Texas is not only No. 1 in the preseason rankings for the 2025 college football season, but No. 1 in the spending department – that’s what social media would lead you to believe, anyway.
The Longhorns, led by five-star quarterback Arch Manning, boast one of the most expensive rosters in college football. There’s no doubting that heading into 2025. But rumors have been swirling on social media, suggesting that Texas’ roster is costing roughly $40 million.
But is that true?
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian decided to address the rumors on Wednesday. The SEC head coach is not happy with them.
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Sarkisian, who led Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season, called the rumor “irresponsible” on Wednesday. While Sarkisian would love to have a $40 million roster, he says that’s not the case.
“What’s frustrating on that was it was a little bit of irresponsible reporting,” Sarkisian said Tuesday on SiriusXM. “It was one anonymous source that said that’s what our roster was. I wish I had $40 million on our roster, we’d probably be a better team than we are. The idea to think that a lot of other schools aren’t spending money to get players, I mean, it’s the state of college football right now. It is what it is. Hey, we’re fortunate, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got great support… I wish I had another $15 million or so, though, I might have a little better roster.”
The rumor seemed to start from a report from Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle, who reported that Texas’ roster cost between $35 million and $40 million.
Texas clearly has an expensive roster – based on what Sarkisian said, it seems to be at about $20 million or $25 million – but it’s not quite at the level that is being reported.
