Sarkisian refutes report Texas' roster could cost $40M

Head coach Steve Sarkisian is refuting a report that states Texas' 2025 roster budget is between $35 million and $40 million.

The reported one-time expense exceeds the $20.5-million revenue-sharing allotment that's expected to be in place once the House vs. NCAA antitrust settlement is resolved. The looming resolution to the court case would limit the amount of funds that schools can funnel to their roster. The school's collective, Texas One Fund, is reportedly paying out through NIL contributions but is expected to be phased out in favor of the revenue sharing and other NIL corporations.

"What's frustrating on that is that it was a little bit of irresponsible reporting," Sarkisian said in an interview on SiriusXM's SEC Radio, according to KXAN's Billy Gates. "One anonymous source said that's what our roster was. I wish we had $40 million on our roster, we'd probably be a little bit better team than we are."

What Sarkisian said upset him the most about the report is that he wasn't questioned prior to the story being published.

While Sarkisian insists the totals being floated around aren't accurate, he admitted that investing money into roster-building has become common in college football.

"The idea to think that other schools aren't spending money to get players ... it's the state of college football. It is what it is," he said.

Sarkisian has guided Texas to success over the past few years. The Longhorns won the Big 12 title in their final season in the conference in 2023 and appeared in the SEC championship game last year. The 51-year-old shared he'd like "another $15 million or so" to improve his roster.

Quarterback Arch Manning is expected to lead a potent offense while Anthony Hill and Colin Simmons star on the defensive side. The Longhorns will kick off next season against reigning national champion Ohio State on Aug. 30.