Kelvin Sampson Delivers Fiery Statement About NIL Landscape
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The Houston Cougars are now atop the Big 12 Conference following their most recent win and the Arizona Wildcats' most recent loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders last Saturday, giving the Coogs all the momentum they need to make to their second straight national championship game.
The Cougars currently sit at No. 2 in the AP ranks, behind only the Michigan Wolverines, and are 11-1 against Big 12 opponents and 23-2 overall in the 2025-26 season.
It's astonishing how head coach Kelvin Sampson makes it all look so easy while achieving a massive amount of success on the hardwood, his responsibilities as a head coach extend far beyond what happens on the floor.
"You've Got To Keep Working At It"
While in an interview with The Field of 68, Sampson talked about how much of his time, as well as the time of his son and assistant coach Kellen, goes into NIL and recruiting, as well as the interaction he's had with Houston's head football coach Willie Fritz regarding the matter.
"I run the basketball program,” Sampson said. “I’m not going to sit there and wait for them to come to me, and neither is Willie. He and I have had some awesome, awesome conversations, just exchanging idea. We’ve been around a little bit."
Sampson would describe the NIL process as something the coach and his assistants had to really work at and stay consistent with if they wanted to continue to have the success they have been fortunate to have on the hardwood.
“But this NIL thing, every year, I look at what other programs are doing," Sampson said." Kellen and I spend a lot of time. We’re doing NIL this week. I have to. We want to continue to win, but you’ve got to keep working at it.”
With the rise of name, image, and likeness in recent years, collegiate sports have operated in what seems like a marketplace while players have gone from scholarships to signing their own endorsement deals and even monetizing their own personal brands before going pro.
Needless to say, it's a big factor that heavily impacts an athlete's decision on where he or she wants to go to school at, and even if they do make a decision, if it's not fully up to their liking, they will go somewhere where they can fulfill their dreams and make the most profits.
That is simply where the college sports world is today, and Sampson hit the nail on the head by describing the grind that goes into it all.
The Cougars travel to Ames to take on the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones in a battle of Big 12 powerhouses tonight at 8:00 PM on ESPN.
