Greg Gard says Wisconsin's NIL budget falls behind several Big Ten schools

MADISON, Wis. - University of Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard isn't naive to the obvious.

While the Badgers were making their run in the second half of the season, he knew some of his players had agents who were shopping their clients for the coming season. He also knows that in the era of zero transparency, Big Ten schools are spending more - in some cases a lot more - than the Badgers are.

How much more? Enough to know that Wisconsin didn't land in the top half of the league when it comes to its NIL budget in 2025-26 and doesn't see a big enough jump to get to that point over the next several weeks.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Gard told Mike Heller on the podcast I Love Mondays. "We could grow it a little bit more. That's a constant challenge ... It's an extremely, extremely competitive landscape."

Gard wouldn't say where Wisconsin falls on the list, only that he and Wisconsin general manager Marc VandeWettering have a good idea of what others are dealing with, from program investments and cross-checking numbers with different industry sources.

UW isn't dirt poor either. Gard says the program is in a good position to be competitive for player retention and acquisition in the coming season, which is important considering the Badgers currently have five roster spots to fill for the upcoming season.

More money doesn't always equate to more success. Gard pointed out that multiple Big Ten teams that outspent Wisconsin last season and didn't make the NCAA Tournament.

Indiana reportedly invested $32 million in 2025, $9 million more than the next highest program, but the Hoosiers didn't make the NCAA Tournament or play in the postseason.

"We've had a lot of our teams in our league that hasn't had the success, so they're just pouring resources into it to try and catch up, from a success standpoint."

That's not to say Wisconsin wouldn't love to receive a big check in its mailbox. While the Badgers coaches have worked relentlessly to boost their NIL fund, Gard recognizes the disadvantages his program faces, from Big Ten athletic departments with deeper pockets to geographically competing against Big East schools that don't have to share NIL budgets with a football program.

"(Our NIL budget has) grown almost close to 20-fold since its start," Gard said. "The market has gone bananas. It's up another 35 percent this year from last year. You had to keep growing it to keep your head above water. We're not anywhere near the top of our league, but we have been able to grow it and put it in a good position."

It's part of the reason the 11th-year head coach and his staff have adapted a "Moneyball approach" to pass on the high-priced free agents and target the next-tier prospects who fit the Wisconsin system, balancing the program's two revenue streams with NIL collectives and their cut of the approximate $20.5 million annually Wisconsin receives in revenue share to formulate a competitive roster.

And much like the popular 2011 movie starring Brad Pitt, Wisconsin uses an analytics software that helps the staff project how a player's stats would translate to the Big Ten level.

It's an approach that has helped Wisconsin land A.J. Storr, John Tonje, and Nick Boyd, three All-Big Ten players, in three consecutive seasons.

"We've done a great job of identifying and evaluating and not just jumping at the flashy name that's out there because of all the other financial ramifications that come with it," Gard said. "We've been very intelligent, smart, and disciplined about who we approach knowing what the cost of it is. We

The transfer portal officially opens on April 7, and players can enter until April 21st, 15 days after the national championship. That hasn't stopped players from already announcing their intentions to transfer starting Tuesday, as was the case for Wisconsin reserves Riccardo Greppi and Jack Robison.
Roughly 800 players have announced they will enter the portal, and experts predict upwards of 2,700 players will be looking for a new home in the portal.

Unofficially, Gard and Wisconsin have been contacted by players' agents as early as October. He doesn't see that whirlwind process changing any time soon.

"The portal never closes," Gard said. "It's like your 7-11 down the street. It's open 24-7, 365."
"We have to adapt," he later added. "We have adapted. We have evolved. We've shifted and changed philosophically in a lot of areas. A lot gets made of our shift and evolving on the court, but I would say the off-the-court stuff has shifted 100 times more."