Texas is seeking its first national championship in two decades in the 2025 season after two straight College Football Playoff semifinal knockouts. However, the Longhorns’ quest to get over the hump will come with an exuberant price tag.

The budget for Texas’ roster in 2025 sits between $35 million and $40 million, the Houston Chronicle reported. That money reportedly likely comes from Texas’ revenue-sharing allotment and payouts through the Texas One Fund, which is Texas’ name, image and likeness (NIL) collective. 

That figure doesn’t include the salary that returning quarterback Arch Manning will receive in 2025. Even though he’ll be Texas’ highest-paid player “by far,” Manning doesn’t take money from the school as he and his family have negotiated NIL deals on their own, according to the Houston Chronicle. Manning has the highest NIL value of any current college athlete at $6.6 million, On3 projects. It also reportedly isn’t known how many players on Texas’ roster will receive a salary worth at least $1 million.

The reported budget for Texas’ football roster might be the largest since NIL was introduced in 2021. While college roster budgets aren’t readily available, Ohio State’s NIL collectives issued approximately $20 million in salary to players for its roster in 2024, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork claimed before the season. It was believed that the number was a record at the time.

Of course, spending that money wound up paying dividends for the Buckeyes. They won the national championship in 2024, with transfers like quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs playing key roles in their title run.

As some teams who’ve spent big money have seen positive results, though, the price tags on some of these rosters might be becoming too much for schools to handle. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte is expected to phase out using the school’s NIL collective to pay players in favor of the revenue-sharing agreement from the pending House vs. NCAA settlement, according to the Houston Chronicle.

“It’s just unsustainable,” a source reportedly told the Houston Chronicle of the price tag of Texas’ roster.

The Longhorns arguably have the most loaded roster in the sport ahead of the preseason. Despite only making two starts so far in his college career, Manning is widely viewed as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he were to declare. Steve Sarkisian aided the roster around Manning by landing the top-ranked high school recruiting class (via 247 Sports) and secured 10 transfers, with Syracuse defensive lineman Maraad Watson headlining that group.

Caleb Downs & Arch Manning in Klatt’s way-too-early top prospects in 2026 NFL Draft

In addition to Manning, Texas will also return 12 starters from last season, including All-American linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., freshman All-American edge rusher Colin Simmons and second-team All-American safety Michael Taaffe. That list of starters doesn’t include running back CJ Baxter, who was set to be the Longhorns’ starter at the position in 2024 before tearing his ACL in preseason practice.

With all of that talent returning and incoming, FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt ranked Texas No. 2 in his way-too-early top 25 in January. He’s become even more bullish about the Longhorns this upcoming season more recently.

“I really believe Texas is going to take the next step under Steve Sarkisian due to Manning,” Klatt wrote of Texas and Manning in his top 10 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft. “If the Longhorns aren’t in the national championship game next season, I’m going to be fairly surprised. This Texas program is excellent, with Sarkisian continuously building this team closer and closer to a title. As Manning becomes the full-time starter next year, Texas will also bring in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Suffice to say, I’m in on Texas and Manning.”

Texas has the second-best odds (+550) to win the national championship as of Thursday, trailing only Ohio State (+500). The Longhorns are the favorite to win the SEC, though, at +280, via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.

Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

VILLANOVA, Pa. – William B. Finneran Endowed Head Coach Kevin Willard today announced his 2025-26 Villanova coaching staff. It includes six members of the group that led Maryland to 27 victories and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2024-25 along with a Villanova veteran who has served two stints with the Wildcats.
 
Joining the Villanova staff from Maryland are assistant coaches David Cox, Kevin Norris, Greg Manning Jr. and Ricky Harris. Ashley Howard, who served as a Wildcats’ assistant coach from 2013-18 and returned to the staff in 2023, will continue to serve in that role. In addition, Brenton Petty has been named Director, Player Personnel while Charlie Butler is the new Director, Basketball Operations. Petty and Butler were also part of the Terrapins’ staff before joining the Wildcats.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome an outstanding group of coaches to Villanova,” stated Willard. “In this era of college basketball staff cohesion is incredibly valuable. To be able to maintain that with coaches who are also a great fit for this community is a huge win. Together we have a group that brings extensive Big East recruiting experience along with a proven track record of on-court development.
 
