Top 5 highest revenue-generating athletic departments in college sports ft. SEC powerhouse Alabama

The world of college sports has over time become an increasingly lucrative landscape. More money has been generated within the realm over the years, mainly through the sale of television rights, sponsorship and gate tickets, altering what used to be its values.

Due to a host of factors, athletic departments are able to generate more revenue than one another. Football is by far the most lucrative sport in college, bringing in the most revenue for universities. It contributes as much as two-thirds of most athletic department’s revenue.

Here's a look at the top five athletic departments with the highest revenue in the world of college sports in the 2023-24 athletic year.

Five athletic departments with the highest revenue in college sports in 2023-24

#1, Ohio State

Ohio State generated the most revenue in the world of collegiate athletics in the 2023-24 athletic year. The university has led the way in the last couple of years and maintained the momentum.

The Buckeyes earned a total of $251,651,345 in revenue, marking another successful year. They recorded an expenditure of $225,733,418, creating a profit margin of $25,881,927.

#2, Texas

Texas’ athletic department remained a buoyant one in the world of college sports in the 2023-24 athletic year. This comes after the success of its football program in the 2023 season.

The Longhorns generated $239,290,648 in total revenue during the year. Their spending for the year was recorded at $225,153,011, which equates to a total of $14,137,637 in profit.

#3, Alabama

Alabama's athletic department witnessed significant success in major sports like football and basketball in the previous year and this translated to a huge financial return.

The Crimson Tide made a total of $214,365,357 in revenue across its various programs while spending $195,483,466. This earned the athletic department a sum of $18,483,446 in profit.

#4, Michigan

Michigan ended the previous athletic year as the national champion in the game of football and this translated into huge financial earnings for the university’s athletic department

The Wolverines recorded $210,065,287 in total revenue generated in the athletic year while $193,559,375 was reported to be the total expenditure. The athletic department therefore made $17,092,912 in profit.

#5, Georgia

Georgia didn’t end the previous year as they would have anticipated in the game of football. However, this didn't have much to say on the earnings of the athletic department.

The Bulldogs generated a total of $203,084,566 in revenue and had a total spending of $169,026,503 in the 2023-24 athletic year. This gave the school a profit margin of $34,058,063.