Id like to give you a specific number, but the current admin...
Has been playing a shell game with NIL funds.
For example, lets say sport-specific NIL donations/contributions for the 3 major mens sports goes like this:
Football: 10 million
Basketball: 2 million
Baseball: 1 million
(What I mean by this is someone says "hey I want 1 million to go to baseball and baseball only" or football only, etc.)
And on top of that lets say the University has 10 Million to put into any of these buckets they choose. This could come from donations that dont have a specific sport designation. It could come from other funds. Just anything not from sport-specific contributions.
Lets say they decide to allocate the 10 million they have as follows:
Football: 7 million
Basketball: 2 million
Baseball: 1 million
That means in total it should look like:
Football: 17 million
Basketball: 4 million
Baseball: 2 million
Now lets say you come to the University and say, I want to give Basketball 1 million dollars...no one else.
The Ath Dept will add your 1 million to the sport specific pile, but take away 1 million from the general pile and allocate it elsewhere.
So after your donation it would look like:
Sport specific
Football: 10 million
Basketball: 3 million
Baseball: 1 million
General donation
Football: 8 million
Basketball: 1 million
Baseball: 1 million
So now Football has 18 million, and Basketball and Baseball have the same amount as they had prior to your donation.
Now, they can only get away with this if the sport has not spent the money they were told would be allocated.
But if someone tells Basketball they have 4 million, and they go get a million dollars in donations and think theyre operating with 5 million and tell...lets say...Jordan Ivy-Curry that he can have 1 million...then basketball finds out "oopsie, someone has been playing with our funds" and Jordan Ivy-Curry doesnt have any money and so he decommits
So...Id like to tell you it will take X dollars. But it truly doesnt matter...those funds are just going to be funneled to football one way or another. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me to see it happen on a smaller scale to wrestling. They should spend that money quickly and kudos to them for making a big announcement, making it harder to take away that allocation.
Thread Replies (41)
A Little NIL Perspective: Building an NCAA Roster in 2026
-- jjbeat
May 04, 2026 at 04:36 PM ET
jjbeat
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05/04/26 04:36 PM ET
Quick search says UT MBB program generated $12M in profit, FWIW.**
-- 40ozDistrict
May 05, 2026 at 12:21 PM ET
40ozDistrict
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05/05/26 12:21 PM ET
How much NIL dd the fans provide for the team to generate that profit?**
-- JM397
May 05, 2026 at 02:20 PM ET
JM397
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05/05/26 02:20 PM ET
Help me understand what youre asking...
-- GCHokie34
May 05, 2026 at 03:38 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/05/26 03:38 PM ET
Funding for coaches vs funding for athletes...
-- Gobbler Guru
May 06, 2026 at 01:53 PM ET
Gobbler Guru
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05/06/26 01:53 PM ET
Agree there is no way to know exactly what "all in" is in terms of $$$.
-- Vippie1
May 06, 2026 at 09:38 AM ET
Vippie1
•
05/06/26 09:38 AM ET
Id like to give you a specific number, but the current admin...
◄
-- GCHokie34
May 06, 2026 at 12:36 PM ET
GCHokie34
•
05/06/26 12:36 PM ET
Another good post. The AthDept follows the United Way
-- saret
May 06, 2026 at 12:54 PM ET
saret
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05/06/26 12:54 PM ET
NIL funds can be handled by the university independent of Triumph...
-- GCHokie34
May 06, 2026 at 01:00 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/06/26 01:00 PM ET
Thanks for the response. This is an honest question. I believe you
-- saret
May 06, 2026 at 01:10 PM ET
saret
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05/06/26 01:10 PM ET
Tennessee/Virginia v. NCAA
-- GCHokie34
May 06, 2026 at 01:44 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/06/26 01:44 PM ET
I was really trying to estimate how much teams spend on players through
-- JM397
May 06, 2026 at 05:05 AM ET
JM397
•
05/06/26 05:05 AM ET
GC, this is an excellent, excellent post. Bravo!**
-- saret
May 05, 2026 at 04:40 PM ET
saret
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05/05/26 04:40 PM ET
I thought NIL is an “off books” expense since it is not paid by the school
-- Femoyer Hokie
May 05, 2026 at 03:59 PM ET
Femoyer Hokie
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05/05/26 03:59 PM ET
July of last year was the start when you could bring NIL in-house
-- GCHokie34
May 05, 2026 at 05:18 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/05/26 05:18 PM ET
I believe the University can not touch funds that are NIL
-- Nelsonia Hokie
May 07, 2026 at 12:34 PM ET
Nelsonia Hokie
•
05/07/26 12:34 PM ET
That is what the AD stated**
-- Nelsonia Hokie
May 07, 2026 at 06:36 PM ET
Nelsonia Hokie
•
05/07/26 06:36 PM ET
There is a lot of context missing here...
