If those numbers are even remotely true, it likely means that UK has the highest payroll in college basketball.
To put $22 million into perspective, the payroll number for John Calipari’s final Kentucky team was said to be “less than $4 million.”
Here is an excerpt:
What will the collective earnings be for this Kentucky team? The payroll number for the UK basketball team this season is around $22 million, the Herald-Leader has been told. That was the number as of the finalization of the House settlement, which set guidelines for what constitutes legal payments to players moving forward, so it’s likely the collective total for the Cats will rise with any legitimate name, image and likeness deals that come their way during the 2025-26 season.