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Scotty Walden is putting his money where his mouth is this college football season. The UTEP coach plans to donate 10% of his salary to fund NIL.
He does so as others in the state of Texas search for cash. Jeff Traylor of UTSA offered up a more creative idea as a way of landing a major donor.
Walden has coached two seasons in El Paso, posting a 5-19 overall record. That came after a four-year stint at Austin Peay where he’d just won back-to-back conference titles.
The coach signed a five-year deal with UTEP in 2024 that runs through the ’28 season. Each year, he receives a base salary of $500,000 alongside a media supplement of $300,000.
He is giving 10% of his $800k deal back to the Miners.
Scotty Walden donates $80k to NIL.
NEWS: UTEP coach Scotty Walden and his wife, Callie, plan to give $80,000 of his salary this year to the Miners’ revenue share for 2026, Walden told ESPN. Walden made $800,000 in 2025, which means he’s donating nearly 10-percent of his salary. pic.twitter.com/OADObOSIwP
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 5, 2026
Walden wants to see improvement on the field. He’s doing his part to ensure talent gets to El Paso.
The Miners just signed the second-ranked class in the Mountain West. Walden’s working to keep the momentum rolling on the trail.
While UTEP reaps the benefits of its head coach’s generosity, others around college football continue to search for funding. Jeff Traylor of UTSA was heard pitching an idea to the public in hopes of landing a major booster.
An NIL reality show?
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor on fundraising:
“I have an idea, sounds like East Carolina’s gonna copy it… I will give total access to this building at all times, 24/7/365.
We’ll have a live reality TV show if somebody will just go BUY us a national championship.” pic.twitter.com/2lliNIz50W
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) February 5, 2026
“We’ve got to find a way to fundraise, fundraise, fundraise,” he said in a recent media appearance. “I will give total access to this building at all times, 24/7/365. We’ll have a live reality TV show if somebody will just come buy a national championship.”
Traylor referenced conference rival East Carolina, who’s made headlines of late in connection with popular YouTuber Mr. Beast.
TRENDING: YouTube star Mr. Beast hinted at spending $100 MILLION on ECU to try to help them win a national championship 🤯
This would’ve sounded crazy a few years ago, but may not be out of the question now…
Mr. Beast lives in Greenville, NC, which is also where ECU is located… pic.twitter.com/h95cvpKACS
— Recruits CFB (@recruits_cfb) February 4, 2026
Traylor has been vocal on NIL struggles in the past. He understands that money is the name of the game.
Everyone is looking for an edge in recruiting. NIL has a direct impact on landing talent. These Texas coaches are going about it in different ways, but the end goal remains the same.