Utah football turns in $50 million profit for 2025 fiscal year

Utah's athletic department reported figures for the 2025 fiscal year

The Utah Utes football program received over $31 million from the Big 12 in postseason and media rights revenue during the 2025 fiscal year. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

With football as the driving force, the University of Utah athletic department came out in the black to end the 2025 fiscal year.

After reporting a deficit of over $17 million in 2024, Utah's athletic department turned in a $4.69 million profit over the 2025 fiscal year, which spanned from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

The football program and the contributions it received over the past year played a significant role in keeping the athletic department afloat during a time in which college programs across the country are operating at a loss.

Utes football brought in about $101,799,480 for the university's athletic department and operated at an expense of $51,792,175 — equating to a profit of about $50 million, the highest net income the program has generated since at least the 2014 fiscal year.

Utah's record-setting financial year was made possible, in large part, due to the help it received from its donors. According to the athletic department's records, it received $49,502,956 in contributions across all sports, including $39,846,967 directed toward the football program alone. For context, the athletic department never reported more than $35 million in total contributions between the fiscal years of 2014 and 2024.

In 2025, the football program collected $10,936,251 in ticket sales and $9,380,497 in royalties, licensing, advertisement and sponsorships.

The Big 12 distributed $12,391,544 in postseason football revenue to Utah's athletic department, as well as $19,802,898 via the conference's media rights deal. Utah, which joined the league ahead of the 2024-25 season, received a full share of the Big 12's revenue distribution. The conference was projected to distribute $558 million to its 16 members for the 2024-25 academic year.

Another notable figure that stood out on the Utah athletic department's 2025 fiscal year report: $0 were spent toward "Institutional NIL Revenue Share." Remember, schools were not permitted to share revenue with their student-athletes until July 1, 2025 — the day after the 2025 fiscal year ended.

Beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, colleges were allowed to share up to $20.5 million in revenue with their student-athletes as per the terms agreed upon in the landmark House settlement. Schools aren't required to spend that much in revenue-sharing, though it's been expected that every power conference member will do whatever it takes to match (or in some cases, exceed that amount through extra NIL opportunities) the salary cap number to remain competitive.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan made it clear last summer that the department would spend the maximum amount it was allotted on its student-athletes. To help cover costs, the university is set to partner with private equity firm Otro Capital in a deal that'll see the school turn its revenue side into a new entity — Utah Brand Initiatives — and one that's expected to generate over $500 million for the athletic department.

College sport's first-of-its-kind private equity deal is expected to be finalized soon.