It should come as no surprise that winning back-to-back national titles is good for business. Now we have an idea just how good.
During a meeting of the UGA Athletic Board on Thursday, it was revealed that Georgia broke its own record with $97.7 million in fundraising during the 2023 fiscal year. Fiscal years in college athletics run from July to June, so another month of fundraising could see the Bulldogs finish above $106 million.
The previous record was set a year ago, at a mere $86.4 million.
Georgia is also more than a third of the way toward completing a $300 million capital campaign which was announced just 11 months ago -- with four years still to spare.
Georgia opened an $80 million football facility in 2021, and this fall will open Phase I of a 2-part expansion to Sanford Stadium's south end. In all, Georgia has spent a nearly a quarter of a billion dollars on football facilities since Kirby Smart's 2016 hiring.
“We will not be complacent, we will not sit idly and let others pass us by,” Smart said last year. “It’s been a catch-up game for us for quite a long time. We feel like we have caught up, but now we have to maintain and continue to grow.”
Georgia's quest for an unprecedented third straight title begins Sept. 2 against UT-Martin. Its hunt for a third straight record-breaking fundraising year begins July 1.