Texas Coach Sean Miller Becomes Latest to Sound Off on College Basketball Roster Spend

Texas coach Sean Miller arrived in Austin and was tasked with rebuilding the Longhorns’ men’s basketball program and helping them reach March success.

Year 1 went well for Miller & Co., as he was able to hit the ground running and prove Texas to be a competitive team in the SEC. The Longhorns had their ups and downs, but the end result was promising. Texas snuck into the NCAA tournament field as one of the last teams in, won its First Four game against NC State and then proceeded to beat BYU and Gonzaga to advance to the Sweet 16, where its season ended in a two-point loss to Purdue.

While Miller should be pleased with the program’s first-year progress, he knows that it will take a continued investment from the university to reach the school’s goal of winning a national title on the hardwood.

It’s an arms race financially, one that Texas is certainly positioned to be competitive in. While Miller didn’t reveal the school’s roster spend for next season, he was asked by Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster of the Field of 68 for an estimate of how many schools would reach the $20 million-mark for player salaries.

“I would say that I pay close attention to the SEC and you know, I think we competed at a very high level. The University of Texas is investing in our basketball program to allow us to compete for the top prize and I think we’re in the company of about seven or eight, where guys are really along the same lines as us. But…educated guess? Sometimes you don’t have all the information. I would say 20 to 25 [teams].”

How many 20+ million dollar rosters are there in college basketball this offseason? Sean Miller's perspective:

"Educated guess? Sometimes you don't have all the information... I would say 20-25." 👀

🎥: https://t.co/kRYnhn5fpC pic.twitter.com/nG8CMfoVOg
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) May 4, 2026

That number could be a little high, or it could be right on the money—both literally and figuratively. Regardless, the key for programs around college basketball might not just be how much is being spent, but how efficient is the spend, especially at the top of the sport where the roster money at play is likely very similar from school-to-school.

Whoever gets the most value for its money among the blue bloods will likely be the ones competing year-in and year-out.

Michigan’s Dusty May believes it will take more than $10 million to contend for another national championship

Michigan coach Dusty May during a press conference ahead of the Final Four. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Michigan was the class of college basketball last season, as second-year coach Dusty May took a star-studded roster all the way to the national title game, where the school won its first men’s basketball championship since 1989.

In order to do it again (or at the very least compete), May believes it will take more than $10 million.

“We anticipate it to be much greater [than $10 million] next year because of the job our players did this past season,” May told Front Office Sports. “We’re very grateful, myself as a coach, our assistant coaches and players, for all of those that laid the foundation for the sport to be in the place it is now. And our job is to leave it in a better place than we found it.”

While May acknowledged the rising roster cost, the NIL opportunities that his players earned were a byproduct of the success they were having on the floor.

“Our guys have been able to generate a lot of revenue outside of what they were contracted for throughout the season, postseason,” May added. “The autograph signings, the restaurants, the hotels that are basically hiring our guys like they formerly did coaches. So yeah, that number has actually increased. …If you have to pay—let’s factor in the scholarship and operating budget of our team—and then you have to pay them a salary of call it $10 million, that’s a pretty good return,” May added.

Next season’s Kentucky roster will not be expensive as the one that underachieved this year

Kentucky’s roster this past season fell in the $20-$22 million range, according to multiple reports. The Wildcats lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and the disappointing season relative to amount of money spent is the main reason why Mark Pope’s seat in Lexington is very hot heading into the 2026–’27 campaign.

One thing’s for certain: Kentucky’s roster won’t be nearly as expensive next season. Wildcats legend Goose Givens says that donors won’t be issuing blank checks this offseason like they’ve done in the past.

“I know for a fact that the money Kentucky spent over the summer this past summer is not going to be there. It’s definitely not going to be there next year. So you’re going to have to really become a coaching staff that convinces players to come be a part of this without the big dollars that you’ve had in the past because that’s not going to be there,” Givens said, per KSR.

Kentucky’s lack of success in the portal is likely indicative of the wallet being not quite as full as it has been in the past. The Wildcats swung and missed on several recruiting targets—both at the high school level and in the portal. The most recent whiff was the top prospect in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, who committed to Kansas last week.

The Wildcats have four portal commits, including Washington State’s Jerone Morton, James Madison’s Justin McBride, Furman’s Alex Wilkins and Washington’s Zoom Diallo. Diallo is the best of the bunch, but the commitments came for Kentucky late in the portal after several failed pursuits.

If Pope can overachieve with a roster with lowered expectations, he may earn himself a fourth season at Kentucky—and perhaps be rewarded with more money to spend.

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