Report: North Carolina men's basketball NIL payroll tops $14 million

Last season, Hubert Davis made it clear changes would be coming at North Carolina. He promised to hire a general manager to help the program in the NIL and transfer portal landscape, and those investments are becoming clear.

UNC’s NIL payroll is more than $14 million this year, according to a report from Inside Carolina. It’s part of the influx in support after the hiring of Jim Tanner as general manager and is almost triple the dollars from a year ago when the Tar Heels were the last team in the NCAA Tournament.

Tanner’s contract pays him $850,000 this year, according to the UNC salary information database. Additionally, the total compensation for the staff could be upward of $7 million, the report said. Davis also received a two-year contract extension after last season as the university started to invest in the program.

Davis was outspoken about North Carolina’s need to adapt in the changing landscape. General manager hires have become prominent across college sports, and Tanner’s NBA connections and experience as an agent are also important parts of the role. It also fits what Davis was looking for in the position.

“The old model for Carolina basketball just doesn’t work,” Davis said in February. “It’s not sustainable. It has to build out because there’s so many things in play with NIL, the transfer portal, agents, international players. You just need a bigger staff to be able to maintain things. You need a bigger staff so I can do what I’m supposed to be doing, and that’s coaching basketball.” 

North Carolina will have a slew of new faces in town next season, fueled by the No. 15-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. Five Star Plus+ forward Caleb Wilson headlines the group as the No. 5 overall player from the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On the transfer front, the Tar Heels have five players coming in, led by former Arizona forward Henri Veesaar – the No. 25 overall player in the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings. UNC also recently landed a commitment from touted international guard Luka Bogavac as part of the roster overhaul.

North Carolina is coming off a 23-14 overall record in 2024-25 as it snuck into March Madness as the last team in the bracket. The Tar Heels won their First Four matchup against San Diego State before falling to Ole Miss in the first round.