Kentucky is Near the Bottom of the SEC in Athletic Donations

[Matt Dillon]

College sports are a money-making enterprise. In the revenue-sharing era, deep pockets prevail when it’s time to build a roster. Some schools in the SEC have more money to work with thanks to generous donors. It’s an uphill climb for Kentucky against its SEC competition.

Thanks to open records requests from Al.com’s Matt Stahl, we can see which SEC programs get a financial leg-up thanks to boosters. The only omission from the data is Vanderbilt, a private institution that is not subject to open records laws.

In 2025, Kentucky received $32,657,330 in athletic donations. That sounds like a lot, but it ranks second-to-last in the SEC, ahead of only South Carolina at $17.5 million. Furthermore, Kentucky was one of only three schools in the SEC that did not receive contributions specifically earmarked for the football program, joining Arkansas and Mississippi State.

Nine SEC teams received at least $50 million in athletic donations in the 2025 fiscal year. Shockingly, Texas A&M is just over that $50 million threshold, while the Texas Longhorns tripled that. Texas received more than $167 million in athletic donations, with $59.5 million going directly to the football program.

You are reading that correctly. Texas football received more money in donations than the entire UK Athletics Department.

Tennessee ranked second in the SEC with $110 million in athletic donations, and more than $50 million to the football program. Oklahoma, Alabama, and LSU round out the top five in the SEC.

Kentucky is Near the Bottom of the SEC in Athletic Donations - On3

[Matt Dillon]

It's easy to see why it's so difficult to have winning fb at Ky.

[fastkat]

It's easy to see why it's so difficult to have winning fb at Ky.

There's a saying in car racing, "Money=Speed". Just change it to Money=Wins

[largebluej]

I question the accuracy of that report, or at least its interpretation. Most of the seats at Kroger Field and nearly all of the permitted parking spots require a K Fund donation on top of the ticket/parking price. How are those not "football donations"? I certainly consider the $400 K Fund markup I pay for my green lot pass each season a football donation.

[Matt Dillon]

I question the accuracy of that report, or at least its interpretation. Most of the seats at Kroger Field and nearly all of the permitted parking spots require a K Fund donation on top of the ticket/parking price. How are those not "football donations"? I certainly consider the $400 K Fund markup I pay for my green lot pass each season a football donation.

Perhaps I took it wrong but, when I read the article, I took it to mean strictly donations. Not money tied to The K Fund or anything like that.

[largebluej]

Perhaps I took it wrong but, when I read the article, I took it to mean strictly donations. Not money tied to The K Fund or anything like that.

That is my point. The report doesn't count K Fund donations for football tickets and football parking as "football donations". I completely disagree with those categorizations.Those are football donations, no matter how the report tries to define them.

[Old School]

A donation is a gift, something given without compensation. Matt’s source excludes seat licenses and other payments made to receive something tangible like that in return. It’s quantifying proverbial blank checks, to the exclusion of what people are paying in order to receive seats and parking and that sort of thing.

[bthaunert]

Perhaps I took it wrong but, when I read the article, I took it to mean strictly donations. Not money tied to The K Fund or anything like that.

UK's FY25 athletic budget has a projected amount of K Fund donations of $32.2 million, which is roughly what this article is reporting. My feeling is Kentucky provided the K Fund numbers through the request and that's what is listed in the article. I mentioned this on the basketball board, but there is no way that 3 SEC schools did not get $1.00 earmarked towards football. It's impossible. There were definitely donations given to football only. It's a public information request sent to the university, and the university provided the K Fund numbers is what it looks like.

I have no doubt UK is in the bottom half, but I just don't think this is completely accurate.

[Old School]

If that’s right, they are misusing the word ‘donation’, and it’s really unfortunate that money spent on football ticket licenses isn’t earmarked for football instead of going to soccer or women’s whatever.

Seems a little off.

[Jaxcat]

Not sure of the exact amount, but, for sure, KY would be near the bottom. Looking at the other thread about NIL big spenders, UK cannot afford to compete with schools in our conference that spend >$30M on a football roster. It seems that Stein already knows that and is really ramping up recruiting HS kids. Yes, you take the chance they'll leave before they really develop and the hot commodity HS players will command big dollars. But, UK cannot rely on outbidding all the other P4 programs in the transfer portal to restock every year with elite talent (Mark Pope is learning that lesson again this offseason).