Alabama athletics profits $18.5 million in 2022, but 'significant portion' marked for debt

Alabama athletics operated at an $18.5 million surplus during the 2022 fiscal year, according to the annual NCAA financial report obtained by The Tuscaloosa News/USA TODAY Network. But according to UA, a "significant portion of that profit" will be used toward financing existing debt from projects already completed.

UA athletics had total operating revenues of $214.37 million and operating expenses of $195.88 million during the fiscal year that spanned July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

The operating revenue of $214.37 million is by far Alabama's largest to date. Adjusting for inflation, it's the second-largest behind the 2020 fiscal year, which had $189.3 million operating revenue. That money in June 2022 would have equated to about $217.6 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index inflation calculator.

The surplus of $18.5 million is the largest since 2016 when it was $18.7 million.

ALABAMA FOOTBALL:How CJ Dippre, son of a powerlifter, went from iron church to Alabama football tight end

ALABAMA BASKETBALL:Alabama basketball got the Oklahoma wake-up call. Now Crimson Tide must answer

Operating revenues jumped about $35 million from 2021 to 2022. Expenses also increased by about $25 million. There's an expected jump in revenue from the 2021 fiscal year considering limited capacities as the result of the pandemic limited ticket revenue drastically.

UA athletics brought in $9.6 million in profit during the 2021 fiscal year, but that was thanks in part to an SEC-wide bailout of $23 million. During the 2021 fiscal year, Alabama brought in $179.8 million but had operating expenses of 170.2 million.

Here's a closer look at some notable numbers from the 2022 financial report.

How much Nick Saban's football team made for Alabama

UA football brought in $130.87 million of the $214.37 million in revenue. It also cost $78.5 million in total operating expenses, creating $52.35 million in net profit attributed to football.

In addition to finances attributed to each sport, schools also have significant amounts of operating revenue and expense that are not attributed to any sport.

For Alabama, there is a total of $52.4 million in revenue and $71.2 million in expenses in that category.

How much Nate Oats' basketball squad made Alabama

The men's basketball team had $19.05 million attributed to it in operating revenue. With $10.9 million in operating expenses, the Crimson Tide brought in $8.15 million in net profit.

That's an increase from $5.33 million during the 2021 fiscal year.

Contributions grow by about $18 million

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne and company had a successful year of fundraising. Contributions grew from $34.81 million in 2021 to $52.33 million in 2022.

These can include amounts received from individuals, corporations, associations, foundations, clubs and other organizations "designated for the operations of the athletics program." This number from outside contributors can also be used for the payment of debt service, lease payments or rental fee expenses for athletic facilities.

Ticket sale revenue jumps significantly

Alabama made $44.21 million in ticket revenue in 2022, a colossal jump from 2021 when the Crimson Tide brought in $7.41 million.

An increase was to be expected. There were limited capacities in stadiums because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bryant-Denny Stadium was limited to 20% capacity during the 2020 season, which fell in the 2021 fiscal year.

In 2020, before much of the pandemic, ticket revenue was $39.36 million.

How Alabama stacks up with other schools

Not all schools have released their financial reports yet, but Ohio State so far is among the top at $251.62 million in operating revenue. Texas ($239.29 million), Michigan ($210.65 million), and LSU ($199.31 million) are some of the others at the level of the Crimson Tide.

This data is collected by USA TODAY in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University.

USA TODAY's Steve Berkowitz contributed to this report.