In 2025, Kentucky received $32,657,330 in athletic donations. That sounds like a lot, but it ranks second-to-last in the SEC, ahead of only South Carolina at $17.5 million. Furthermore, Kentucky was one of only three schools in the SEC that did not receive contributions specifically earmarked for the football program, joining Arkansas and Mississippi State. <\/p>\n
Nine SEC teams received at least $50 million in athletic donations in the 2025 fiscal year. Shockingly, Texas A&M is just over that $50 million threshold, while the Texas Longhorns tripled that. Texas received more than $167 million in athletic donations, with $59.5 million going directly to the football program. <\/p>\n
You are reading that correctly. Texas football received more money in donations than the entire UK Athletics Department. <\/p>\n
Tennessee ranked second in the SEC with $110 million in athletic donations, and more than $50 million to the football program. Oklahoma, Alabama, and LSU round out the top five in the SEC. <\/p>\n
![\"On3](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/On3-Athletic-Donations-to-SEC-Programs.jpeg\")
@On3NIL<\/p>\n
Kentucky Looking to Creatively Fundraise <\/p>\n
The Kentucky football program did not record any donations specifically directed to the program. Mark Stoops frequently lamented the fundraising required of his job<\/a> at the dawn of the NIL era. New head coach Will Stein<\/a> is using every resource he can to find ways to generate more money for his program. <\/p>\n Last week, Peter Burns made the trip to Lexington with an SEC Network crew to film a feature that will air on the channel over the summer. Before they began a competitive pickleball match, Stein pulled Burns aside to ask him a few questions. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s trying to shake things up. I come in (to Lexington), and I had just come back from a big LSU booster event that I emceed. He was peppering me with questions about what other programs do for their fundraising, what works and what doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Burns told KSR<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat I took from that is Mitch (Barnhart) had his way for the longest time. Coach Stoops had his way for the longest time. All of that is a different world. Will is coming in like, let\u2019s do things different, and I like that energy from him right from the jump.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a never-ending arms race in the sport of college football. The dollars once spent on new facilities are now being spent on players. As Stein noted earlier this week<\/a>, \u201cThe $35 million-dollar rosters used to be the highest. Now it\u2019s like $50 [million].\u201d The new Kentucky football coach is doing whatever he can to ensure the Cats can keep up with the Joneses. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n