UCF, Houston, UNLV tout no state income tax as college football portal season gets weird

The college football transfer portal has seen a unique strategy emerge as schools in states without income tax use this as a recruiting tool. Universities such as the Houston Cougars, UNLV Rebels, and UCF Knights have highlighted their states' lack of income tax to attract players, posting promotional content on social media platforms. Nine states, including Texas and Florida, currently do not levy state income taxes, offering potential financial benefits to college athletes taxed on NIL earnings and other benefits.

Despite this strategy, these schools rank outside the top 40 in 247Sports’ portal rankings, with Central Florida at No. 47, Houston at No. 49, and UNLV at No. 86. In contrast, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Houston are in the top 10 of On3’s portal rankings.

In a separate development, Arkansas has amended its tax code to make NIL income tax-exempt, aiming to attract athletes to its state institutions. Meanwhile, Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams