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It costs big bucks to keep the Texas Longhorns football team rolling.
Longtime Texas reporter Kirk Bohls published a column on Tuesday for the Houston Chronicle in which he discussed the Longhorns’ payroll. Bohls reports that Texas’ football team currently costs between $35 million to $40 million. Bohls says that figure includes $20.5 million in revenue sharing funds from the athletic department, combined with payouts through a Texas NIL collective.
The figure for Texas is pretty huge, especially when you consider it was just a few years ago that college sports were considered to be an amateur enterprise, and student-athletes were not allowed to make money on their name, image and likeness. Ohio State reportedly had spent over $20 million on its roster last year, and that paid off as it won the national championship.
Bohls also reported that Arch Manning makes the most money on the Texas team, which should not come as a surprise. However, the quarterback does not take any money from the school and instead makes his money through NIL deals independently arranged by his representatives.
At some point, there will likely be regulations and legislation surrounding how much money schools can pay players. For now, matters are unregulated, which has led to effective free agency every year in college football and several players commanding seven-figure deals. For a school like Texas that has made the College Football Playoff two years in a row and has a large group of wealthy boosters, the pay-for-play deals is not a problem.
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There's a freshman on the Texas Longhorns defense who is not only turning heads in fall camp, but pushing for immediate playing time
USC Trojans' Luke Huard Reveals Jayden Maiava's Confidence Level in Year Two with Program
It’s a short distance from the locker room to Howard Jones field, but USC Trojans redshirt junior Jayden Maiava brings the energy every morning. He hypes up his teammates as he jogs onto the field. Maiava has become more of a vocal presence this season. He dances and vibes to the music being played during the stretching period. He doesn’t hesitate when he comes to getting on the guys, but at the same time he’s encouraging them when they make a play. USC coach Lincoln Riley said during Big Ten Media Days that Maiava has found his voice with the team. Several players spoke during the team’s media days last week about Maiava embracing a leadership role. A second year in the Trojans program, getting acclimated to playing at Southern Cal and working under Riley and offensive coordinator Luke Huard has changed everything for Maiava. “You can just feel Jayden being more and more comfortable in his own skin, and more comfortable being one of the leaders of this football team and operating this offense,” Huard said. "You just feel an improved and elevated level of confidence with the way that he's going about his business. And he is always one that wants to learn more, wants to gain more knowledge, never satisfied with where he's at.” The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maiava transferred from UNLV to USC in January 2024, after winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in 2023. He competed with Miller Moss in the spring and during fall camp, but it was the Moss who won the starting job. Maiava appeared in just three contests, attempting 11 passes through the first 10 weeks of the 2024 season. But after a disappointing loss to Washington on the road, which dropped the Trojans to 4-5, Maiava took over as the starter in November. He went 3-1 as a starter and accounted for 14 total touchdowns in the process. Fast forward to now, Maiava has been with the Trojans for over a year and half. Familiarity and finding a routine are huge for a quarterback. Maiava's been meditating and reading more. “The thing with Jayden is that he's asking a lot more questions,” Huard said. “And I think when you ask more questions, usually that's because you've had a little bit more understanding of what's going on, and now you're getting into some of the finer details. Okay, maybe, 'What is the defense thinking on this? Or, hey, how is our offensive line target this?' So just some of the finer details you can just, you can tell like he's gained so much knowledge of this system and wanting to learn more and more.” Maiava fits the mold of quarterbacks that have been successful under Riley with his arm talent and ability to make plays with his legs. Moss was not much of a threat to pull the ball on zone read plays or create off-script plays. Riley was also not calling quarterback designed runs with Moss, something he could do with Maiava. So, having Maiava running the show should open up the offense a little bit more. “When you have an athletic quarterback that on any given play, if he's got green grass in front of him, you can stick that foot in the ground and go get a bunch of yards,” Huard said. “That puts a lot of pressure on defenses, forces them to have to count for that position in their own game, potentially, and so certainly that's an advantage, and certainly can draw people out of coverage and give you the benefit there of less people in coverage. So there's certainly a lot of things that go along with quarterbacks that have athleticism can put pressure on the defense.”
Justin Fields Called 'Biggest Loser' In Jets Training Camp
The New York Jets opted to cut Aaron Rodgers and sign Justin Fields to replace him during the offseason. This kind of commitment to Fields should bolster his confidence, but it could also place a lot of pressure on his shoulders. To this point, Fields has looked solid in training camp, aside from a scary toe injury that was quickly resolved in July. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently reported that Fields' training camp may have reached a new low over the weekend as the young signal caller struggled. "Justin Fields put together his best practice of the summer to this point on Friday, completing his first 12 passes en route to an excellent all-around performance. The same can't be said about his showing on Saturday, however," Fried wrote. "Fields finished the day an abysmal 2-of-10 in the air, including a drop from rookie tight end Mason Taylor. "Some of his incompletions were catchable balls, but the Jets' passing game struggles on Saturday can largely be blamed on No. 7. Fields did flash his running ability with a 25-yard rushing score on the first play of red-zone drills, but the Jets would like to see more consistency in the air from the starting quarterback. Saturday's scrimmage was far from his best showing of the summer." Fields is a runner first at the NFL level, but his arm is nothing to scoff at. For most of training camp, his arm talent has been better than advertised, but during Saturday's scrimmage, it just wasn't there. A 2 for 10 performance is unacceptable for a $40 million quarterback who was signed to take over the team. The running game should open up the passing game for the Jets, which is going to need to be the case if Fields is going to struggle like this. However, it's just one day of camp. It's nothing to be too concerned about. Just because Fields lost this specific practice doesn't mean he's heading in the wrong direction as a whole.
