It's All About the Money

[Gator2222]

I have seen multiple claims on this board about Florida being too cheap for various things from coaches to helicopters to facilities. It made me curious about the actual numbers.

The numbers in this post are from 2014-2015, the most recent reports available. The numbers only include public institutions. Private institutions are not required to report.

It would appear that the SEC has achieved it's dominance at least in part by outspending everyone else.

Athletic Spending Per Athlete
FBS Median $110,964
SEC $187,451
Big 12 $175,192
Big 10 $146,450
Pac 12 $141,788
ACC $130,700
American Athletic Conference $117,423
Mountain West Conference $84,753
Conference USA $79,984
Independent $64,575
Mid-American Conference $63,522
Sun Belt Conference $63,436

Institutional Funding for Athletics Per Athlete
FBS Median $28,405
American Athletic Conference $49,716
Conference USA $48,027
Mid-American Conference $43,833
Sun Belt Conference $42,163
Mountain West Conference $36,944
Independent $32,019
Pac 12 $18,270
ACC $15,050
SEC $5,735
Big 12 $4,958
Big 10 $1,016

Football Spending Per Scholarship Football Player
FBS Median $155,220
SEC $301,878
Big 10 $272,982
Pac 12 $234,448
ACC $231,737
Big 12 $194,099
American Athletic Conference $167,944
Mountain West Conference $99,474
Conference USA $97,432
Sun Belt Conference $77,107
Independent $76,113
Mid-American Conference $71,042

These numbers show that the SEC as a whole throws wads of cash at sports, but how does Florida compare to our SEC brethren?

National Rank Revenue Expenses
1. Texas A&M $192,608,876 $109,313,651
5. Alabama $148,911,674 $132,354,913
6. Florida $147,105,242 $125,384,443
7. LSU $138,642,237 $121,947,775
9. Tennessee $126,584,033 $113,413,325
11. Auburn $124.657.247 $115,498,047
14. Kentucky $116,494,690 $115,159,039
15. Georgia $116,151,279 $96,559,307
16. Arkansas $114,172,847 $97,106,539
17. South Carolina $113,172,545 $107,430,044
30. Missouri $91,217,778 $86,859,158
34. Ole Miss $87,602,519 $82,399,898
45. Mississippi State $75,400,407 $69,493,395

SEC Athletic Spending Per Athlete
LSU $280,698
Auburn $249,449
Florida $225,700
Tennessee $215,760
Arkansas $209,381
Alabama $206,502
Ole Miss $187,451
Kentucky $186,245
USC $175,390
Texas A&M $164,088
UGA $162,103
Missouri $156,700
Mississippi State $144,267

Athletic Spending Without Football Spending Per Athlete
LSU $192,821
Florida $177,882
Kentucky $153,737
Auburn $151,541
Tennessee $149,233
Arkansas $147,269
Alabama $134.349
USC $127,428
Texas A&M $123,393
UGA $118,379
Ole Miss $117,486
Missouri $114,871
Mississippi State $103,663

Total Coaching Salaries All Sports
Alabama $23,159,068
LSU $21,139,858
Auburn $20,371,279
Kentucky $20,257,669
Florida $20,206,975
Texas A&M $18,409,833
USC $18,277,553
Arkansas $17,137,702
Tennessee $16,933,891
UGA $16,847,399
Missouri $16,211,134
Ole Miss $13,729,892
Mississippi State $11,825,452

 

[Gator2222]

Part 2

The numbers show that the Gators spend more than most of the SEC on all sports. However, football is king. How do the Gators stack up when it comes to football spending?

Football Spending Per Scholarship Football Player
Auburn $511,745
LSU $427,669
Tennessee $380,598
Alabama $347,050
Ole Miss $321,841
USC $304,504
Arkansas $301,878
UGA $293,724
Missouri $258,024
Texas A&M $244,594
Florida $227,836
Kentucky $189,815
Mississippi State $175,954

So we do in fact spend less on football per scholarship player than almost every other SEC team. I find it very odd that Auburn outspends everyone else by a wide margin. Even odder is the fact that Alabama is fourth on that list and Ole Miss spends almost as much as the Tide.


Football Coaching Salaries Per Scholarship Football Player
LSU $126,745
Auburn $107,944
Alabama $108,265
Missouri $95,126
USC $94,376
Texas A&M $87,298
UGA $86,167
Tennessee $82,558
Arkansas $82,523
Ole Miss $71,802
Florida $65,343
Mississippi State $65,040
Kentucky $60,406

The coaching salaries numbers don't include support staff (ex: Saban's 40 analysts).

