Houston Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson is demanding more NIL budget for his program in a blunt way that alludes to the recent signings made by LSU Tigers coach Will Wade. This past week, coach Wade signed numerous players to his program who already have professional basketball experience.
Several discussions have been held regarding this, as some no longer have college eligibility. In a report by Chris Baldwin of On3, coach Sampson then compared his program’s financial capability, as wide as the Grand Canyon, to LSU’s, given LSU’s recent signings.
Along with this, he is urging his university to provide more support by bringing up Cougars football coach Willie Fritz. According to Sampson, the Cougars’ football team’s competitiveness results in a larger NIL budget for all the other sports teams of the school.
“If you want coach (Willie Fritz) to win at the level that LSU does…You know the difference financially between Houston and LSU? It’s not a bridge. It’s the Grand Canyon. Yet because of a guy like Coach Fritz, we’re competitive,” Sampson was quoted as saying.
For quite some time now, Sampson has pleaded with his university to provide more financial support to his basketball team through interviews and press conferences. While it seems Sampson is still not satisfied with the money allocated to his team, he continues to go through the offseason in hopes of a deep 2026-27 season run. This past year, the Cougars were eliminated in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Kelvin Sampson said that his budget was closer to the Texas Southern Tigers than being a known team in Texas
In a video uploaded by sports journalist Chris Baldwin to X/Twitter, Kelvin Sampson was seen speaking to a group of supporters. The tenured tactician then discussed how the Houston Cougars basketball budget looked when he arrived. Sampson entered the Houston-based program as head coach back in 2014. He then compared his budget as closer to that of the Texas Southern Tigers.
“We were not an American Conference team; we were more Sun Belt. We were more Horizon League. We were closer to Texas Southern than we were Texas. We had no money. We had no money. Yet, everybody gets mad when things don’t go well,” Sampson claimed.
Read More:
Major W for Kelvin Sampson as PG With Links to Dedan Thomas Jr. Commits to Houston
“Scared Money Don’t Make Money”: Kelvin Sampson’s Dig at NBA Teams Surfaces as Jamal Shead Shines
“Needs a Natty”: Fans Rally Behind Kelvin Sampson With Hope as Houston HC Clears Retirement Rumors
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!