The SEC collected nearly $851 million in the 2022-23 fiscal year and distributed $741 million to its 14 member schools, it was announced Thursday.
The $741 million represented a bounce-back from the pandemic years; the figure climbed as high as $777.8 million in 2020-21, but fell to $721.8 million the following year.
Either way, the 2022-23 fiscal report card represents a sharp increase from before the pandemic ($657 million distributed to schools in 2019-20) and, per USA Today, puts the conference on track to take in more than $1 billion soon, perhaps as early as 2024-25.
The SEC's new TV deal with ABC/ESPN kicks in this fall, which alone will represent a $255 million per year increase from what CBS paid to broadcast the 3:30 p.m. ET game. The conference will also share in the increased revenue stemming from the upcoming College Football Playoff expansion, the details of which are still being worked out.
Texas and Oklahoma will also join the conference later this year, in news you've surely heard about.
All told, SEC programs will have to figure out how to survive on a $51 million allowance from the conference until next year.
"SEC member universities are proud to support thousands of student-athletes who participate in broad-based athletics programs across the league," commissioner Greg Sankey said. "SEC universities are committed to providing a high-level experience for all of our participants through an impactful and life-changing college experience that includes world-class support in coaching, training, academic counseling, medical care, mental health support, nutrition, life-skills development and post-eligibility healthcare coverage for student-athletes."
The Red River Newcomers will not partake in the SEC's primary revenue-sharing pool in 2024-25, but will become full-share members in 2025-26. (USA Today notes that Nebraska, which played Season 13 in the Big Ten last fall, is still not receiving a full share.)
Sankey earned $3.6 million during the 2022-23 fiscal year, a slight dip from the $3.7 million he took home the previous year.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.