Total Debt Outstanding on Athletic Facilities
Ole Miss $62,911,862
Arkansas $71,737,565
Mississippi State $80,773,541
Missouri $81,268,862
Florida $84,710,000
UGA $106,813,431
Auburn $109,408,700
Kentucky $119,039,963
USC $119,250,000
Alabama $160,726,840
Tennessee $182,598,930
LSU $193,334,531
Texas A&M $308,269,067

This is the silver lining. Pretty much all of the schools that are outspending us are up to their ears in debt. Tennessee pays $19,336,406 in debt service every year. Many of these schools are simply not going to be able to go further in debt to continue updating. As the Gators start upgrading the facilities under Stricklin we should be able to surpass our rivals. Hopefully, Stricklin is listening to McElwain and makes this a priority.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances
http://spendingdatabase.knightcommission.org/

 

[gators4224]

This is a good analysis, and highlights what some people have been saying. However, i dont care how we do it just give me a good football team I can brag about again.

 

[AugustaGator]

This is a good analysis, and highlights what some people have been saying. However, i dont care how we do it just give me a good football team I can brag about again.

The UAA is waiting on your donation.

 

[AugustaGator]

What is missing is university research dollars. That will open some eyes.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

Are UF's number affected by being below the scholarship limit in 2014-15? If UF was under the limit it can inflate those $/scholarship football players figures.

 

[Gator2222]

Are UF's number affected by being below the scholarship limit in 2014-15? If UF was under the limit it can inflate those $/scholarship football players figures.

Scholarship values also differ from school to school. The following numbers address both of those situations.

Football Spending Without Scholarship Expenses Per Football Player
Total football operating expenses, without the cost of scholarships per football player (scholarship and non-scholarship).
Auburn $367,691
Alabama $293,539
LSU $292,882
Tennessee $220,386
Arkansas $ 206,665
USC $204,244
Ole Miss $201,470
UGA $174,107
Texas A&M $166,084
Florida $157,323
Missouri $142,570
Kentucky $104,722
Mississippi State $96,795

The Gators are still very close to the bottom.

 

[Gator Fever]

Yep I was shocked what the baseball coach was making at UF for a sport that doesnt bring any extra revenue into a college.

 

[Gator2222]

What is missing is university research dollars. That will open some eyes.

UF fares much better in those rankings.

2015 Total Research and Development Expenditures (Number is National Ranking)
16. Texas A&M $866,678,000
25. Florida $739,522,000
31. Vanderbilt $647,816,000
61. UGA $374,264,000
69. Kentucky $331,705,000
80. LSU $281,154,000
85. Missouri $246,684,000
94. Mississippi State $226,359,000
103. USC $208,736,000
111, Tennessee $173,533,000
130. Auburn $135,899,000
131. Arkansas $133,660,000
147. Ole Miss $94,040,000
181. Alabama $58,234,000

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/profiles/site?method=rankingBySource&ds=herd

 

[Gator2222]

Yep I was shocked what the baseball coach was making at UF for a sport that doesnt bring any extra revenue into a college.

SEC baseball coaching salaries list, 2013
Paul Mainieri, LSU $750,000
John Cohen, Mississippi State $632,500
Dave Van Horn, Arkansas $625,000
Mike Bianco, Ole Miss $515,000
Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida $475,000
Dave Serrano, Tennessee $450,000
David Perno, Georgia $450,000
Chad Holbrook, South Carolina $400,000
Gary Henderson, Kentucky $400,000
Rob Childress, Texas A&M $360,000
John Pawlowski, Auburn $340,000
Mitch Gaspard, Alabama $300,000
Tim Jamieson, Missouri $238,000

 

[Swamp Donkey]

2222, you work for the UAA, don't you?

Football Spending Per Scholarship Football Player

Auburn $511,745
LSU $427,669
Tennessee $380,598
Alabama $347,050
Ole Miss $321,841
USC $304,504
Arkansas $301,878
UGA $293,724
Missouri $258,024
Texas A&M $244,594
Florida $227,836
Kentucky $189,815
Mississippi State $175,954

So we do in fact spend less on football per scholarship player than almost every other SEC team. I find it very odd that Auburn outspends everyone else by a wide margin. Even odder is the fact that Alabama is fourth on that list and Ole Miss spends almost as much as the Tide.

