Texas College Football Program Adopts NFL Model after Ex-Oklahoma QB Leaves for Higher NIL Offer

A few months ago, Steve Keasler had power in the world of Texas high school sports. As AD at powerhouse Southlake Carroll, he ran what many called an empire. But last August, Keasler traded Friday night lights for a new frontier. He stepped away after 36 years in education to lead North Texas’ NIL program. Now perched in his office overlooking DATCU Stadium, Keasler admits the move was a leap into the unknown. Because UNT began paying athletes directly on July 1, joining hundreds of schools nationwide. So, for Keasler, the past few months have been less about steady ground and more about uncharted waters. As he puts it, they’ve been “building the ship while sailing it.” However, UNT spent months mapping out its playbook for the revenue-share era. Budgets were reshaped. NIL dollars were raised. Supporters chipped in. And then came the toughest call. How to split the money?

The school divided revenue across its programs and then tried to decide how each athlete would get paid. Here, AD Jared Mosley said the payouts will follow the flow of funds into the school. A model built to mirror national guidelines. Those guidelines were set in the landmark House v. NCAA case, which unlocked $2.8 billion in back pay for past athletes. So, the formula is clear: 75% to football, 15% to men’s hoops, 5% to women’s hoops, and the final 5% spread across the rest. Here, the Texas program shifts to NFL-Style blueprint.

On August 17, college football attorney Mit Winter released an in-depth breakdown of how North Texas is tackling the new revenue-sharing era. UNT took a page straight out of the NFL playbook when it came to paying football players. The school carved up more than $2M, splitting it by position groups: QBs, RBs, and beyond, mirroring how pro teams allocate salaries across a roster. At the same time, Keasler was hustling on another front. And his mission: find fresh revenue streams to keep UNT’s top talent from bolting. Last season, stars like Chandler Morris slipped away to bigger programs higher up the CFB food chain. So, this time, the Mean Green want to pay to keep their best in Denton. But why did Morris really leave?

Well, there have been highs and lows for UNT, but the toughest hit came when their ship crashed into reality. Star QB Chandler Morris bolted for Virginia. Despite the program’s push to keep him, the pull of the NIL market proved too strong. Look, Morris had revived his career in Denton after stops at TCU and Oklahoma, making him one of the hottest names in the transfer market. Given that, the Mean Green fought hard, lining up support and pitching deals in the $300K to $500K range. But in the new revenue-share era, that wasn’t enough. Virginia came calling with a $1.2M offer, and UNT simply couldn’t match it. As GM Steve Keasler put it, they weren’t even in the ballgame. So now, the question is simple: what’s next for UNT?

“We were completely money-whipped.” That’s how UNT summed up the reality of this new era in college sports. Revenue-sharing is here, NIL deals are exploding, and the Mean Green know they can’t win every fight. But the goal is to win enough to stay competitive. Interestingly, the NCAA now allows schools to share up to $20.5 M with athletes. And the AAC set its own bar at $10M in added benefits over 3 years. So, UNT wants to go higher, aiming to fund its programs in the league’s top third. Now, with a $53M budget, 6th in the AAC last year, UNT sees that target as the landmark for long-term success. How can they make it happen?

Texas staff’s path to long-term success

With dollars now flowing to players, money’s importance has increased. Given that, Eric Morris, UNT’s football HC, put it bluntly: recruits only care about two things, “How do I fit in your system, and how much can you pay me?” But Athletic Director Jared Mosley knows the stakes.

“If we’re not going to fund our programs to the same degree others are, we know what the results of that are going to be on the fields and courts of competition,” said Mosley. “Our goal is to continue to charge ahead in that area while getting people to step up and help us.” That push includes hiring Steve Keasler as senior associate AD for NIL/GM, moving NIL operations in-house, and launching the Green Lights Fund to give donors a direct way to fuel athlete opportunities. But success will come down to buy-in.

Some supporters are still cautious, while others are all-in. Here, longtime donor Randy Wright and his wife, Laura, already pledged $500 K toward the athletic center expansion and plan to support NIL as well. “I’m confident that they’re ready for this,” said Wright. “I understand this is going to be a challenge. We all understand that.” Now, with the rising challenge of the CFB NIL era, let’s see how North Texas is building a winning roster for success.