College athletics is now all about who has the most money to buy the best roster. Well, the Kansas Jayhawks received a record-shattering donation today that seemingly sets the stage for them to be a dominant force in the Big 12 for years to come.
For generations, the pathway to building a roster that could contend for a National Championship was through the fine art of recruiting. Coaches skilled at connecting with players and persuading them that their programs were the best fit separated the men from the boys. However, those days are long gone.
Today, brands don’t mean what they used to. In the era of name, image, and likeness deals, the competition to acquire talent is more wide open than ever. As a massive influx of money has flown into the college ranks. It has helped bring some programs back to notoriety. While big brands have fallen back to the pack and don’t dominate the recruiting game like they once did.
The Kansas Jayhawks were already a notable brand in college sports. Specifically for the school’s previous success in basketball. However, they are not set up to become a force in whatever sport they want after Wednesday.
Kansas Jayhawks get $300 million gift from billionaire alum
“Just days before the Kansas Jayhawks football season kickoff against Fresno State on Aug. 23, the University of Kansas announced an unprecedented gift from alumnus David G. Booth of Austin, Texas. The extraordinary gift, amounting to approximately $300 million, is the largest in Kansas Athletics and University of Kansas history. And is among the largest single gifts in the history of college athletics,” the school said in a statement.
The “gift” will include $75 million specifically targeted to help fund the next phase of the Gateway District. And renovations to Kansas Memorial Stadium. The rest of the money will be used to help set up the long-term infrastructure to turn the school into a yearly force in college athletics.
The billionaire investor is a KU alum and has forked over large monetary gifts to the program in the past. Including a $50 million donation in 2017 for stadium renovations that helped get his name on the venue.
The donation could help shift the power in athletics to the Kansas Jayhawks in the years ahead. In a time where money is now a key part of winning, the donation makes them a bigger player in recruiting immediately. But it also sets the school up to continue to be a force in the years ahead through the increased revenue the university will earn from the Gateway and stadium upgrades.
Texas Tech, TCU, Virginia, Colorado, and all the other programs in the Big 12 now have a big Kansas problem on their hands.
