Sean Miller May Have Just Helped Increase Texas' NIL Budget

The Texas Longhorns are turning a corner at the right time in March Madness.

But from a larger point of view, head coach Sean Miller could also be giving the program a major boost for the future at the exact same time.

With Thursday's 79-71 win over the No. 6 BYU Cougars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Miller showed exactly why he's deserving of having an increased NIL budget for next season and beyond, something that could take the program to new heights.

Why Texas Basketball's NIL Budget Deserves an Increase This Offseason

Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver celebrates with guard Jordan Pope in the second half against the BYU Cougars during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Per reports from Gerry Hamilton of OnTexasFootball, the Longhorns entered this season with an NIL budget approaching about $5 million, though this is significantly lower than the estimated $20 million that Kentucky reportedly spends or the potential $10 million number for other SEC programs.

Reports often conflict about just how much Texas basketball spends on NIL, but it doesn't take a diehard hoops fans to know that the Longhorns will never be the top spender in the country.

Considering that a large chunk of the university's NIL budget goes to football, the Longhorns will never be at the top of the NIL spending list like many of the other "blue blood" basketball schools but it will now become hard to argue that Miller is deserving of some more financial flexibility.

I think Sean Miller increased his NIL budget significantly tonight.

We. Got. Our. Guy.
— Big On Basketball 🤘🏽 (@BigOnBasketball) March 20, 2026

A trip to the Round of 32 should be the standard at a place like Texas, but it’s the way Miller has approached this season that should catch the attention of the university’s biggest NIL donors.

After starting SEC play 0-2 with only one major conference win to their name, the Longhorns expected a turnaround that changed their season, picking up three ranked wins in January, including a road win in Tuscaloosa over then-No. 13 Alabama.

Texas then put together a five-game winning streak to start February before losing five of six headed into Selection Sunday. Miller and the Longhorns could have withered up and kept the bad times rolling in the First Four. Instead, Texas is now one win away from the Sweet 16.

Miller has also done all of this with just the No. 25 overall portal class from this past offseason, per 247Sports' rankings. The Longhorns swung big by landing Dailyn Swain and Matas Vokietaitis, who have been the team's leading scorers all season, but Camden Heide, Simeon Wilcher and Lassina Traore have not been as consistent.

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller answers questions during a press conference before a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

If Texas can end up affording a Top-10 portal class this upcoming offseason, and combine it with the talented incoming freshman, there's no reason why the Longhorns can't be an SEC contender for the foreseeable future.

Miller might have put it best after the win over BYU: the program is resilient under his new regime. Now it's about matching the expectations with fair NIL finances.

"I'm thrilled for the University of Texas, thrilled for these guys," Miller said. "One word I would use to describe our group is 'resilient'. Nothing has ever been easy for us, starting with our opening game against Duke in Charlotte. From there we've always fought the fight. I think a number of times throughout the year it looked like, man, can we do it. We always seemed to be able to respond."

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