DESTIN, Fla. — Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte on Wednesday clarified two points the soccer program has made current headlines for, together with a scheduling change request for the season opener towards Ohio State and the overall quantity of NIL cash poured into the present roster.
Entrance Workplace Sports activities reported Tuesday that Fox Sports activities authorised Ohio State’s concept of shifting the blockbuster Week 1 matchup towards Texas on Aug. 30 in Columbus from Saturday’s midday time slot to prime time Sunday evening.
Del Conte, chatting with a small group of reporters at SEC spring conferences, confirmed he was approached about shifting the sport to Sunday evening — however shut it down due to the day, not the time.
“Why would I need to transfer the sport to Sunday evening and have a brief week for our boys who had been simply instructed we’re kicking off at excessive midday?” he stated. “It was by no means about shifting the time of day. It was simply, ‘Hey do you need to transfer the day?’ And I’m going, ‘We’re not shifting. We’re contractually obligated to this present day.’ That was it, however you understand, the craziness is ‘Oh my God, they stated no.’ I simply stated no to Sunday. I gotta go to church. I imply, sizzling dang.”
Del Conte additionally refuted a report that the soccer program spent $40 million to comprise its roster.
“That is bananas,” he stated.
Del Conte stated that due to Texas state legal guidelines, he would not understand how a lot NIL cash goes to soccer gamers, however that may change quickly if the NCAA settlement is authorised.
It is going to introduce a revenue-sharing mannequin that may permit colleges to pay about $20 million on to gamers in all sports activities, with soccer anticipated to occupy the majority of that sum.
Del Conte stated Texas will cut up its income share into percentages of 75 (soccer), 15 (males’s basketball), 5 (girls’s basketball) and 5 (different sports activities).
“In the event you put it in an ecosystem of two years, that might probably be it,” Del Conte stated of a $40 million soccer income, “however that is not a quantity that is correct 1748477476.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian additionally refuted the quantity this week.
“I want I had $40 million on our roster,” Sarkisian instructed Sirius XM this week. “We might most likely be a bit of higher group than we’re.”