $40 million. Or $30 million. Or even $25 million."
From additional sources, CBS Sports reported "... that the top spending programs in 2024 paid upwards of $30 million. Roster spending is expected to reach $40 million as college football's deepest pockets battle for elite high school and transfer portal talent. Cignetti named Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Miami, Notre Dame and Texas Tech as the sport's biggest spenders."
CBS Sports discussed the exploding player budgets in men's basketball. "One athletic director at a major college program recently told me that the most expensive college basketball roster could be $15 million-$18 million in 2025. Norlander put 10 schools in that exclusive $10 million club: Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, St. John's, and Texas Tech." Kentucky is rumored to be spending $20M on the next Wildcats basketball team, though Kentucky insiders suggest the number is somewhat less.
Alabama Football and Alabama Basketball 'Next Tier'
Financial resources for Alabama's programs is not lagging far behind, but the Crimson Tide is not in the top tier of player payroll in either football or basketball. Exact numbers are not known for Alabama, but borrowing a description from Cignetti, the Crimson Tide programs are in the "next tier" for player payroll spending. The 'next tier' may prove to be adequate for what Kalen DeBoer and Nate Oats need to compete for championships. It is a positive sign that Alabama Football was able to hold on to its entire scholarship roster in the most recent Transfer Portal cycle. Because of Alabama's style of play and development for the NBA, Nate Oats is known to have a discount when spending on players.