-- GCHokie34
May 07, 2026 at 06:44 PM ET
GCHokie34
•
05/07/26 06:44 PM ET
Are we finished adding to our current roster for this season?**
-- YBYSAIAHokie
May 05, 2026 at 12:14 PM ET
YBYSAIAHokie
•
05/05/26 12:14 PM ET
No, my bet is they add at least 3 probably 4 more
-- GCHokie34
May 05, 2026 at 05:20 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/05/26 05:20 PM ET
From the portal? I thought it was closed.**
-- YBYSAIAHokie
May 06, 2026 at 12:32 PM ET
YBYSAIAHokie
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05/06/26 12:32 PM ET
Likely 2-3 from the portal, 1-2 HS
-- GCHokie34
May 06, 2026 at 12:40 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/06/26 12:40 PM ET
Doubt it. IF they can find 2-3 more, another big, a PG and a 3-4 wing.**
-- ancient alien 2018
May 05, 2026 at 02:30 PM ET
ancient alien 2018
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05/05/26 02:30 PM ET
5 million?That's like the 10th overall NBA pick. This is insane,competing
-- HokieBrazil
May 05, 2026 at 07:50 AM ET
HokieBrazil
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05/05/26 07:50 AM ET
Ky spent 20 million last year and now the faithful want the HC gone.
-- ancient alien 2018
May 04, 2026 at 06:21 PM ET
ancient alien 2018
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05/04/26 06:21 PM ET
That's the thing - if VT spends $5-10MM on a roster and makes the
-- hokiehill1117
May 05, 2026 at 08:34 AM ET
hokiehill1117
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05/05/26 08:34 AM ET
Yeah - no one is asking to match TN in this example….
-- GoldCoast
May 06, 2026 at 09:43 AM ET
GoldCoast
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05/06/26 09:43 AM ET
Unless youre including rev share, VT did not spend 5-10 mil this season**
-- GCHokie34
May 05, 2026 at 03:41 PM ET
GCHokie34
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05/05/26 03:41 PM ET
I wouldn't but that's just me.**
-- ancient alien 2018
May 05, 2026 at 10:24 AM ET
ancient alien 2018
•
05/05/26 10:24 AM ET
I am curious what your target budget would be for VT basketball
-- hokiehill1117
May 05, 2026 at 01:29 PM ET
hokiehill1117
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05/05/26 01:29 PM ET
To be competitive, $8-10 million. 22 wins most seasons. Will it
-- ancient alien 2018
May 05, 2026 at 02:26 PM ET
ancient alien 2018
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05/05/26 02:26 PM ET
I think we are on the same page - if we get to spending $8-10MM with
-- hokiehill1117
May 06, 2026 at 08:54 AM ET
hokiehill1117
•
05/06/26 08:54 AM ET
Is that 8 to ten include rev share? or just nil**
-- vtox1
May 05, 2026 at 07:09 PM ET
vtox1
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05/05/26 07:09 PM ET
Said in Nate Bargatze's voice, "nobody knows..."**
-- hokiehill1117
May 06, 2026 at 02:49 PM ET
hokiehill1117
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05/06/26 02:49 PM ET
To me it waters down the meaning of it all.
-- NC Hoke
May 04, 2026 at 05:39 PM ET
NC Hoke
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05/04/26 05:39 PM ET
Waters down the meaning of what? Only difference now is it's in the open.**
-- marcbvtgm
May 05, 2026 at 10:31 AM ET
marcbvtgm
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05/05/26 10:31 AM ET
Between the NIL and the related "rent a player" for a year model the care
-- Tuckahokie
May 05, 2026 at 06:01 AM ET
Tuckahokie
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05/05/26 06:01 AM ET