One year in, Eddie Nuñez has turned a lean UH athletic department into a stronger revenue engine as the Cougars prepare for a full Big 12 transition in 2025-26. The program cleared $100 million in annual budget for the first time, aided by surging merchandise sales and new corporate partnerships. NIL revenue sharing began this summer, costing at least $20.5 million annually, pressuring the department to diversify revenue streams beyond marketing and tickets. Nuñez aims for 20 new corporate partners this year and continues to push branding across TDECU Stadium and Fertitta Center to widen the footprint in Houston and beyond.

The year featured notable on-court and off-court milestones: a pair of GPA records, a strong men’s basketball Final Four run, and a community-focused drive that turned UH into a more tangible part of Houston’s fabric. A transparent budgeting process helped gain buy-in from the university, enabling faster budget approvals and a sharper focus on fundraising. Merchandise and licensing surpassed $1 million, signaling a maturation of the UH brand and fan engagement that should filter into future NIL activities and roster-building efforts.

Nuñez emphasized pragmatism with a long-term growth plan: lift the standard of excellence, ramp up ticketing and marketing, and maintain fiscal discipline while expanding sponsorships with local and Fortune 500 companies. Stadium and arena branding will be pursued with care to avoid a NASCAR-like visual clutter, while multi-year sponsorships in the red zone and signage plans could boost visibility and ROI. Coaching hires—Matthew Mitchell in women's basketball, Ben Williams in soccer, and Chrissy Schoonmaker in softball—anchor an ecosystem designed to leverage NIL, sponsorships, and fundraising into on-field and on-court performance.

As the calendar turns to 2025-26, UH’s trajectory signals a rigorous, business-minded approach to college athletics where the bottom line enables the top-line growth of the programs fans care about. The combination of elevated fundraising, new corporate partnerships, and a strategic NIL framework could translate into deeper rosters, stronger development pipelines, and more compelling fantasy and betting narratives around UH basketball and soccer as the Big 12 era begins in earnest.

Nuñez’s leadership style—transparent, aggressive in pursuing local partnerships, and committed to community connection—frames a program that aspires to translate Houston’s “small-town feel in a big city” into sustained athletic excellence. The next year promises greater visibility, more strategic investments, and a sharper focus on turning revenue into sustained competitive advantage for UH athletes and fans alike.

Marcus Spears Jr. sits atop ESPN’s SC NEXT 60 as the No. 1 basketball recruit in the Class of 2027, a designation that cements him as a marquee fantasy-scout prospect among high-school standouts. The 6-foot-7 power forward already has 12 offers, with heavy interest from Kentucky, Houston, and LSU, reflecting how quickly his stock is rising on the national stage. The piece highlights an extraordinary basketball pedigree: Spears Jr. is the son of Marcus Spears Sr., an ESPN NFL analyst who excelled at LSU, and his mother Aiysha Smith played college basketball at LSU before being picked in the WNBA draft. That lineage, plus ESPN’s hype, makes Spears Jr. a compelling long-term dynasty target for fantasy analysts watching future pros. His comment—focusing on work over recognition—signals a driven approach that could translate into rapid development wherever he lands. With LSU a potential fit and offers from major programs, Spears Jr.’s path will shape the 2027 recruiting class and could foreshadow a pro trajectory that fantasy managers will chase for years to come.

UNT remains rooted in its history while navigating a shifting college football landscape, and 95-year-old Ken Bahnsen's lunch-hour wisdom underscores a program that prefers stability over chasing major realignment. The Mean Green story centers on a cautious conference stance, the AAC home since 2023, and a systemic challenge: funding, fan support, and political clout necessary to keep pace with peers who chase bigger TV deals and NIL opportunities.

The piece contrasts UNT’s path with Texas State’s aggressive Pac-12 bid, illustrating how bold commitments and donor backing can alter a program’s trajectory. It traces UNT’s rise and later stagnation—from a high-profile late-’50s Missouri Valley run to an ongoing climb that requires more sugar daddies, facility upgrades, and long-term funding to compete for attention, bowls, and recruits.

In a landscape where realignment can change the math overnight, UNT’s leadership remains hopeful that volatility becomes an opening rather than a trap. The takeaways angle toward disciplined investment, alumni engagement, and an enduring belief that staying put isn’t free—it costs opportunity. The future, the piece suggests, hinges on bold choices and steady backing from the school’s base.