Kansas men’s basketball program reportedly outpaced NCAA in NIL money spending

While the 2023-24 Kansas basketball team had a disappointing season, it was one of the most highly lauded Jayhawk squads in recent history heading into the campaign. KU entered the year as the preseason No. 1 and national title favorites, but Bill Self and Co. was eventually bounced in the Round of 32 to Gonzaga.

Because they only returned three players from the previous year, the Jayhawks made plenty of portal additions in the offseason. One of those included Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, who was one of the most coveted players on the open market in college basketball history.

The end result wasn’t pleasant for Jayhawk supporters, but the athletic program spent a pretty penny on the players. According to 247 Sports, Kansas led all NCAA men’s basketball programs in NIL spending, topping $4 million total.

No one knows the exact amount each student-athlete profits off endorsements and NIL checks, but KU fans can assume it is a hefty amount. That $4 million or more was spent on a team with just ten scholarship players, meaning top contributors such as Dickinson, Kevin McCullar, and Johnny Furphy were probably getting paid well.

During the offseason, there was a rumor from an editor at The Wolverine Magazine that Kansas offered Dickinson a ballpark of $4 million to come to Lawrence. That number might be a rough estimate, but it is safe to assume the total NIL cash Dickinson received was upward of seven figures.

Everyone knows that KU prioritizes basketball over its other sports, even if more money has been poured into the football program in recent years. Self is the highest-paid coach in the entire nation, and now we know that they aren’t afraid to spend money on the transfer portal and other players.

Dickinson is likely returning to Kansas for one more year and the Jayhawks are already among the favorites to win it all in 2024-25. With how much NIL money KU is spending, Jayhawk Nation hopes next season will have a better outcome than the last.