UK near the bottom of SEC (2nd to last) in athletic donations!

[Pobilly]

https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-w...l-fundraising/

It is time to stop thinking of UK as one of the better athletic departments. Texas raised 167 million in donations for athletics with 67 earmarked for football alone. Tennessee raised 110 million in 2025 with 50 mil earmarked for football. UK raised a little over 32 million as a whole athletic program with 0 earmarked only for football. Things will not get better but worse from here. Just get used to it. This has 0 to do with loyalty. This is 1000% about pay me to play for you.

We are sucking hind tit (as the old saying goes). Only South Carolina has raised less. Think about that. Mississippi State has raised more, Vandy has raised more, Mizzou has raised more. The problem is on Pope for basketball for sure but he is not going to get enough help to make a difference anyway. Stein has momentum but how long will that last going against the top 2/3 of the SEC that has raised that kind of money. We have seen the best of Kentucky sports and if $$ rule we will now (in the next few years) start witnessing the worst of Kentucky athletics. Just my opinion.

[WKY4UK]

Texas is the richest of all, that doesn't bother me. What's amazing though, Mississippi State only lacked $6,245,424, if my math is correct, doubling what we raised. From these numbers we've done much better than most with much less available, IMO.

Hopefully our new young positive Coach can change things. Let's all band together and support him and his staff as much a s possible. Unfortunately, he and his staff is going to need help the average fans can't provide.

[WeWant9]

It all comes down to having people with deep pockets, and I am not sure how many of those are associated with UK. Heck, every fan could donate a $100 and we'd still be way behind a school like Texas. Is what it is until there are some form of regulations in place, or a split between the schools, conferences, and NCAA.

[Pobilly]

Agree Texas, Texas AM, and a few others will always be way above UK in getting donations. The thing is we should be in the top 9 not the bottom 2. I know coal money is not here any more but we have some big donors. Right now if we stay in the bottom 1/3 of getting money we can expect to be in the bottom 1/3 of football and mens basketball. Like Stein stated earlier this week. The sports are trending toward 50 million for rosters and not 35. Heck I know we have other money for NIL and such but donations need to be over 50 million or close to it to stay competitive. If Stein can pulls some upsets this year, get us in a good spot moving forward, get the right high school recruits and hit the portal hard again next year it can make a big difference. Same for Pope and basketball. If we can win the hard games, win hard SEC road games and protect home, get the momentum, make a run to an elite 8 and shot at final 4 we could turn things around. Right now Stein is in position to do his part. Pope not so sure right now. Even if we get Mom from Iowa State, Pope has a ton to prove coaching wise. He has not even filled one of his assistant spots yet. Things are going to be very interesting starting possible this summer if UK gets a summer trip. This fall for sure and quickly for sure (game 2 BAMA) will get interesting.

[WeWant9]

I can agree UK shouldn’t be bottom 2. Here’s to hoping we can get a savvy new AD to navigate the NIL landscape.

[Pete Hogwallop]

I guess maybe one day I should donate something, huh? Probably won't happen, though.

[bthaunert]

I question the accuracy of some of this. There is no way 3 SEC schools didn't have 1 cent earmarked to the football program. That is literally impossible.

Also, in looking at the FY25 athletic department budget (https://www.uky.edu/trustees/sites/w...%202024%29.pdf), UK projected just over $32 million in K Fund donations....almost the exact amount that was reported in this article. This would mean that no money was given to UK Athletics by donors outside of the K Fund money...again, nearly impossible. That was also Pope's first year here and we know that him being here also brought in extra money from boosters.

While I have no doubt we are behind schools, there is no way that number is accurate as it was all based on a request for information.

[Pobilly]

I question the accuracy of some of this. There is no way 3 SEC schools didn't have 1 cent earmarked to the football program. That is literally impossible.

Also, in looking at the FY25 athletic department budget (https://www.uky.edu/trustees/sites/w...%202024%29.pdf), UK projected just over $32 million in K Fund donations....almost the exact amount that was reported in this article. This would mean that no money was given to UK Athletics by donors outside of the K Fund money...again, nearly impossible. That was also Pope's first year here and we know that him being here also brought in extra money from boosters.

While I have no doubt we are behind schools, there is no way that number is accurate as it was all based on a request for information.

Not the university. The donors did not earmark for one sport only. Texas fans earmarked 67 of the 167 million only to be used for football. I am guessing the university allows for such. I am guessing UK probably does not have that with the new NIL. When I donated when we first got Pope I was giving x amount a month and 1/2 went to football and 1/2 went to basketball. I had to do that through 2 donations. I now am not donating a cent. Times are tougher for me and have lost a bit of revenue.

[largebluej]

I question the accuracy of some of this. There is no way 3 SEC schools didn't have 1 cent earmarked to the football program. That is literally impossible.

Also, in looking at the FY25 athletic department budget (https://www.uky.edu/trustees/sites/w...%202024%29.pdf), UK projected just over $32 million in K Fund donations....almost the exact amount that was reported in this article. This would mean that no money was given to UK Athletics by donors outside of the K Fund money...again, nearly impossible. That was also Pope's first year here and we know that him being here also brought in extra money from boosters.

While I have no doubt we are behind schools, there is no way that number is accurate as it was all based on a request for information.

I agree that this report is suspicious. I consider K Fund donations for football tickets and football parking, which are on top of ticket and parking prices, to be football donations.

[bthaunert]

Not the university. The donors did not earmark for one sport only. Texas fans earmarked 67 of the 167 million only to be used for football. I am guessing the university allows for such. I am guessing UK probably does not have that with the new NIL. When I donated when we first got Pope I was giving x amount a month and 1/2 went to football and 1/2 went to basketball. I had to do that through 2 donations. I now am not donating a cent. Times are tougher for me and have lost a bit of revenue.

Yeah...I just don't believe that not one person did not earmark for football only...you even say that you earmarked 1/2 for football. I just don't think the university, in the open records request, provided that information.

[Pobilly]

Yeah...I just don't believe that not one person did not earmark for football only...you even say that you earmarked 1/2 for football. I just don't think the university, in the open records request, provided that information.

The old Club blue NIL is different from the new. I really do not know how the new earmarks anything or if it allows. I would guess if I had the $$$$ and told UK i will give you X for football, they would tell that person yes and do what ever they want with it. How can you actually track once the university gets it.

No matter, we will know in the next 24 months if we are keeping up with the middle of the pack SEC or behind. I hope we are giving 100 mil and only telling others we are getting 30.