“It’s a great day to be a Wildcat.”
 
Assistant Coach David Cox
 
Former Rhode Island head coach David Cox (2018-22) most recently served alongside Willard for three seasons at Maryland.
 
A Landover, Md., native, Cox first worked in the Big East Conference as the video coordinator at the University of Pittsburgh in 2006-07. He was then hired as an assistant coach at Georgetown (2007-10) and then was named associate head coach at Rutgers (2010-14).
 
In 2014, Cox joined Dan Hurley’s staff at URI and two years later was named associate head coach. When Hurley accepted the job at the University of Connecticut in 2018, Cox was tabbed head coach of the Rams. He won 64 games in his tenure.
 
Cox spent the last two seasons as Maryland’s associate head coach, playing a key role as the Terrapins earned a second-place finish in the Big Ten Conference.
 

A 1995 graduate of William & Mary, Cox was a three-year starter at point guard for the Tribe.
 
Assistant Coach Kevin Norris
 
Kevin Norris returns to the Big East Conference, where he excelled as a point guard for coach Leonard Hamilton at the University of Miami from 1995-98. The former Big East All-Rookie Team selection is the only player in program history to lead the Hurricanes in assists for four seasons.
 
As a coach, Norris moved to Maryland ahead of a special 2024-25 campaign after serving eight seasons on Johnny Dawkins’ staff at UCF. While at UCF, Norris helped the Knights to a 148-103 overall record and was a key figure in the program achieving its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
 

In addition to his time on the UCF staff, Norris also coached at USC (2013-16), FGCU (2011-13), UNC Wilmington (2010-11), and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2008-10). He was part of Andy Enfield’s staff when FGCU stormed past No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State to become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at Philadelphia’s Well Fargo Center.
 
Assistant Coach Ashley Howard
 
Philadelphia native Ashley Howard joined Villanova’s staff in 2013 after serving a season at Xavier University and had a hand in one of the program’s most successful eras. The Wildcats won Big East regular season titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and claimed Big East Tournament crowns in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
 
Howard also earned NCAA national championship rings with the Wildcats in both 2016 and 2018. Among the Wildcats legends he helped tutor were Ryan Arcidiacono, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson.
 
In 2018, Howard was named head coach at La Salle University, where he served until 2022. A year later Howard returned to Villanova as an assistant coach.
 
Assistant Coach Greg Manning Jr.
 
A former standout player at Loyola University (2004-08), Manning Jr., spent the last seven seasons at Maryland, during which he helped the Terrapins position themselves for five NCAA Tournament appearances (the 2019-20 NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
 
Manning began his coaching career at Siena under his former college coach Jimmy Patsos. Manning helped guide the Saints to the program’s first MAAC Championship game appearance in seven years during the 2016-17 campaign. Siena won 13 of its final 19 contests to amass a 17-17 overall record and finish tied for third in the MAAC with a 12-8 league mark.
 
Manning joined the staff at Maryland in 2018, serving as the program’s video coordinator until 2021. At that point he was elevated to director of basketball operations. In 2023, he was promoted to an assistant coaching position under head coach Kevin Willard.
 
Assistant Coach Ricky Harris
 
One of the most prolific scorers in UMass basketball history, Ricky Harris served the last two seasons as Maryland’s Director of Player Personnel.
 
Harris joined the Terps after spending the previous two seasons as the Director of Operations at his alma mater. Prior to that, he played 11 professional seasons overseas in Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Argentina.
 
A 2010 graduate from UMass, Harris helped lead the Minutemen to a 73-58 record during his four-year career highlighted by a pair of NIT appearances. The Baltimore native played 129 career games at UMass finishing third all-time in scoring with 1,960 points. He ranks second for single-season three pointers made (104, 2007-08) and is tied for the single-game record for threes in a game (8 on Mar. 3, 2010). 
 
Director, Player Personnel Brenton Petty
 
Brenton Petty comes to Villanova after serving as Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach in 2024-25. Prior to that, he served as Maryland’s video coordinator, a role he assumed in 2021.
 
