​As the NIL era evolves, roster costs are also on the rise across college football. But Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop said Monday it’s important to leave ego “at the door” and not worry about money.Speaking at SEC media days, Bishop said it’s important to avoid getting caught up in individual success and chasing NIL dollars. Instead, he argued if the team thrives, that would give players a better chance of talking about how much they’re making.[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]Bishop also said focusing too much on NIL could make for tough discussions. If that’s the main priority, he argued it might not go the way players think it would.Tennessee’s DeSean Bishop, on leaving NIL pay and egos at the locker room door…“I tell you, it’s been tricky..Everybody wants to get paid, make the most money they can. But, the team comes first at the end of the day…” pic.twitter.com/WsGA1OFlVL— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) July 20, 2026“Man, I’ll tell you, it’s been tricky,” Bishop told reporters in Tampa. “… Everybody wants to get paid, everybody wants to make the most money they can. Obviously, the team comes first at the end of the day.“Once you put your ego out the door and leave that at the door and realize that, I may not make the money I want now, but if I keep doing what I’m doing and putting the team first and having team success, maybe down the road, we could negotiate that. We could talk about that. … Again, that’s some stuff that can get pretty sticky. You’re chasing the bag and it’s not always what it would seem like, at the end of the day.”College football is now very much into its $40 million roster era, as On3’s Pete Nakos previously detailed. In fact, Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan said earlier this offseason he thinks championship rosters could top $40 million in the current landscape. Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham also predicted multiple $50 million rosters could be coming to the sport in the not-too-distant future. Of course, schools can now directly share money with athletes through revenue-sharing. A $21.3 million cap is in place for the 2026-27 school year – the second under the landmark House settlement, which ushered in the rev-share era.SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business NewsletterOn the field, DeSean Bishop is getting ready for his third season at Tennessee as he looks to follow up a breakout 2025 season on Rocky Top. He led the Vols with 1,076 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns while adding 15 receptions for 135 yards in the passing game, as well.