According to a report by the Herald-Leader, UK Athletics allocated approximately $22 million to the 2025-26 men’s basketball team.
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.
How does UK’s team payroll rank nationally? Those specific numbers are also not public record, but the consensus in college basketball circles is that — while several other programs have gone beyond the $10 million threshold for their rosters this season — no team in the country will have a higher number than the Wildcats, and Mark Pope has not shied away from that distinction. “We have the best donors in college basketball. We have the best fans in college basketball,” Pope said in May. “This is the University of Kentucky — I never forget that — so we should be the best at everything. And put NIL and put the transfer portal on the list. Our job is to go be the best at everything.”
