College sports have changed. For better or worse, we live in a completely different era of college athletics, the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) era.
The NIL door has been opened, and now it can’t be closed. The change in structure has left some universities thriving, others coasting, and some left trying to keep their programs relevant in the world of NIL.
Big Ten college basketball is no different and has a wide range of programs navigating NIL. CBS Sports did a report breaking down the conference by NIL spending and here’s how each university ranked:
Tier 1
The top tier of NIL spenders in the Big Ten are schools that spend over $20 million on their roster. Last season, just two schools in the country were in the top tier. This season there are 11, including two Big Ten universities: Michigan and Illinois.
Illinois has a rich history of college basketball success and, since the introduction of NIL, has found themselves in the highest tier of spending. Heading into this season, they have four players ranked in the top 53 players in the country according to CBS Sports top 100 players.
Michigan are the reigning NCAA Tournament champions. Their championship-winning roster was amongst the highest in the country in terms of NIL, and it’s carried over to this season, where they remain in the top tier despite losing most of their starters to the NBA Draft and head coach Dusty Maye to the Dallas Mavericks.
Tier 2
The only Big Ten team in the second tier is Indiana, who spent just under the top tier $20 million mark.
The Hoosiers have won five national titles in their history, but they haven’t made a Final Four appearance since 2002. Indiana looks to use their NIL spending to get back to the big games.
Tier 3
Teams that spend between $15 million and $17.5 million per season on NIL fall in the third tier. for the Big Ten, those two teams are Michigan State and USC.
USC has put an emphasis on using the transfer portal to build its roster, bringing in players like Eric Reibe from UConn, while also balancing with recruiting through players like Christian Collins, and the Ratcliff twins, Adonis and Darius.
Tom Izzo and Michigan State have kept their focus around recruitment and developing players. They made sure to bring back key players, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Coen Carr while also adding some talent through the transfer portal.
Tier 4
Four Big Ten schools find themselves in the fourth tier, Ohio State, Oregon, Maryland, and UCLA. NIL spending at this level ranges from $12 million to $15 million.
UCLA head coach Mike Cronin openly said on the Eyes on College Basketball podcast his roster costs $14 million. The other universities weren’t as open about their roster as Cronin but still invest heavily into their team in this tier.
Tier 5
Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin all fall in the fifth tier spending just over $10 million on their rosters. All very underrated programs that at times are just overshadowed by some of the teams in the conference that rank best in the nation.
Tier 6
Five Big Ten teams find themselves in the sixth tier spending around $7.5 million, up to $9.9 million. These include Iowa, Penn State, Northwestern, Purdue, and Rutgers. There is a lot of talent that comes from these schools, but with the new NIL format, they struggle to rise up the rankings.
Tier 7
Washington is alone in the Big Ten at the bottom tier of NIL spending. The Huskies are in a brutal spot with very little financial backing compared to other Big Ten Universities and in the seventh tier, are only spending between $5 million and $7million.
The NIL era has changed the sport forever, and no part of college basketball has been changed by it more than recruiting. Recruiting is no longer just about coaching or fit, as NIL money is now a major factor for every recruit.
Big Ten NIL Spending Gap Is Reshaping College Basketball Recruiting