Steve Sarkisian Denies $15 Million NIL Roster Rumor: Texas Longhorns Head Coach Pushes Back Against Spending Allegations

In the increasingly complex and headline-grabbing world of and Likeness (NIL) in college athletics, Texas Longhorns head football coach Steve Sarkisian is setting the record straight. Sarkisian recently addressed and flatly rejected a circulating rumor that Texas spent $15 million in NIL deals to assemble its 2024 football roster, calling the claim “flat-out false” and an unfair portrayal of the program.

The $15 million figure first made waves through social media and sports talk circles, quickly gaining traction as a supposed representation of how much Texas boosters and collectives were investing in top-tier talent. Critics argued it painted Texas as a program buying success, using NIL as a war chest to dominate the transfer portal and recruit top high school talent.

“I don’t know where that number came from, but it’s not based in reality,” Sarkisian told reporters at a recent media availability. “It’s flat-out false. There is absolutely no truth to the idea that we spent $15 million on NIL for our current roster.”

Sarkisian didn’t deny that NIL plays a role at Texas—just as it does at nearly every Power Five program in the country. However, he was firm in stating that the Longhorns operate within a structure that values more than just financial opportunity.

“Do we have NIL opportunities here? Of course we do,” he explained. “But our players come here because they believe in the culture, in the development we offer, and the chance to compete for championships. NIL is just a part of the equation, not the driving force.”

Texas has been a high-profile player in the NIL space, with collectives like the Clark Field Collective helping facilitate legal and NCAA-compliant deals for student-athletes. However, Sarkisian emphasized that these deals are orchestrated independently and don’t reflect a direct spending strategy from the coaching staff or the university itself.

What seems to have sparked Sarkisian’s ire isn’t simply the number itself, but what it implies: that Texas is building a team not through hard work and recruiting, but by writing massive checks. For a head coach who prides himself on character, work ethic, and development, that accusation strikes a nerve.

“It undermines the efforts of everyone involved—our players, our staff, our recruiters,” he said. “It discredits the decisions our kids make when they choose Texas. It suggests they’re here only for money, and that’s just not true.”

He also pointed out that this sort of rhetoric can have a negative impact in the locker room and beyond. “We’re trying to build something sustainable here. That means we recruit based on relationships, trust, and opportunity. When people spread these kinds of rumors, it chips away at that foundation.”

Sarkisian’s pushback comes at a time when the NIL landscape is still evolving, with few guardrails and even fewer universal standards. Schools across the country are navigating a new reality where player compensation is not only permitted but often expected.

Critics of the current system argue that NIL has created an unregulated bidding war, particularly in football and men’s basketball. Others, however, see NIL as a long-overdue form of compensation for athletes who generate massive revenues for their institutions.

“There’s a lot of noise out there, and I get it—it makes headlines. But the reality is, we’re not doing anything different from other programs in terms of giving players the chance to benefit from their success,” Sarkisian said. “The difference is, we’re doing it the right way.”

With the 2024 season on the horizon and expectations higher than ever, Sarkisian and the Longhorns have more pressing things to focus on than rumors. Texas is preparing for a highly anticipated move to the SEC, and the pressure to perform on a national stage will be immense.

“We’re proud of what we’re building here. We have a locker room full of guys who love football, love competing, and love being Longhorns,” Sarkisian said. “That’s what matters to us—not the speculation, not the outside noise.”