Which SEC football programs are most reliant on donations?

SEC athletics programs brought in $782 million of contributions in Fiscal Year 2023.

The desire to see favorite teams win games has long inspired massive generosity, and for the fiscal year, which ran from July 1 of 2022 through June 30 of 2023, the donations made up 27.5% of the $2.8 billion the 15 current and future public SEC schools made in revenue, according to NCAA revenues and expenses reports obtained by AL.com. As a private school, Vanderbilt’s financial numbers were not available to the public. Even so, the numbers are eye-popping.

The Aggies reported $115.4 million in athletics contributions for FY 2023. It’s not surprising, as wealth is part of the TAMU mythos, but the school was the only SEC program to report in the triple-digits.

Alabama ranked eighth in total contributions at just under $49 million. The Crimson Tide was one spot ahead of Auburn, which reported $41.5 million.

Texas was second, behind its in-state rival, reporting $86 million in donations. Georgia was third on the list, raking in $75.9 million.

Mississippi State brought up the rear, with $21.1 million.

Given its huge number, it’s no surprise that Texas A&M also has the highest reliance on donor funds. The contributions made up 41.3% of the Aggies’ total revenue.

Georgia ranked second, with donations as 36.1% of the Bulldog total. Texas was third, at 33.2%.

The Crimson Tide’s donations made up 24.5% of its revenue, the eighth-highest percentage in the league. Auburn’s contributions were good for 21.2%, 12th on the list.

Only Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi State were less reliant on contributions than the two schools in Alabama.

It’s a bit tricky to get an accurate picture of football-specific contributions in the SEC. Three schools, including Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi State, list $0 in the category.

That could be due to not breaking donations out into specific sports, as Arkansas seems to do. However, both Mississippi State and Kentucky show contributions for non-football sports in separate categories, though their highest contribution amounts were listed as non-sport specific, which could be used on football.

As it appeared on the financial documents, Georgia took in the most football-specific donations, collecting just under $62 million. Despite the overwhelming lead in total contributions, Texas A&M was 11th in football-specific gifts, at $12.6 million.

Alabama ran fifth with just $42.7 million, one spot behind Texas. Auburn sat seventh, bringing in $32.6 million in football-specific contributions.

Besides the three which reported no football-specific donations, Missouri brought up the rear with $5.7 million.

Of the 15 schools counted, Alabama had contributions as the third-highest percentage of its football revenue. The Crimson Tide’s football-specific donations made up 33.1 percent of its total income for the sport.

Tennessee led the way, relying on donors for 35.6% of its football-specific revenue. Florida was second, at 34.5%.

Auburn reported being less reliant on donor help, with 25.7% of its football income stemming from contributions. The Tigers were ahead of Ole Miss, Georgia and Texas A&M, which counted football specific contributions as 14.2% of its revenue for the sport.

TAMU was the lowest percentage on the list, besides the schools that did not report any football-specific contributions.

Note: a previous version of this story transposed two of Alabama’s totals. The piece has been adjusted.