*This was a response in another thread... but I needed it to have its own thread.
OK, wise guys and negative nellies.... YOU do the math.
Use $20 million since that's the reported top NIL number in NCAA at Ohio State.
Now build a competitive roster AND sign a competitive recruiting class. Do it. But use the numbers these portal kids are asking.
I'll start it for you.
Lagway at $2 million would be right in line with what top QB's make.
That leaves you $18 million for 84 other kids.
Go ahead. Build your team.
What's next? OL? That's a LOT of mouths to feed.
Keeping an All-SEC center and a very good tackle and two starting guards at UF is a GREAT way to spend some bucks. But it AIN'T CHEAP. Those guys are probably the most valuable and rarest in the portal.
Add in the fact that we also have to pay something competitive to at least TEN other OL on the team so that we have depth and can hold practice... including top notch recruits over the years like Westphal and Dice who were in recruiting bidding wars... and you've probably spent AT LEAST $5 million and probably a lot more.
You're down to $13 million left... and you have only covered 2 of the 8 position groups. Oh crap, you're screwed.
You want to prioritize skill positions or D-Line next? I'm good with either.
Fine. D-Line it is. Getting Banks to return was huge and expensive. At least $750k you have to think, given the market for Silver at $1m+. Add in keeping Sapp and Gumbs and Lyons and James and Boireau and Taylor and all the others... INCLUDING the huge price tag for a 5-star like McCray (which we know is much more than $500k since Pyburn complained) and the incoming stud Woods... and you have easily spent $4 million on D-Line.
$9 million left... over HALF of the country's biggest NIL budget GONE... and you have ZERO running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, linebackers, corner backs or safeties. Oops.
You like Baugh? Hell yeah you do. Don't want him to take the Etienne route so you have to pay him fairly. But you have 4 other really good RB to keep as well... and 3 more incoming recruits who didn't come here to play for free. But I'll cut you a break and give you all 7 or 8 for $1.5 million. That's low, but let's move on.
$7.5 million left... so let's just spend the $500k on some tight ends. Again, this is very low for 3 or 4 guys... but I'm being fair to make a point.
$7 million left... to sign about 6 good LB and at least 8 good DB's. Yikes.
OH CRAP!! You don't have any WR yet!!
Big trouble for you. But you sign VB3 (not cheap) and you have Wilson and Hawkins and Abrams and Mizell and Burke and a few others to pay... including other recruits... but let's be cheap and say you got ALL of those guys for $2 million. Miracle if you pulled it off, but kudos to you.
$5 million to pay for really good LB and really good DB. Ouch.
Shemar, Pup, Graham, Robinson and Chiles are a FANTASTIC LB room. Want to keep all of them... AND of course pay the incoming stud recruits as well.
Pyburn got $500k... so let's just say that's the market price for great starting LB. But those names were all higher rated recruits than Pyburn. Lord knows what they cost to get. But I'm being generous and I'll say you get ALL of your linebackers for $2 million.
$3 million left... out of this GENEROUS $20 million budget... and you need to pay at least 7 good DB... plus all of the expensive incoming recruits like Hanks and Stubbs. But you somehow do it? MIRACLE!!
So there you go. You just spent MORE than any college team has spent and you have.... OUR CURRENT ROSTER... without any back up QBs or special teams player yet.
🤔
Oh... that's right. You complained about the transfer portal, didn't you?
You wanted to know why UF isn't just throwing $750k here and there at every kid who enters.
You wanted to know why UF was "broke."
You wanted to know why we aren't doing something.
You act like current players are willing to play for free.
GROW UP!!
This is a fricking business and it is being run like one. Any player we add from the portal will require EVEN MORE MONEY than the huge fictional budget I used in this example.
And YES... thank God we have a few dedicated boosters who will make that happen. We WILL get good portal players.
But just shut the hell up about what other schools are doing. They have the same budgets or less. If you see teams like LSU spending big... it's because they are spending less on their current roster because they lost players or because the current ones are no good.
We are going to have the most talented roster we've had in a LONG time in 2025. Start enjoying that.
DISCLAIMER: None of these numbers are hard facts. Purely my idea of how I would budget our expenditures. Don't think I am spilling the goods or anything.
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