A native of Washington, D.C., Petty served as a graduate manager for Maryland from 2018-20 and was also a basketball operations assistant for the Detroit Pistons before rejoining the Terps.
 
Petty played collegiately at Fordham University from 2015-18 and graduated with a degree in communications. He earned his master’s degree from Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in 2020.
 
Director, Basketball Operations Charlie Butler
 
The move to Villanova is also a return to the Big East for Charlie Butler, who began his career in basketball working with Kevin Willard while a student manager at Seton Hall University from 2011-15.
 
He spent six seasons on Willard’s staff at Seton Hall as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations for the Seton Hall men’s basketball team, a position he was appointed to in July 2017. Prior to this promotion, Butler spent two years as the video coordinator and four years as a team manager during his undergraduate career at The Hall.
 
A native of Annapolis, Md., Butler came to Maryland in 2022. He was appointed as Director of Basketball Operations for the Terrapins in 2023 and spent the past two seasons in that role.
 
 
 
 
 
 

President Donald Trump is mulling over issuing an executive order to address college football’s Name Image and Likeness payments following a meeting Thursday with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Citing White House officials, the Journal reported that Saban told Trump that he believed the explosion of NIL money into college sports was damaging the system.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he expected to speak with Saban and Trump prior to the president’s Thursday night speech to graduates at the University of Alabama.

Tuberville on Thursday posted on social media that he and Trump discussed NIL while flying to Tuscaloosa on Air Force One.

“College football is the heart and soul of America — but it’s in danger if we don’t level the playing field,” Tuberville posted.

An impending House vs. NCAA settlement would resolve a number of antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA with more revenue likely coming student athletes’ way.

The settlement includes a revenue sharing plan that will allow schools to begin paying student athletes as soon as next school year, with each school distributing as much as $20.5 million to its athletes.

Saban wasn’t lobbying for an end to the practice, but some kind of reform to blunt the rise of an “athlete arms race” among NCAA blue blood programs, according to the report. Saban was not available for comment this afternoon.

NIL began in the summer of 2021 when the NCAA began allowing student athletes to begin profiting off their name, image and likeness.

The Journal reported that Trump told Saban he agreed with him and tasked staffers to begin studying the issue and crafting an order.

The former Alabama coach, who retired in 2024, said NIL and the way it had changed players attitudes was one of the reasons that made him leave the game.

The call of the NBA is an ever-present threat for college basketball rosters. What can look like a stacked roster for next season could lose a surprising piece that undercuts a possible national championship contender.

With the advent of name, image and likeness (and the resultant influx of cash for top players), college hoops has fought back. Potential draftees, especially those late in the first round and into the second, now have to consider the NIL payday they would forgo should they choose to start their professional careers. They have until June 15 to withdraw their names from the draft pool.

That’s led to some surprising returners to college. A year ago, Walter Clayton Jr. chose to chase a national title rather than enter the pro ranks; that turned out well for Clayton and the Gators. Johni Broome also eschewed the draft and helped power Auburn to the Final Four. As chaotic and entertaining as the transfer portal is, keeping star-caliber pieces in college is vital to building a truly elite team.

The 2025 early-entry deadline already has some clear winners: Texas Tech managed to convince All-American JT Toppin to avoid testing the waters, and two-time national champion Alex Karaban is returning to UConn for a fourth season. The Red Raiders and the Huskies will likely find their way into many preseason top 10s in part due to this retention of potential draft picks.

Many other decisions that will drastically impact the 2026 national title picture still hang in the balance, though. Following the NBA’s release of the full list of early entrants, the players below all have significant choices that could push their schools to the forefront of the college basketball world.

Note: To illustrate the significance of each decision, we’ve included each team’s national ranking at BartTorvik.com with and without the player on the roster using Torvik’s Roster Cast tool, which allows you to alter teams’ roster constructions to see the impact of individual players.

1. Milos Uzan, Houston

Bart Torvik rank with Uzan: 1
Bart Torvik rank without: 1 (incredibly)

Though most of the Houston headlines all season went to LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and J’Wan Roberts, Uzan was the secret engine to a Cougars squad that came within a possession of a national championship. Taking over at point guard for program legend Jamal Shead, the Oklahoma transfer got off to a slow start, but his steady improvement — particularly as a potent offensive threat — mirrored the trajectory of Houston as a whole. Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson reiterated that point after Uzan’s game-winning layup against Purdue in the Sweet 16.

