Texas Tech listed among six CFB programs expected to have $40 million roster in 2025
In today's era of college athletics, having a strong NIL program is essential if you want to compete for championships. With top rated players commanding millions of dollars on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, the cost to assemble a championship roster can run you well over $30 million.
Speaking with CBS Sports, Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti discussed the importance of NIL and just how much he believes some teams are spending.
Here are the 6 football programs that Indiana HC Curt Cignetti claims will have a $40M roster this season. pic.twitter.com/BGnxIXR2BD
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) May 5, 2025
"This is an unprecedented couple days, weeks, where everybody's waiting on this rev share," Cignetti 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."
When asked if he believes that teams are really spending $40 million on a roster in today's college football, Cignetti didn't hesitate.
"Right now, I would say yes," Cignetti said. "If you want to be the best, you got to be able to compete against the best. Right now, I understand that is Oregon, Ohio State, Texas. ... Texas Tech because of their oil money. I think Notre Dame's up there pretty good right now, too. Miami, of course."
During the offseason, it's estimated that Texas Tech invested more than $10 million to bring in the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country - a class that consists of 18 players.
If Cignetti is right that Texas Tech is one of college football's major players in NIL, it stands to reason that success shouldn't be far behind. Heading into the 2025 season, the Red Raiders have a veteran roster and a favorable schedule. With some big additions via the portal, it appears that the Big 12 title is within reach for head coach Joey McGuire and the Red Raiders.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.