LSU football made $105.7M for the athletic department last school year, turning out a $54M profitGetty Images
LSU's athletic department ”operated at a deficit” during the 2022-23 school year, but only after sending $5.24M to the academic side of the university, according to Koki Riley of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. LSU athletics -- which recorded $1.37M in profits last school year based on operating expenses -- “sent money back to the university as a non-operating expense,” resulting in the athletic department running a $3.87M deficit during the 2022-23 school year. LSU athletics' annual NCAA financial report, released earlier this month, includes the money the athletic department sent back to the university but the NCAA report does not count it toward LSU's deficit for the 2022-23 school year. LSU football made $105.7M for the athletic department last school year, turning out a $54M profit. The only other sport in the athletic department to earn a profit was men's basketball, which made $1.34M (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/30).
