Tennessee athletics raised a record $175.5 million in the 2026 fiscal year, the school announced on Aug. 10.
It marked the fifth consecutive year that UT hit a fundraising record under athletics director Danny White, who took the helm in 2021. The previous record was $169.5 million in the 2025 fiscal year. Tennessee raised $139.8 million in 2024.
The rising total in athletics fundraising contributed greatly to the $654.9 million raised by the University of Tennessee Foundation in the 2026 fiscal year.
"As college athletics continue to evolve, growing self-generated revenue is more critical than ever, and it’s fundamental to our mission of establishing the nation's premier athletics department," White said in a UT release. "The ongoing success of all
20 sports, together with this impressive fundraising milestone, highlights the unwavering generosity of our exceptional donors."
During White's tenure, UT athletics fundraising has skyrocketed from $35.6 million in 2021 to $175.5 million in 2026.
Ticket sales, as well as contributions tied to tickets and parking, contributed to the rising total. UT sold out its allotment of season tickets for football, men's basketball, baseball and softball each of the past three seasons.
UT has led the nation in combined home attendance for football, men's basketball and women's basketball games for three consecutive years. Tennessee had 1,181,715 fans attend 37 home events in those three sports in 2025-26. Texas A&M ranked second with a combined attendance of 1,043,172.
Additionally, UT's Shareholder Society has grown to 1,075 members since its inception in 2021. During that same year, White launched the "My All" campaign, which has raised more than $904 million through the 2026 fiscal year.
The intial goal of the campaign was $500 million by summer 2026. After far surpassing that mark, UT announced the new goal is $1 billion raised by summer 2027.
“In today’s competitive environment, resources remain closely tied to winning,” deputy AD/chief revenue officer Brady Hart said in the release. "Each year, we strive to generate the resources needed to keep Tennessee athletics competitive in the SEC and on the national stage. Thanks to outstanding revenue-generation teams and systems, we can strategically invest in our programs. Our greatest asset is VOL NATION. We are grateful to all alumni, fans, friends, donors and season ticket holders for their meaningful support. GBO!”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee athletics announces school-record $175.5M raised under Danny White
