Michigan's Kyle Whittingham sees $50 million rosters becoming the norm

Ever since name, image, and likeness were introduced to the college football world, it has been an arms race among the top teams to bring in the most talent possible, both through high school recruiting and the transfer portal. In years past, we've heard talk of $20 and $30 million rosters for the top championship contenders, and in 2026, there has been mention of $50 million rosters at the very top.

According to Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham, the future of college football appears to be going to a place where a $50 million roster is less of an outlier and more the norm. In a recent interview with On3, Whittingham predicted that as many as 12-15 schools will have rosters costing more than $50 million per year from now on.

However, is that sustainable? The Wolverines' head man says no.

“There are a few schools that can weather that, but not many,” Whittingham said to On3. “So it’s already unsustainable for most schools and is only going to get more so until we come up with a model that provides some guardrails and works for everyone.”

There are few people in college football who would argue against the notion that the current model is unsustainable, but putting up guardrails to protect against it seems like a fool's errand at this point. President Donald Trump has worked recently to try to get involved and protect college athletics, but there seems to be little confidence that his involvement will result in anything meaningful.

Ultimately, it seems logical to believe Whittingham knows what he's talking about, and it's not hard to see the future that he is painting. Picturing how all of this is going to work, and trying to avoid a future where college athletics crumble in on themselves is much tougher, though.

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