Texas College Athletes’ Earnings Shrouded in Secrecy, Public Demands Answers

The landscape of college sports is shifting fast, especially in Texas. The first college basketball season under the new era of student-athlete compensation just wrapped up.

With March Madness ending, a lot of folks are wondering what player compensation really means for competition. There’s a lot to unpack around student-athlete pay, transparency challenges, and what all this might mean for the future of college sports.

The New Era of Student-Athlete Compensation

Starting in July 2025, schools across the country will be allowed to pay their athletes up to $20.5 million per year in revenue-sharing. This comes from a massive settlement in lawsuits against the NCAA.

Since 2021, student-athletes have also been able to sign Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals with private companies. But trying to figure out how much Texas student-athletes actually made last year? That’s almost impossible.

Public Records Requests and Institutional Secrecy

Houston Public Media sent public records requests to 11 Texas schools, including big NCAA basketball contenders like UT-Austin and Texas A&M. They asked for per-player pay and team financials.

All 11 schools refused to share this information. They pointed to state laws and federal privacy rules as reasons for withholding the data.

Texas Public Information Act and Its Exceptions

The Texas Public Information Act is supposed to give the public broad access to financial records from public institutions. But universities have kept student-athlete compensation details under wraps.

State legislation from 2023, sponsored by then-state Rep. Brandon Creighton (now Texas Tech chancellor), and the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) both back up this secrecy. FERPA, in particular, is about protecting student privacy.

The Financial Disparity Between Coaches and Athletes

Universities are much more open about coach salaries. UT-Austin shared that head football coach Steve Sarkisian makes a $4.4 million base salary.

Texas Tech’s football coach Joey McGuire earns $6.5 million. Meanwhile, student-athlete compensation details remain a mystery.

Revenue-Sharing Payments

UT-Austin did say it distributed $13.5 million in revenue-sharing payments to student-athletes from July 2025 through March 2026. That’s on pace for about $18 million over a full year.

No other Texas school has provided any high-level revenue-sharing numbers. It’s the only real glimpse into these payments so far.

Impact on Smaller Institutions

State Rep. Carl Tepper of Lubbock, who wrote the 2025 law allowing schools to pay players directly, has some worries. He thinks this lack of transparency could put smaller schools at a big disadvantage.

Schools like Prairie View A&M and private institutions such as Baylor and SMU might struggle to keep up financially. There’s a real risk some could even lose their Division I programs.

The Changing Nature of March Madness

Student-athlete compensation is also shaking up March Madness. For years, the NCAA required student-athletes to stay unpaid, offering only scholarships.

This old amateur model helped create those famous “cinderella” stories, where underdogs went way further than expected. Now, the new compensation rules might be changing that.

The Decline of Cinderella Stories

Lately, those cinderella stories are harder to find. This year’s Final Four? All big state schools, each seeded third or higher in their regions.

Tommy McClelland, Rice University’s athletics director, says the top programs now have most of the financial resources. It’s tough for underdogs to break through.

Unlimited Transfer Opportunities

The new compensation setup has also made transferring between schools much easier. Athletes can chase higher pay without much restriction.