A new report from The Athletic paints a stark picture of where Kansas football stands in the NIL race: near the bottom.
The outlet’s data shows Kansas has the sixth-lowest NIL payroll for football among schools in the Power 4, once Army, Navy and Air Force are removed from the list because they do not pay athletes. Three other Big 12 programs - Cincinnati, Iowa State and Arizona - also land in the bottom six, while Duke and Boston College spend the least on their football rosters through NIL.
At the other end of the spectrum, the spending numbers are eye-opening. Eight of the top 10 teams in the latest AP Poll are reportedly spending between $38 million and $54 million in NIL money.
Alabama, ranked 11th, is listed at $38 million, while Ohio State, ranked sixth, is at $54 million. The group of big spenders includes Oregon, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Miami, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas Tech.
For Kansas, that gap is the story. In a system built on dollars, the Jayhawks are being forced to shop in the bargain bin, hoping to uncover players who can outperform their price tag. And even when those players develop, there is always the threat that a bigger program will simply come in with a larger offer.
The idea that stadium upgrades or better facilities alone can fix the problem doesn’t hold up in this environment. The report makes the point bluntly: if Kansas cannot keep up financially with most of the Power Four, then sustained success is going to be hard to find.
The most realistic ceiling, at least in this picture, is mediocrity with the occasional strong season mixed in. Kansas has gone 9-4, 5-7 and 5-7 over its last three seasons.
The larger issue, according to the report, is that the system itself is broken. The NCAA had years to address the old model of tuition, books, room and board and $25 per week, but instead stuck to an outdated amateurism line while schools and conferences kept making more money. Now, the organization is described as toothless, losing in court and looking to the federal government for help.
The piece argues that the power conferences may eventually need to break away from the NCAA and create their own structure with athletes and schools. As it stands, the money available through donors, streaming revenue and apparel deals is not unlimited, and it certainly is not spread evenly.
And football is only part of the equation. NIL money has to cover basketball too, which leaves even less for the other sports that don’t generate much revenue.
The bottom line is simple: the gap is widening, and schools like Kansas are getting squeezed by it. Players should be paid when their name, image or likeness helps generate revenue, but the current setup is not creating anything close to a level playing field.
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