Overview
- Sampson said Cronin sent the $1 to assistant coach Kellen Sampson to pass along, recounting the exchange in an interview with The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman.
- After a Feb. 4 win over UCF, Sampson said Houston has a "very poor" athletic department and linked funding constraints to recruiting limits.
- He clarified the next day that Houston is not poor and said his point concerned delayed payouts before the school joined the Big 12 in 2023.
- Houston spent about $99 million on athletics in the 2025 fiscal year, the lowest among power-conference programs, according to The Athletic as cited by ClutchPoints.
- ClutchPoints notes Houston is set to receive a full Big 12 revenue share this year, a change expected to increase the department's budget.