Milos Uzan averaged 12.3 points, 4.2 assists and shot 44.5 percent on 3-pointers last season. (Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)

With Uzan back in the fold to join Sharp, defensive player of the year candidate JoJo Tugler and a loaded recruiting class, Houston would be a no-doubt top-five team in preseason rankings (and very arguably the No. 1 squad). Without him, though, Houston would need a serious lift from incoming transfer Pop Isaacs, as Uzan’s shot creation — not to mention his smothering defensive presence on the perimeter — would be sorely missed. That would still be a top 10 or so team but with enough questions to perhaps fall below the top tier of contenders.

2. Otega Oweh, Kentucky

Torvik rank with Oweh: 11
Torvik rank without: 16

Mark Pope’s first season in Lexington made it clear the Wildcats are firmly entrenched as contenders in the SEC. Kentucky’s spending in the transfer portal this offseason — basically a Los Angeles Dodgers-esque spree — has given Pope an extremely promising roster for his encore campaign.

To truly be a national championship contender, though, Pope needs Oweh to return for his senior season. The hyperathletic wing, who like Uzan began his career at Oklahoma (apologies to Sooners fans), ascended to stardom for Big Blue Nation. On a deep and balanced roster, Oweh’s athletic slashing and harassing defense became indispensable. He’d give Kentucky the All-American candidate needed to exist in the highest echelon of preseason prognostications.

3. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

Torvik rank with Lendeborg: 4
Torvik rank without: 20

Led by a dominant big man duo in Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, Michigan made the Sweet 16 in Dusty May’s first season in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines tripled down on the frontcourt this offseason, reeling in three more gems via the portal: Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Aday Mara (UCLA). That combination would terrorize opponents for 40 minutes at the rim and on the boards.

Whether the trio ever plays together, though, hinges on Lendeborg’s NBA Draft decision. The former junior college star is already an older prospect (he’ll be 23 in September), and he could choose to take his versatile, physical game to the pros. Michigan would still be in good shape without him as a chief contender to Purdue in the Big Ten, but having Lendeborg as a do-it-all double-double machine would raise the ceiling in Ann Arbor considerably.

4. Alex Condon, Florida

Torvik rank with Condon: 9
Torvik rank without: 19

The Gators’ shocking run to the national title came in large part due to a supremely talented trio of shot makers on the perimeter. Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard all had major moments of brilliance during their March run. But Florida’s deep and physical frontcourt was an overlooked aspect of its success.

Todd Golden could cycle body after body in the paint to bludgeon opponents and wear them down over 40 minutes, and Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, the Gators’ two starters, were crucial parts of that rotation. Chinyelu is also gauging NBA interest but is generally expected to return to school; however, the physical Australian Condon is much more of a true toss-up. He struggled in the NCAA Tournament after an ankle injury late in the season, so he could be best served to return to school and show off his talents once more while leading the Florida front line for what would be a top 10-15 team heading into the year.

5. Carter Bryant, Arizona

Torvik rank with Bryant: 4
Torvik rank without: 15

Like Florida, Arizona has two players testing the draft waters, with Jaden Bradley joining Bryant in that endeavor. Bradley is strongly expected to return, though, while the uber-talented Bryant feels like a true coin flip. He came on strong as Arizona’s season progressed; he logged 20-plus minutes just once in Arizona’s first 10 games, but he cracked that mark in 16 of the final 18 contests. In doing so, he displayed the kind of versatility and floor-stretching game that will make pro scouts pay attention.

That seemed like just the beginning for the high-upside forward. He was frequently deferential to Arizona’s veterans on the offensive end, registering the lowest usage in the team’s rotation. Should he return, he’s an obvious breakout candidate with more touches and shots headed his way. If he’s back for that potential star turn, Arizona will be in the Big 12 and national mix, but if not, the Wildcats will be in the second tier of both.