Spurs risk roster issues with De'Aaron Fox extension
When the San Antonio Spurs traded for De'Aaron Fox midway through last season, their guard rotation appeared to be wide open. Stephon Castle was the only other long-term ball-handling prospect on the roster and, despite a strong year, was still a rookie. However, the NBA Draft has seen the addition of Dylan Harper, another young guard with All-Star potential, and the ability to one day lead the Spurs franchise next to Victor Wembanyama. Harper's addition and Castle's emergence as the 2025 Rookie of the Year raised questions about Fox's fit and long-term future in Texas. The problem was that Fox was eligible for an extension this summer. On Monday the Spurs inked Fox to a four-year $229M deal, with no player option for the final year. The new contract, which will see Fox earn approximately $57.25M per year, will kick in next summer. Suddenly, San Antonio has a young guard rotation of Harper, Castle and Fox, all of whom struggle to score on the perimeter, and have shown issues when letting shots fly off the dribble. "The Spurs already had two point guards who struggled from distance in Stephon Castle, whom they spent the No. 4 overall pick on in 2024, and De'Aaron Fox, whom they acquired in a deal with the Sacramento Kings ahead of the February trade deadline," Bryan Toporek wrote for Forbes on Saturday. "Castle shot 28.5% from deep on 4.1 attempts per game as a rookie, while Fox is a career 33.0% three-point shooter who has shot 32.5% or worse from downtown in five of his seven NBA seasons." Fox's new salary will ensure teams will think twice about trading for him. He is, after all, a high-level talent, but not one capable of spearheading a roster. In truth, San Antonio may have repeated the Chicago Bulls' error from when they paid Zach LaVine $215M over five years back in 2022. We saw how difficult it was for Chicago to move on from LaVine. Fox is a tertiary star on a contending roster. And now, he's being paid like one of the top talents in the NBA. The Spurs would have been wiser to cut their losses with Fox and build around Castle and Harper as their guard rotation. Still, the decision has been made, and Fox is now cemented as the lead guard for the next half a decade (once you include the upcoming season), giving Castle and Harper room to grow as two guards who can complement Fox's play style and add some grit or explosiveness to the rotation. San Antonio is a franchise that rarely puts a foot wrong. However, the decision to pay Fox may come back to haunt it as a costly misstep. In the modern NBA, you can't have three non-shooting guards in the same rotation. Yet, somehow, head coach Mitch Johnson must figure out how to make it work. Not the greatest task for a young coach heading into his first full season with the franchise.
NBA Notes: Raptors, Immanuel Quickley, Jordan Clarkson, Knicks, Sixers, Tyrese Maxey
A five-year deal completed nearly a year ago is still shaping the way NBA teams and agents are approaching restricted free agency. According to ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks, the contract that Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley signed last July has become a major sticking point. The deal, which includes $162.5 million in guaranteed money and another $12.5 million in incentives, averages $32.5 million per season and could reach $35 million annually. “The Immanuel Quickley contract has totally screwed up restricted free agency,” Marks said during an appearance on ESPN’s YouTube channel. “Because that’s where agents are looking at like the benchmark. Certainly, [Bulls guard] Josh Giddey’s like, ‘I want that contract.’ That number has screwed up a lot of things.” Marks said agents are citing Quickley’s deal in negotiations for other young guards with similar production and upside, but teams haven’t been willing to match the price tag. “I don’t think Toronto got enough heat for that number,” he added. “Because Immanuel Quickley is not a $32, $33 million guy.” Clarkson Still a Wild Card for Knicks The Knicks are hoping Jordan Clarkson provides a spark off the bench, but there is uncertainty about what exactly he brings at this stage of his career. As one Western Conference scout told The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, Clarkson hasn’t played meaningful basketball in quite a while and remains a bit of a mystery heading into the 2025–26 season. Still, one Knicks source believes the veteran scorer is “exactly what we needed,” and sees him as a strong fit off the bench. A veteran coach who spoke with Bondy sees upside but also concerns. “High-level shooter. Good going right,” the coach said. “Wild-card-type player. Throw him out there and see if he can get hot. But there’s not much else from a production standpoint. And it’s ugly on defense.” Maxey Gives Back in Philly Tyrese Maxey continues to make an impact beyond the court. The 76ers guard hosted a free youth basketball camp over the weekend and donated $60,000 through his foundation, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. Maxey’s community efforts have become a regular part of his offseason work in the Philadelphia area. More NBA News Rumors
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