Top 10 biggest cash payouts from university apparel deals
Apparel deals are a big part of what separates the most lucrative college athletics programs from those who are struggling to compete. In understanding those deals, knowing how much of the contracts’ values are actually paid in cash is crucial.
The financial part of college athletics is often misunderstood by fans in many ways. Fans often confuse revenue and profit for example. One common misconception is that individual schools’ apparel deals with companies like Adidas are fat checks written to the universities. The truth is that many schools don’t get cash in these university apparel deals at all, and most of those that do are only getting a small percentage of the deals’ total values in cash.
Athletic Director U recently looked at apparel deals across the country and cross-referenced that information against a study performed by the Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics. The result is that fans can now see which schools are getting the biggest cash payouts from their apparel partners.
The following table lays out the top 10 cash payouts in apparel deals, starting with the school, the payout amount, the total value of the deal, and the percentage of the deal that the school gets in cash. The schools are ranked in the listing by the cash percentage.
| School | Cash payout | Total value | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $9 million | $11.95 million | 75.3 |
| UCLA | $9 million | $16.5 million | 54.5 |
| Michigan | $4.82 million | $9.84 million | 49 |
| Kentucky | $1.8 million | $3.725 million | 48.3 |
| Wisconsin | $4.25 million | $9.15 million | 46.4 |
| South Carolina | $2.6 million | $6.7 million | 38.8 |
| Georgia Tech | $950,000 | $2.5 million | 38 |
| Maryland | $1.675 million | $4.675 million | 35.8 |
| Auburn | $2.2 million | $6.4 million | 34.4 |
| Florida State | $1.4 million | $4.21 million | 33.3 |
Of the top 10, the Big Ten and SEC each have three representatives. The ACC claims two, while the the Big 12 and Pac-12 each have a single entry. The disparity is lessened when the apparel companies who are the other half of these deals is considered. Half of the deals are Under Armour contracts (Auburn, Maryland, South Carolina, UCLA, and Wisconsin), four of them are Nike deals (Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan and Texas) and the other is a Russell Athletic school (Georgia Tech, although that deal expires in June and a new deal with Adidas is ready to replace it.)
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As competition to attract talent constantly escalates the need for top-notch facilities and coaching salaries, the need for university athletic departments to have as much cash on hand as possible will also escalate. Getting the maximum percentage of cash possible out of these deals will be important for the schools in securing these contracts in the future. In that regard, these 10 schools are doing well.