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University of South Carolina ranked as one of country's fastest-growing athletic departments

Screenshotby: Kevin Miller12/20/25kevinmillerGC

On Friday, CNBC published its official ranking of the top 75 most valuable collegiate athletic programs. With everything in college sports coming down to the almighty dollar these days, the rankings are worth examining. As expected, the University of South Carolina featured prominently.

Slotting in at No. 21 nationally, USC saw growth from last year (ranked 30th in CNBC’s rankings a year ago) and is estimated to run an $812 million athletic department. That number is also good for the 10th-richest in the Southeastern Conference.

You can see the entire SEC numbers below (overall rank in parentheses).

  1. Texas Longhorns: $1.48 billion (1)
  2. Texas A&M Aggies: $1.32 billion (3)
  3. Georgia Bulldogs: $1.16 billion (4)
  4. Tennessee Volunteers: $1.12 billion (7)
  5. Alabama Crimson Tide: $1.09 billion (9)
  6. LSU Tigers: $1.05 billion (12)
  7. Oklahoma Sooners: $1.01 billion (13)
  8. Florida Gators: $975 million (14)
  9. Kentucky Wildcats: $910 million (15)
  10. South Carolina Gamecocks: $812 million (21)
  11. Auburn Tigers: $810 million (22)
  12. Arkansas Razorbacks: $800 million (24)
  13. Ole Miss Rebels: $755 million (30)
  14. Missouri Tigers: $700 million (31)
  15. Vanderbilt Commodores: $655 million (35)
  16. Mississippi State Bulldogs: $625 million (38)

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!

With Texas, Ohio State, and Texas A&M rotating at the top the past several years, it comes as no surprise to see the Longhorns, Buckeyes, and Aggies holding down the top three again this year. CNBC’s numbers also show seven total SEC programs cracking the billion-dollar number.

If growth patterns are any indication, USC could be joining them in the not-too-distant future.

South Carolina is the only school in the top 56 to show at least a 25% value growth from last year. That is good for ninth-best in the CNBC top 75. The Gamecocks have hired a new athletic director since last year’s rankings, announced a switch to Nike as an apparel provider, and are in the process of several athletics renovations, most notably at Williams-Brice Stadium.

According to CNBC’s valuation, South Carolina also posted $183 million worth of revenue in the fiscal year of 2024. That marked a 14% overall increase from the previous year.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss South Carolina football!