Does Alabama Basketball have the cash to compete in NIL deals? The short answer is yes and no. The Crimson Tide is far from being a poverty program. At the same time, a growing number of programs are offering deals at levels the Crimson Tide cannot match.
Numbers on the actual cost of college basketball NIL deals are fuzzy. It is believed that Mark Sears earned less than $1M for the past season. BY comparison, Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier is believed to have been paid $1.8M.
And for the 2025-26 college basketball season, the price of poker is going up.
South Carolina coach Lamont Paris recently said, "Collin Murray-Boyles got an offer for $2.5 million from another SEC team that was playing in the NCAA Tournament." Kentucky fansite A Sea of Blue believes Mark Pope will be working with an $8-10M budget for next season.
The best source for real numbers in NIL deals is On3's Pete Nakos. Nakos gains information from sources he cannot disclose, but are actual insiders he believes provide credible information.
The Alabama basketball program does get outbid. Athletic Director Greg Byrne explained that Alabama will not add as many scholarships as possible with increased roster limits, saying Alabama is "not as flush" as other schools. He specifically mentioned Texas.
Alabama Basketball and Nate Oats Discount
It is believed that Alabama has a 'Nate Oats discount' with his NBA-style offense that elite players prefer. But money often talks louder. Alabama could not come close to matching the reported $3.7M price tag BYU paid for AJ Dybantsa. Dybantsa's financial package has been estimated at a total of around $7M, but his expected one-season career in college basketball means BYU will not have to pay the full amount. Even at $3.7M, the price was too high for Alabama. Alabama basketball insiders believe Nate Oats has around $5M to spend. According to Pete Nakos, "Big East programs are closing in on $6 to $8 million budgets." Nakos stated several transfer players have closed $2M deals, with the possibility that a player deal can go as high as $3M.
Pete Nakos reported Louisville's player budget is $8-10M. The Cardinals and the Crimson Tide pursued Kennesaw State transfer, Adrien Wooley. Nate Oats had an inside track to land Wooley, but he chose Louisville instead, in a decision that must have come down to Alabama getting outbid.
In the NIL era, there have been indications that Alabama Basketball and Alabama Football pursue players for whom fast cash is not the primary decision point. Spending money unwisely is worse than having less money to spend than some other programs. Team cohesion can suffer from rosters top-heavy in cash to a small percentage of players.
The situation is not gloom and doom for Alabama Basketball. Nate Oats will build a new roster with enough talent to go deep into next season's NCAA Tournament. Alabama has an advantage because Alabama Crimson Tide assistant coach, Preston Murphy, is a recruiting wizard.