You have to pay to play.

That’s the way the new world of college sports works, especially football and men’s basketball, the two moneymakers for programs across the country. The financial aspect of competing is looming larger than ever now, and to win in those sports, it requires serious financial backing.

It costs now to recruit top talent from high school and even more to lure in top talent from the transfer portal, which can infuse instant upgrades to a roster. The Iowa Hawkeyes had a portal-heavy roster this year during their magical Elite 8 run during March Madness and will once again be shopping for more high-end talent.

Iowa won’t just be among the big spenders in the Big Ten, but On3’s Pete Nakos believes Iowa is going to be among those big spenders in the sport of college basketball, potentially nearing double-figures in the millions.

The Next Tier: $8 to $10 million

Louisville, Texas A&M, Iowa, St. Louis, Providence and BYU make up the next tier of top spenders, all expected to spend over $8 million and can touch $10 million if they want. Other top spenders of note will likely be Virginia and Washington, among others.

Alabama was in the $8 to $10 million range this season, and the Crimson Tide are expected to have similar funding available. They will be able to crack into the next tier if they need to, sources said. – Pete Nakos, On3

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The Iowa State Football program has been hard at work during spring practices with a new regime taking over following the departure of Matt Campbell. While a lot of the former head coaches’ players will be playing at other schools in 2026, one key player is hoping to hear his name called in the NFL Draft. 

It was a bit of an up-and-down season for the Cyclones, who had a nice winning streak to start the year, but followed it with a four-game losing streak. Some of the inconsistencies were related to injuries with key players being out on the defensive side of the ball. 

This was a unit that was expected to be a bit better than they were in 2026, but the secondary got completely decimated over the course of the year. This had a bit of a ripple effect on the rest of the team, even along their defensive front. However, one player was still able to put together a strong campaign despite all of the teammates around him being out, and now he will be hoping to be drafted into the NFL. 

ESPN NFL Draft experts recently predicted what the first three rounds would look like, and for Iowa State star Domonique Orange, they had him going to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 72nd overall pick. 

Orange Makes Sense for Bengals

After another year of failing to make the playoffs, Cincinnati undoubtedly has some work to do to get back to where they want to be. It wasn’t long ago that this team was in the Super Bowl, and Joe Burrow looked like he could be a main rival of Patrick Mahomes for years to come. 

However, injuries to Burrow the last couple of years have resulted in some of the struggles for the team, but they have also seen their defense really go in the wrong direction. With a top quarterback and two excellent receivers making a ton of money, the Bengals have had to save in other areas, and the defensive side of the ball is one of them. 

Drafting well is an easy way to save money and improve, and landing a player like Orange could be a good start for the Bengals. The talented defensive tackle was one of the best interior defensive linemen in the Big 12, and he should be able to come into the NFL and contribute right away. Due to the position not being a primary one, getting a potential contributor in the third round would be some excellent value for the Bengals.