Five things to know about K-State’s plan for funding competitive teams in Big 12

Kansas State athletics director Gene Taylor says the Wildcats are working hard to increase the money they spend on rosters in today’s age of revenue sharing and NIL for players, but they are unable to match the top payrolls in the Big 12.

He’s betting new coaches Collin Klein (football) and Casey Alexander (men’s basketball) can win without overspending, just like a small-market team in MLB.

FULL STORY: Gene Taylor outlines Kansas State’s plan to compete with top spenders in Big 12

Here are five things to know about K-State’s budget philosophy:

• K-State expects to spend roughly $19 million on its football roster and $6 million on men’s basketball next season. Those numbers are all-inclusive and feature money from both revenue sharing and NIL deals.

• At $19 million, the Wildcats will likely have a competitive football payroll. They may even have one of the biggest in the Big 12. But Texas Tech reportedly spent nearly $30 million on its football roster last season. BYU wasn’t far behind. The biggest spenders in the sport are thought to have $40 million rosters. K-State will lag behind the group.

• Men’s basketball is probably a different story. K-State likely ranks near the bottom of the Big 12 at $6 million. Conference rivals Arizona, BYU, Kansas and Texas Tech are all aggressive spenders. The most expensive rosters in the country are close to $20 million.

• Alexander and Klein both think they have assembled competitive rosters, even though they had to recruit “on a budget.” Taylor has confidence that both of his new hires can win without chasing expensive transfers.

• Taylor has decided to take a “conservative” approach to NIL spending, because the College Sports Commission has been slow to approve NIL deals that are valued at over $600. He said one K-State athlete agreed to a $100,000 NIL deal that was ruled 50% above market value, forcing the school to scramble for another arrangement to pay the player.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Five things to know about K-State’s plan for funding competitive teams in Big 12."

Kellis Robinett

The Wichita Eagle

Kellis Robinett covers Kansas State athletics for The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas City Star. A winner of more than a dozen national writing awards, he lives in Manhattan with his wife and four children.