The pay-to-play powerhouses dominating NIL in college basketball

Pay-for-play in college basketball is nothing new, and it certainly didn't start with Name, Image, and Likeness. Shoe companies like Nike and Adidas have steered players to certain programs for years to solidify future, and now current, endorsement deals.

But this offseason was one of the books. With the revenue-sharing era on the horizon, it was the wild west in college basketball this offseason as tens of millions of dollars were thrown around like candy. It was, in theory, the last offseason that kind of NIL money could be thrown around, at least legally.

The amount of money being spent this offseason was mind-boggling. Bags were being dropped for even average players. According to Matt Norlander, mid-major players on non-NCAA Tournament teams were getting seven-figure deals in the Transfer Portal.

Most experts estimate that double-digit programs spent upwards of $10 million this offseason building rosters. And it's not just blue bloods spending that money: programs with boosters that have deep pockets are taking full advantage to get their teams into the upper-echelon of college basketball.

Here are the programs that have reportedly spent the most money building their rosters for the 2025-26 season.

These programs are outspending the competition in college basketball

The Blue Bloods

Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of blue bloods that are spending ridiculous amounts of money to stay in the top tier of college basketball.

Tobacco Road features two such teams: Duke and North Carolina.

Duke may not have broken the bank in the Transfer Portal, but they undoubtedly opened the checkbook in signing the top recruiting class in the nation, featuring three 5-stars: Cameron and Cayden Boozer, along with Nikolas Khamenia.

Heading into a pivotal season for head coach Hubert Davis, North Carolina bought an almost entirely new roster, featuring six players from the Transfer Portal and three incoming freshmen. Arizona transfer center Henri Veesaar, Colorado State guard Kyan Evans, and Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson headline the group from the portal. 5-star recruit Caleb Wilson headlined the Tar Heels' recruiting class.

No program is rumored to have spent more money this offseason than Kentucky, which will look for an even bigger breakthrough in year two under Mark Pope. Along with signing two 5-stars in the 2025 recruiting class, Kentucky landed a plethora of impact transfers: Jaland Lowe (Pittsburgh), Mo Dioubate (Alabama), Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State), Denzel Aberdeen (Florida). They also got Otega Oweh to return to Lexington and exit the NBA Draft. Some believe the 'Cats spent over $17 million putting together their roster.

Indiana spent big to set up new head coach Darian DeVries for immediate success. The Hoosiers added eight players in the Transfer Portal who were double-digit scorers at their previous stops: Lamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State), Reed Bailey (Davidson), Jasai Miles (North Florida), Nick Dorn (Elon), Tucker DeVries (West Virginia), Tayton Conerway (Troy), Josh Harris (North Florida), and Jason Drake (Drexel). That certainly cost a pretty penny.

Florida may have reached blue blood status with their third National Championship of the century, and they seem to have no plans of giving that up. The Gators lost a lot of last season's title team, but reloaded with high-profile transfers such as Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xavian Lee (Princeton).

Michigan may not quite be a "blue blood", but they spent like one. The Wolverines spent big money in the portal, bringing in Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Aday Mara (UCLA), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois), and Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina). Lendeborg, in particular, must have cost a fortune, as the UAB transfer turned down first-round NBA Draft money to relocate to Ann Arbor.

The new kids on the block

These programs aren't blue bloods, but they are spending money to catapult themselves into a blue blood-like category in college basketball and have the checkbooks to be perennial contenders.

There might not be a program that has spent more money this offseason than BYU, which cut a massive check to land the No. 1 recruit in the country, A.J. Dybantsa. Forbes believes that Dybantsa signed an NIL deal worth over $7 million to join the Cougars.

BYU was active in the Transfer Portal, too, adding Rob Wright (Baylor), Dominique Diomande (Washington), and Kennard Davis (Southern Illinois), among others. BYU made it to the Sweet 16 last season, and Kevin Young's program will now be as talented as any team in the country as they chase a deeper run.

St. John's gave Rick Pitino a blank check to build the roster for next season, and he took full advantage. The Red Storm signed arguably the best Transfer Portal class in the nation, signing seven impact players: Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford), Joson Sanon (Arizona State), Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Dylan Darling (Idaho Stae), Dillon Mitchell (Cincinnati), and Handje Tamba (Milligan NAIA).

St. John's is working at a unique advantage in this era of college sports. They don't have a football program eating into their spending budget, and can 100% focus on basketball. That could give them, and other Big East schools, a big advantage in the revenue-sharing era.

Texas Tech has been spending a ton of money on both football and basketball to boost its profile nationally. The Red Raiders are looking to parlay last season's Elite Eight run into a second Final Four in seven years. Tech spent to retain J.T. Toppin, and added key contributors LeJuan Watts (Washington State) and Donovan Atwell (UNC Greensboro).

The list of perennial contenders in college basketball could significantly change in this new era of the sport. Programs can allocate more resources toward basketball, and still spend less than it would cost to build a contender in football. The blue bloods will be blue bloods and will likely prioritize basketball over football, but others that have long been also-rans could be sleeping giants getting ready to awake from a slumber.