The Athletic’s new estimate of Power 4 roster budgets puts Texas at the top of the SEC and near the top of the national pile.
The Longhorns, now No. 1 in the AP poll, are listed at $45-55 million for their roster, which The Athletic says ranks third nationally. That puts Texas ahead of every other SEC program in the outlet’s breakdown and far above Arkansas, whose $22-25 million figure ranks 33rd overall. The gap between the two schools is massive: Texas’ estimated roster cost is roughly double Arkansas’ budget.
The SEC, according to The Athletic’s reporting, owns three of the five most expensive rosters in the country and 11 of the top 20. LSU comes in just ahead of Texas at $47-50 million, good for fourth nationally, while Texas A&M follows at $45-50 million and fifth overall.
Ole Miss lands next in the conference at $39-45 million, which places the Rebels eighth nationally. Tennessee checks in at $41-43 million and No. 9, followed by Alabama at $38-42 million and No. 10.
Here’s how the rest of the SEC stacks up in The Athletic’s estimates: Florida at $31-41 million (15th), South Carolina at $32-35 million (16th), Auburn at $31-35 million (17th), Georgia at $31-34 million (19th), Oklahoma at $28-34 million (20th), Missouri at $27-30 million (24th), Mississippi State at $25-30 million (26th), Vanderbilt at $25-28 million (29th), Kentucky at $23-26 million (31st), and Arkansas at $22-25 million (33rd).
“The numbers here refer to the amount of money a school had at its disposal to assemble its 2026 roster,” The Athletic wrote. “The money comes from a combination of athletic department revenue, outside booster donations and other sources that vary from school to school.”
The Athletic said it also weighed the competing pressures coaches and administrators face while trying to pin down the figures, but believes the ranges “represent the best and most detailed information available today.”
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