Kelvin Sampson delivered a foreshadowing message on the Houston Cougars' approach to recruiting players in the future.
Sampson has been the Cougars' coach since 2014, elevating the program to a firm status of national contention. He recently led them to the national championship game last season, falling to the Florida Gators in heartbreaking fashion.
His success over the years have showcased his ability to flourish in the toughest conferences. However, the NIL era has given challenges to every school in the country. Sampson and Houston are no exception.
The longtime coach recently talked about the program's recruiting approach for the 2026 offseason, per reporter Joseph Duarte. He noted that the transfer portal will have a bigger role than in past seasons.
“Houston coach Kelvin Sampson says he’s likely to use transfer portal more this offseason than in the past,” Duarte wrote.
This comes after his postgame commented in the Cougars' win over the UCF Knights on Feb. 4. He mentioned how “poor” the program's NIL budget was, seeing how behind they were to the incumbent Big 12 squads.
“We have a poor athletic department,” Sampson said. “We're poor. We were poor when I got here, and we're still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power 4. The way our recruiting is going, we have to stop at some point because we don't have enough money. It's not about who we want to sign, it's about who we can afford to sign.”
“We participate in the NIL just like everybody else, we know what our kids' market value is. Trust me, they're not starving here, their getting exactly what the market is for them…Teams that have the best recruiting classes usually have the most money. That's the way it is today…A lot of these kids we have will come back, but who knows who else we'll sign because of how much money we have. It's not about who we want to sign. It's about who can we afford to sign.”
What's next for Kelvin Sampson, Houston
Kelvin Sampson has enjoyed remarkable success with the Cougars, gifting them seven NCAA Tournament appearances and two Final Four runs. However, NIL will continue to be a test for him and the program as well as the rest of the country.
Houston boasts a 20-2 overall record on the season, going 8-1 in its Big 12 matchups so far. They sit at second place in the conference standings, being above the Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas Jayhawks while trailing the Arizona Wildcats.
Rolling with three straight wins, the No. 8 Cougars will look forward to their next matchup, being on the road. They take on No. 16 BYU as the contest will commence on Feb. 7 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
