Kentucky Wildcats among the nation’s top NIL spenders with the 2026-27 basketball roster

Last season, reports indicated that Kentucky Basketball coach Mark Pope spent $22 million on his roster. The Wildcats’ season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with injuries playing a significant role in their campaign.

Starting point guard Jaland Lowe missed most of the season, while small forward Kam Williams missed the majority of the second half with a broken foot. Williams is still recovering from a second surgery. Starting big man Jayden Quaintance appeared in only a handful of games before shutting it down because of swelling in the knee on which he had undergone surgery.

Now, CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander and Isaac Trotter have released a report detailing how much each college basketball program spent on its roster for the 2026-27 season. The project took nearly six weeks and included conversations with more than 100 sources to compile the estimates.

The report also clarified how the figures should be interpreted.

“As a result, all schools are listed based on their rosters’ current projections on maximum earning opportunities — not what the school is paying/has on the books as of October.”

According to Norlander and Trotter, Kentucky is among the programs that spent more than $20 million on its roster this season. The Wildcats join Texas Tech, Illinois, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, St. John’s, Louisville, Duke, Tennessee and Michigan in that group.

Kentucky’s projected spending comes as little surprise given the roster Pope has assembled heading into his third season in Lexington.

One of the biggest additions is Milan Momcilovic, who transferred from Iowa State after establishing himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in college basketball. Although his NIL earnings have not been confirmed, rumors have circulated that Kentucky offered him $6 million to join the Wildcats. If accurate, that would represent a massive investment in a single college basketball player.

Kentucky also returns star big man Malachi Moreno, who is expected to take a significant step forward in his sophomore season. If he continues to develop, Moreno could put himself in the conversation for a lottery selection in the 2027 NBA Draft, although that remains to be seen.

The Wildcats also had significant work to do in the backcourt after Otega Oweh graduated and Jaland Lowe, Denzel Aberdeen, Jasper Johnson and Collin Chandler entered the transfer portal.

Pope and his staff responded by bringing in Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Mason Williams and Jerone Morton to help rebuild the backcourt and provide the team with a new group of guards.

While Norlander and Trotter did not specify Kentucky’s exact projected spending, the Wildcats’ inclusion among the programs that spent more than $20 million aligns with reports that the school spent approximately $22 million on last season’s roster.

With a revamped backcourt, the addition of an elite perimeter shooter in Momcilovic and the return of Moreno, Kentucky has made another significant financial commitment to building a roster capable of competing at the highest level of college basketball.