Report: Texas Football Not Spending $35-40 Million on Roster

There's no doubt that the Texas Longhorns have a talented roster but exactly how expensive it is remains somewhat of a mystery.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (5) and running back Jaydon Blue (23) and quarterback Arch Manning (16) and wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) huddle with the team during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff First Round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- There's no doubt that the Texas Longhorns have some impressively deep pockets but there's now conflicting reports about just exactly how big the bank is for Chris Del Conte and staff.

Per Chip Brown of Horns247, Texas football is not spending around $35-40 million on its roster for the 2025 season despite prior reports from Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle that said otherwise. According to Brown's report, a source told Horns247 that, while there's some programs that could hover around that number, the Longhorns are not at the top of that list.

Even if there are teams like Ohio State, Oregon and Notre Dame that spend $35-40M on an annual roster, it never seemed realistic that the same could be said for Texas after the Chronicle's report emerged. While incredibly talented, the 2025 Longhorns have inexperience at multiple positions along with only the 29th-best portal class this offseason, per 247Sports' team rankings.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The world of NIL and paying players has been something Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and general manager Brandon Harris have had to embrace, but there's no doubt that the coaching staff continues to prioritize high school recruitment and development as the program's lifeblood while using the portal to clean up any loose ends.

Bohls' report came on the heels of Sarkisian telling reporters Monday at the Houston Touchdown Club that now-former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers never took any money from the university's NIL fund, instead receiving his earnings from outside partnerships.

This included being highlighted as one of the three feature athletes on the cover of the highly-anticipated College Football 25 video game last summer along with an appearance in the Dr Pepper "Fansville" commercial series. Some of Ewers' other partnerships included those with Hulu, New Era, Panini America and more.

"I think about a lot of the people that come through this program over the last four years that have impacted the growth and trajectory of our program, and he's right there near the top, if not at the top of the impact that he's had, not only on the field but off the field," Sarkisian said of Ewers. "His ability to help recruit other players come be part of our program. I think he was one of the first guys through all this talk about collective and all the things that were going on in the world of NIL... he never took money from our collective. All of what he did through NIL was his true Name, Image, and Likeness."

Regardless of what the Longhorns' unofficial salary cap is, it's clear that the expectation in Austin remains contending for national championship for the third straight season, this time with Arch Manning as the starter.

Texas will kick off the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against Ohio State.