6. Cedric Coward and Isaiah Evans, Duke

Torvik rank with Coward and Evans: 4
Torvik rank without Coward, with Evans: 4
Torvik rank without Evans, with Coward: 5
Torvik rank without both: 7

Duke came within a monumental final-minute collapse against Houston of playing for a national title. Jon Scheyer has done a tremendous job of maintaining Duke’s status among the elite in college basketball, and although his 2025-26 team will not have Cooper Flagg on it, the Blue Devils have the talent to make a return trip to the Final Four.

Even with a killer freshman class, though, a large portion of the upside hinges on whether the nucleus will include Coward, a transfer from Washington State, and Evans, an incendiary scorer due for a major role increase as a sophomore. Both players offer enticing wing skill sets to the NBA, but both could maximize their draft position with a banner year in big roles for an elite team.

7. The ultimate wild cards: PJ Haggerty, Darrion Williams, Boogie Fland, Jamir Watkins

Every member of this foursome remains in the transfer portal as of this writing. Any member of this group could drastically alter the outlook of a team, pushing that squad toward the national title picture.

Haggerty, an All-American scoring guard at Memphis, is an instant cheat code to an efficient offense thanks to his devastating dribble moves, finishing ability inside and knack for getting to the charity stripe. At Texas Tech, Williams proved himself to be a quintessential do-it-all winner capable of serving as a mid-post hub on offense and multipositional force on defense. Fland showed off his scoring and passing genes at Arkansas as a rookie, and he could explode as a sophomore thanks to his prodigious talents. And finally, Watkins (Florida State’s leading scorer last season) is a matchup problem, a big wing/forward who could be an ace second banana for a great team. Keep an eye on whether any of this group chooses to return to college — and where they end up if they do.

(Top photos of Otega Oweh and Isaiah Evans: Andy Lyons, Grant Halverson / Getty Images)

Ryan Day has coached and recruited more than his fair share of elite quarterbacks thoughout his near-decade at Ohio State, including several that are currently starting in the NFL. Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud are just two of his QB pupils, with Will Howard and Kyle McCord now joining the league after being selected in last week’s 2025 NFL Draft.

But as Day embarks on the other side of the recruiting process with his son, RJ Day, a 2027 quarteback recruit out of St. Francis DeSales in Columbus, the reigning national championship-winning Buckeyes coach has gained a unique perspective into the entire process. As a rising junior in high school, the younger Day hasn’t been rated by major recruiting services yet, but already has scholarship offers from most of the MAC.

“As fast as this is going, and has gone, knowing he’s going to be in college in two years is terrifying. He’s my best friend, so he comes to Woody (Hayes Athletic Complex) all the time, he’s at games with me and we’re able to share this game of football together. He’s obsessed with the game, so that’s been really cool,” Day told co-hosts Rece Davis and Pete Thamel on the recent ESPN College GameDay Podcast. “I think the other part is, just as a dad, now going through this (recruiting) process and then seeing the kids we’re recruiting the same age as him.

“You know, at the end of the day, when we go on these recruiting visits, I don’t really care about the facilities or the weight room. I just want to know who’s going to help raise my son. Who are the men that are going to be around to help him become a better football player, but a better man off the field, and is actually going to care about him. I think that makes us all better coaches when you look at it like that. And that’s the truth. Because you can really say it, but until you really go through it, it’s different.”

It’s that different perspective that could help Day, and by association Ohio State, both better evaluate and recruit elite quarterbacks to Columbus in the future. It may even pay major dividends with the Buckeyes’ current crop of quarterbacks as Lincoln Kienholz and Julian Sayin continue competing to be QB1 in 2025.

“I was talking to a couple of GMs in the NFL that were going through the process of trying to evaluate quarterbacks about why it’s been so hard for all of us to identify what quarterbacks are going to do well. It’s probably the biggest question mark of the last 30 years of the NFL,” Day continued. “I really believe there’s just so many things about the quarterback position that are unique. And it’s been great to see (RJ Day) come up through it, and being able to recognize that. So that even when guys are coming to us now, there’s certain things that we can recognize. It’s been fun to go through the process with him.

“He’s working really, really hard. He actually just went to a combine and ran a 4.76 (second 40-yard dash) and he’s really coming into his own. He’s put on about 20 pounds. So, I’m excited to see what this Spring looks like for him. But I know one day he’s going to be a coach, so all this time will be very well spent.”