The Texas Longhorns used to rule the roost with regards to raking in revenue and profit in the college football financial world. The Longhorns have an average $10 million per year coming from Nike and even more coming from an ESPN deal for the Longhorn Network. The team makes $31 million solely from advertising and licensing. The Longhorns made $100 million before any other team, but now the tides have changed.
Following their 2012 move to the SEC, the school’s monetary funds surged. SEC football schools will now get $41 million annually for distribution throughout the conference. Texas A&M has received many contributions from donors. As such, the team has received substantial increases in funds over the past couple of seasons. From 2014 to 2017, the team earned $260 million in contributions and averaged $148 million in revenue per year.
The Aggies’ athletic department spent the profits on College Station’s Kyle Field renovation (which cost $485 million) as well as new stadiums for the track and field and softball teams. The team also hired Jimbo Fisher, honoring him with a 10-year contract in which he will get $7.5 million annually. Fisher coached Florida State for 7 years, and LSU for 6 years before that.
Texas A&M beat Northwestern State (59-7) in late August, but the team then lost to No. 2 ranked Clemson last Saturday 28-26. Many suspect that the team’s donor support will fade if they are unable to show improvement on the field. They play Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday and then on to Alabama on September 22nd. Alabama, who is currently No. 1 ranked, is looking prosperous this upcoming season following their win last year. They are ranked fourth with $59 million in profits and $127 million in profits, right behind Michigan and the two Texas schools.
Featured Image via Flickr/Stuart Seeger
