Alabama Football's 2025-26, 105 scholarship payroll and keeping up with Ohio State and Oregon

How much will Alabama Football and the other top SEC programs pay for players in the 2025-26 year? Some estimates are that SEC programs will average spending $12M to $15M per year. Brian Kelly recently projected that the LSU football player budget would be between $14M and $17M.

Ohio State Athletic Director, Ross Bjork told Ross Dellenger that in the past year, the Ohio State football player budget was around $20M. Dellenger speculated that amount probably topped all other college football programs. 'Probably' is the important word in Dellenger's observation. That is because no one knows how large the coffers are for some programs. Commenting on Oregon's resources during SEC Media Days, Kirby Smart said, "I wish I could get some of that NIL money that he’s sharing with Dan Lanning." The 'he' is, of course, Oregon's mega-benefactor, Phil Knight.

As discussed in a previous post, future player payroll distributions could be impacted by Title IX requirements. If that is not an issue, most FBS athletic departments are expected to spend around 70% of their player budget on football players.

When the new revenue-sharing program goes into effect for 2025-26, it is speculated that NIL funds will be added as 'sweeteners' to player payouts. There will be nothing close to parity in NIL resources.

The revenue-sharing calculation included in the anti-trust settlement calculates a percentage of revenues. It was initially estimated to be $20-$22M annually. Some recent projections estimated the number will be closer to $24M.

What can Alabama Football afford to spend?

Alabama does not have a Phil Knight. Funding the new college football model is harder for Alabama than it will be for Ohio State, Oregon, and a few other programs. Announced on Wednesday is that college football teams will be restricted to a 105-player roster. All scholarships awarded must be full ones. So starting next season, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program can have 105 scholarship players.

Other Alabama sports that used partial scholarships in the past will require more funds. Baseball is the best example because all 34 players will be on full scholarships. Nate Oats will likely need more funds given the Crimson Tide's national profile and expanding interest from elite prospects.

Will Alabama Football and Alabama Basketball have a discount similar to the one long held by Nick Saban? There are solid indications that Nate Oats' style of play and pipeline to the NBA has given him one. Has Kalen DeBoer's inherited Saban's discount, driven Alabama's success in developing players for the NFL?

Alabama and every other school must make smart and possibly tough decisions. At the least, there is no reason to expect Kalen DeBoer's and Nate Oats' programs will be at a financial disadvantage.