Texas overtakes Ohio State as most valuable college athletics program
By David Wasson
Published:
It should come as no surprise that the billion-dollar business college athletics is topped by billion-dollar brands in the Big Ten and SEC. And there is a new leader as the most valuable of those brands: the Texas Longhorns.
Texas tops CNBC’s valuations, which were recently released, as the Longhorns’ athletic department is now worth $1.48 billion – a 16 percent increase from last year based on the 2024 fiscal year stats.
CNBC reported that Texas generated aggregate revenue of $332 million, more than any other school and 23 percent more than in the previous year. The biggest source of revenue for UT’s athletic program was $137 million from donors – which was 53 percent higher than in 2023.
Ohio State, which topped CNBC’s 2023 list of most valuable college athletic brands, slipped to second on the list at $1.35 billion. That valuation still ticked up 2 percent from 2023. Texas A&M athletics are reportedly worth $1.32 billion (up 5 percent), Georgia is reportedly worth $1.16 billion (up 22 percent), and Michigan ranks fifth – also at $1.16 billion (up 9 percent).
In all, 13 athletic programs are worth $1 billion or more. SEC programs Tennessee ($1.12 billion), Alabama ($1.09 billion), LSU ($1.05 billion) and Oklahoma ($1.01 billion) are on that list. Mississippi State is the poorest SEC program, ranking 38th with a valuation of $625 million (up 25 percent from 2023).
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