Football Coaching Salaries Per Scholarship Football Player
LSU $126,745
Auburn $107,944
Alabama $108,265
Missouri $95,126
USC $94,376
Texas A&M $87,298
UGA $86,167
Tennessee $82,558
Arkansas $82,523
Ole Miss $71,802
Florida $65,343
Mississippi State $65,040
Kentucky $60,406

I'm not sure why you go to the hassle of dividing the dollars by the number of scholarship football player, but everyone knew or presumed already we were near the bottom in football spending. This of course this bears that out.

We make plenty of money on the football program and spend it elsewhere because we aren't going to compete with the big programs/get in an arms race/whatever euphemism we are using today.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

The UAA is waiting on your donation.

The LAST thing the UAA needs is MORE money to spend on something else other than football and to verify to themselves that they spendthrift Fooley method should continue.

You marginally employee college staff need to keep your mouth shut frankly. So tired of hearing you bytching about how much more money you need for your six hour a week, forty weeks a year jobs.

 

[AugustaGator]

The LAST thing the UAA needs is MORE money to spend on something else other than football and to verify to themselves that they spendthrift Fooley method should continue.

You marginally employee college staff need to keep your mouth shut frankly. So tired of hearing you bytching about how much more money you need for your six hour a week, forty weeks a year jobs.

How do you make it through life being wrong so often?

Actually how do you stay employed?

Govt worker or even better a govt grant worker? A ngo possibly?

 

[Gator Fever]

SEC baseball coaching salaries list, 2013
Paul Mainieri, LSU $750,000
John Cohen, Mississippi State $632,500
Dave Van Horn, Arkansas $625,000
Mike Bianco, Ole Miss $515,000
Kevin O'Sullivan, Florida $475,000
Dave Serrano, Tennessee $450,000
David Perno, Georgia $450,000
Chad Holbrook, South Carolina $400,000
Gary Henderson, Kentucky $400,000
Rob Childress, Texas A&M $360,000
John Pawlowski, Auburn $340,000
Mitch Gaspard, Alabama $300,000
Tim Jamieson, Missouri $238,000

I think he is up near a million a year now but even those salaries above are too much for a dang college baseball coach. I don't even think single A ball pays their coaches like that and they are the direct feeders to the major leagues which does actually make a lot of money unlike college where no one attends the games hardly unless its the college world series.

 

[The Shady Grove Gator]

The UAA is waiting on your donation.

The UAA will get my money again, if...and only if I see that it is being directed to something I give a Sh!t about.

 

[gatorgrad'02]

I think he is up near a million a year now but even those salaries above are too much for a dang college baseball coach. I don't even think single A ball pays their coaches like that and they are the direct feeders to the major leagues which does actually make a lot of money unlike college where no one attends the games hardly unless its the college world series.

There is a small group of boosters who are personally committed to the baseball program that pay O'Sullivan's salary.

 

[Bernardo de la Paz]

Scholarship values also differ from school to school. The following numbers address both of those situations.

Football Spending Without Scholarship Expenses Per Football Player
Total football operating expenses, without the cost of scholarships per football player (scholarship and non-scholarship).
Auburn $367,691
Alabama $293,539
LSU $292,882
Tennessee $220,386
Arkansas $ 206,665
USC $204,244
Ole Miss $201,470
UGA $174,107
Texas A&M $166,084
Florida $157,323
Missouri $142,570
Kentucky $104,722
Mississippi State $96,795

The Gators are still very close to the bottom.

It's even worse than that because those expenses would be divided across a larger base and the spending per scholarship player would go down if we filled all of our spots.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

How do you make it through life being wrong so often?

You drunk again?

 

[jdh5484]

The UAA is waiting on your donation.

I tried to write a check today but I ran out of room for all the zeros.

 

[jdh5484]

Scholarship values also differ from school to school. The following numbers address both of those situations.

Football Spending Without Scholarship Expenses Per Football Player
Total football operating expenses, without the cost of scholarships per football player (scholarship and non-scholarship).
Auburn $367,691
Alabama $293,539
LSU $292,882
Tennessee $220,386
Arkansas $ 206,665
USC $204,244
Ole Miss $201,470
UGA $174,107
Texas A&M $166,084
Florida $157,323
Missouri $142,570
Kentucky $104,722
Mississippi State $96,795

The Gators are still very close to the bottom.

That's pretty sobering. Do you know if the accounting methods are apples to apples?