Southern Conference Schools – NIL & NCAA Revenue Sharing – NIL & NCAA Revenue Sharing by School& NIL

Southern Conference Schools 2026-27	Football Member	Basketball Member	Athletic Budget ($)

Chattanooga	Southern	Southern	26,447,806
East Tennessee State	Southern	Southern	22,346,359
Furman	Southern	Southern	32,623,716
Mercer	Southern	Southern	30,568,645
Samford	Southern	Southern	23,874,973
Tennessee Tech	Southern	Southern	20,355,959
The Citadel	Southern	Southern	20,021,006
UNC Greensboro	-	Southern	16,157,987
VMI	Southern	Southern	20,033,879
Western Carolina	Southern	Southern	16,279,007
Wofford College	Southern	Southern	32,651,311
Total Schools	10	11

Estimated NCAA Revenue Sharing 2026-27: Southern Conference Schools

Based on estimated average operating revenue of around $ 6 million per school, revenue sharing using the 22% NCAA benchmark results in an average of about $ 1.3 million per school. Revenue sharing is optional, schools may pay any amount as long as total payments do not exceed $ 21.3 million, and schools can also opt out of revenue sharing entirely. Revenue sharing does not include any third-party NIL athlete compensation.

EADA Operating Expenses: Southern Conference Schools 2022-25

Per EADA (aka Title IX) reporting, average 2025 athletic department operating costs were about $ 24 million for Southern Conference schools, a 22% increase in expenses over a 3-year span:

Athletic Department Expenses 2022-25 *	Basketball Conference	Football Conference	FY 2025 ($)	FY 2024 ($)	FY 2023 ($)	FY 2022 ($)	3-Year % Increase

Chattanooga	Southern	Southern	26,447,806	22,508,082	22,033,838	21,051,127	26%
East Tennessee State	Southern	Southern	22,346,359	19,811,089	19,245,116	16,962,436	32%
Furman	Southern	Southern	32,623,716	31,927,207	31,040,151	27,935,226	17%
Mercer	Southern	Southern	30,568,645	28,868,884	26,313,037	22,988,577	33%
Samford	Southern	Southern	23,874,973	22,198,478	21,240,463	23,019,673	4%
Tennessee Tech	Southern	Southern	20,355,959	18,279,402	16,474,801	14,993,218	36%
The Citadel	Southern	Southern	20,021,006	17,130,667	19,526,622	18,050,296	11%
UNC Greensboro	Southern	-	16,157,987	16,564,466	15,001,702	13,816,568	17%
VMI	Southern	Southern	20,033,879	19,155,089	17,878,292	16,111,604	24%
Western Carolina	Southern	Southern	16,279,007	16,052,292	15,368,314	15,168,575	7%
Wofford College	Southern	Southern	32,651,311	29,366,387	27,302,198	24,126,537	35%
Average per School ($)	11	10	23,760,059	21,987,458	21,038,594	19,474,894	22%

* Expenses per Equity in Athletics Act (EADA) annual reporting. EADA differs from NCAA reporting with the primary difference being that EADA reporting does not require disclosure of payments made for athletic facilities debt service and leases. Consequently, EADA reporting typically results in lower annual expenses than NCAA reporting at most schools. See our methodology page for more detail and disclosures.

We didn’t just make this stuff up … see our page on methodology and sources of information. Questions on our data? Contact us at: NIL-NCAA.com Statistics compiled & edited by Patrick O’Rourke CPA, Washington, DC