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Memphis athletics will be at full revenue share for the 2026-27 fiscal year, athletic director Ed Scott said June 3.
Scott made the comments on the "Jason and John Show" on 92.9 ESPN. Under the terms of the House v NCAA settlement that went into effect in July 2025, schools were permitted to share up to $20.5 million with athletes for the 2025-26 fiscal year. That number will go up slightly every year and is expected to be about $21.3 million for 2026-27.
Scott said Memphis was at $4.99 million for men's basketball in 2025-26, which was the highest number in the American Conference. Memphis will have $9 million in revenue sharing money for men's basketball in 2026-27, Scott said. He also definitively pushed back on rumors that he has taken money from men's basketball and put it into other sports.
"We have never taken a dollar from men's basketball to give to football or any other sport," Scott said.
The revenue sharing budget for football this season is $7 million, Scott said. That number was set earlier this year before the transfer portal opened in January. He said he hopes to get to $10 million next season.
That money includes only revenue sharing payments and not outside name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Power conference schools can spend only up to the revenue sharing cap, but some schools are spending tens of millions of dollars on rosters because of NIL deals in addition to the revenue sharing payments.
Memphis is one of the only Group of Six schools that have reached full revenue share. While most power conference schools were immediately at that level when the House settlement went into effect, Group of Six schools operate in a different financial reality. Memphis is expected to be the second Group of Six program to reach full revenue share after South Florida.
He also acknowledged that while Memphis is at full revenue share now, the Tigers won't be able to stay there consistently if they don't eventually get into a power conference.
"I don't think we can sustain it more than a few years if we're not in," Scott said.
Throughout his tenure, he has been reluctant to say how much Memphis is spending on revenue sharing payments. He did say, though, that he would announce if Memphis reaches full revenue sharing. That time has apparently come.
It means that Memphis is operating at major financial advantage over the vast majority of teams in the American Conference and at the Group of Six level. Many teams in the conference are operating with significantly smaller budgets, even though the exact numbers aren't publicly released.
Scott also talked about conference realignment and said Memphis has to improve on the field and on the court.
"We can't have seasons like we had last year with football and men's basketball and think we're going to be ready for the next round of conference realignment," he said.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis men's basketball $9 million in revenue sharing in 2026-27
Continue reading...
Scott made the comments on the "Jason and John Show" on 92.9 ESPN. Under the terms of the House v NCAA settlement that went into effect in July 2025, schools were permitted to share up to $20.5 million with athletes for the 2025-26 fiscal year. That number will go up slightly every year and is expected to be about $21.3 million for 2026-27.
Scott said Memphis was at $4.99 million for men's basketball in 2025-26, which was the highest number in the American Conference. Memphis will have $9 million in revenue sharing money for men's basketball in 2026-27, Scott said. He also definitively pushed back on rumors that he has taken money from men's basketball and put it into other sports.
"We have never taken a dollar from men's basketball to give to football or any other sport," Scott said.
The revenue sharing budget for football this season is $7 million, Scott said. That number was set earlier this year before the transfer portal opened in January. He said he hopes to get to $10 million next season.
That money includes only revenue sharing payments and not outside name, image and likeness (NIL) deals. Power conference schools can spend only up to the revenue sharing cap, but some schools are spending tens of millions of dollars on rosters because of NIL deals in addition to the revenue sharing payments.
Memphis is one of the only Group of Six schools that have reached full revenue share. While most power conference schools were immediately at that level when the House settlement went into effect, Group of Six schools operate in a different financial reality. Memphis is expected to be the second Group of Six program to reach full revenue share after South Florida.
He also acknowledged that while Memphis is at full revenue share now, the Tigers won't be able to stay there consistently if they don't eventually get into a power conference.
"I don't think we can sustain it more than a few years if we're not in," Scott said.
Throughout his tenure, he has been reluctant to say how much Memphis is spending on revenue sharing payments. He did say, though, that he would announce if Memphis reaches full revenue sharing. That time has apparently come.
It means that Memphis is operating at major financial advantage over the vast majority of teams in the American Conference and at the Group of Six level. Many teams in the conference are operating with significantly smaller budgets, even though the exact numbers aren't publicly released.
Scott also talked about conference realignment and said Memphis has to improve on the field and on the court.
"We can't have seasons like we had last year with football and men's basketball and think we're going to be ready for the next round of conference realignment," he said.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis men's basketball $9 million in revenue sharing in 2026-27
Continue reading...
