"We Are Poor": Kelvin Sampson’s brutally honest take on Houston’s NIL budget

Name: "We Are Poor": Kelvin Sampson’s brutally honest take on Houston’s NIL budget
Uploaded: 2026-02-05T22:34:15Z
Description: "We're poor." University of Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson didn't hold back when discussing the Cougars' financial standing in the new NIL era. Despite being a national powerhouse, Sampson warns that the program has one of the lowest budgets in the Power Four and may eventually have to "stop" recruiting elite players if the funding doesn't catch up to the market value.

"We're poor." University of Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson didn't hold back when discussing the Cougars' financial standing in the new NIL era. Despite being a national powerhouse, Sampson warns that the program has one of the lowest budgets in the Power Four and may eventually have to "stop" recruiting elite players if the funding doesn't catch up to the market value.

Posted February 5, 2026 4:34pm CST