If you were drafting cliches, “money doesn’t buy success” is probably the chalk No.1 overall pick. Not even Cam Ward had this sort of consensus. It gets thrown around so often, people inadvertently, almost even subconsciously, begin disagreeing with it. But at its crux, the statement is true. There is a lot more resource that goes into being successful aside from money, especially in the sports realm. Talented players, for starters. Coaching acumen, chemistry, hard work and intangibles closely follow suit. And perhaps the most important yet most understated wrinkle- circumstance. Luck. There is another cliche that goes,“You’d rather be lucky than good.” But with all that said, money sure is a factor. You’d be naive, borderline delusional to say otherwise. More of a factor than ever in College Football with the advent of NIL. As Ryan Day’s Buckeyes just epitomized, and Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns hope to soon.
The College Football sphere is expanding its horizons and its footprint more than ever. However, it’s still an echo chamber for the most part. Doesn’t take much for one notion to spread across the entirety of its population, whether it’s fair or fallacious. One such notion is that Ohio State, in no uncertain terms, bought its way to the National Championship. That this blueblood ended its decade-long drought merely thanks to its deep pockets and willingness to exploit said pockets. For context, the Buckeyes’ 2024 roster cost an alleged $20 million. The most expensive team ever assembled in the sport. That money was reciprocated with interest and Ryan Day will probably do it again if he could. But it does put an asterisk on their Natty for some traditionalists and, frankly, haters. Evidently not for Texas and Steve Sarkisian, though.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: The Ohio State Buckeyes aren’t the most beloved football team in the country for those of a neutral persuasion. You’re always going to find people who undermine their triumphs. But interestingly, OSU’s strategy of assembling a stacked group of Avengers in a bid to win hardware has an adopter. There’s another blueblood going through a bit of a championship drought out in Austin. So, whether it’s the right thing or not, they too are walking the trail Ryan Day and co. just blazed. Building the most expensive roster in the history of the sport. Superseding the one that the Buckeyes just had. According to the Houston Chronicle, Steve Sarkisian-led Texas plans to spend $35-40M on their 2025 roster.
This revelation was made via a report relayed by CBS Sports on IG. “With revenue sharing & its NIL collective, Texas’ budget for the 2025 football roster reportedly sits between $35-40 million,” read the caption. Ohio State only had its NIL arsenal to mobilize. But pending the House Settlement, Texas will be supercharged by the introduction of rev-sharing as well. Which will allow them to spend that gaudy figure on the team. The Houston Chronicle also reports the school plans to spend the maximum allowed limit of $20.5 million via revenue sharing. A blanket limit set within the legislature of the House Settlement itself. If this report is true, and it seems to be, UT-A is clearly making a statement. They’re going to leave no stone unturned to get the burnt orange back to its pedestal. If Ryan Day’s OSU gets knocked off as a casualty, unfortunate for them.
This definitely puts the pressure on Steve Sarkisian. Sark and his teams have been knocking on the door for a couple of years now. Back-to-back playoff appearances mean they aren’t a long way away. So going all-out to nudge them over the line, break that glass ceiling, makes sense. But it’s now down to Sarkisian, QB1 Arch Manning and the rest of the team to do what Ohio State managed to do. Get aid financially, but also perform at the requisite level once the talent was acquired/kept in-house. You can guide the horse to the river, but you can’t make it drink the water. Yet another high pick in the pseudo-draft for cliches!
Befittingly, Texas’ tryst with following the Ohio State blueprint en route to the Natty actually begins in their building. The two teams clash in Columbus in week 1. Could this be the passing of the baton it promises to be? Or will Ohio State, now with a much-depleted roster after putting all their eggs in last season’s basket, prove there was more to winning than the Benjamins? Ryan Day will certainly make that argument. He has a fractured but tenable case for it, too.
The case for and against Ryan Day’s Buckeyes merely relying on money for their National Championship
Ohio State didn’t expend the majority of its $20 million on new players. It was mostly spent on keeping their core intact. A number of key contributors could’ve moved on to the NFL after 2023, but stuck around courtesy of NIL. Which helped offset the money they would’ve made if they turned pro. So in some ways, Ohio State didn’t go about things in a distasteful way. These were players that Ryan Day and his staff had helped develop, and not ready-made, plug-and-play guys from the portal. Which segues into why the case in favor of the Buckeyes is indeed fractured.
Even with a roster as stacked as theirs, Ohio State still needed to dip into the transfer portal for a quarterback. Will Howard wasn’t the biggest, most expensive name. But it is a financial outlay that pushed them closer to their goals. On a relatively more expensive note, Ryan Day also snagged Caleb Downs from the portal. Inarguably the best defensive player in the sport. A lynchpin for their championship win, who may not have been donning scarlet and gray if the NIL package didn’t blow the competition out of the water. After all, he was the No. 1 player in the portal at the time and a consensus 5-star leaving Alabama.
Another noteworthy name is Jeremiah Smith. Yes, Ohio State recruited its best player out of high school. But we do know money was a factor in pulling him to Columbus. Make no mistake, it wasn’t the only factor. Not even the primary factor by all accounts. This is a player who allegedly had unprecedented offers this season and turned them down. But a factor nonetheless. Come to think of it, it’s easy to see why Steve Sarkisian’s Texas are following this strategy. Whether it works just as well, we shall find out.
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