FSU athletics revenue, spending, debt
During a Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, Florida State athletic director Michael Alford shared projected revenue figures based on the ACC’s new revenue-sharing model, with the numbers showing that Florida State is anticipating bringing in the largest media distribution in the conference — approximately $11.8 million more annually than an equal-sharing model would provide.
FSU’s projected $44.9 million distribution, while the highest in the ACC, still trails the average payouts of both the SEC
($72.4 million per school in 2024-25) and the Big Ten (approximately $63.2 million per school in 2023-24).
FSU ranked second in the ACC in total 2025 football viewership with 29.7 million viewers, leading the conference in average audience at 4.0 million viewers per game. Alford said that a targeted marketing investment with outside consultants helped drive a 24% increase in viewers, which is projected to generate roughly $1.5 million in additional media distributions in FY26 and $4.6 million over five years.
“You hear us talk about eyeballs in viewer metrics because it does lead to more revenue,” Alford said. “This last season we ranked second in the ACC… it directly impacts our revenue distribution. And it just confirms our brand across the country consistently.”
Alford also touched on ticket sales, with FSU selling 31,461 football season tickets in 2025 (more than three of the prior four seasons and over 1,000 above the four-year average of 30,045), representing 82% of season ticket capacity, the program’s highest mark since 2016. Total football ticket and annual fund revenue rose $7.6 million from 2024 to 2025, reaching $47.8 million. New per-seat requirements generated $8.2 million more in the annual fund, with roughly $3.2 million of that increase coming from repricing Dunlap Champions Club tickets from $1,500 to $500 and shifting the difference to the annual fund. Beyond that repricing, FSU saw an additional $4.3 million lift in stadium ticket revenue tied to season ticket repricing and higher demand for premium seating.
On the spending side, Alford presented data showing FSU ranks among the top 10 programs nationally in football investment, averaging $68.8 million per year over the past three years — second in the ACC and eighth nationally. The university has invested $482.5 million in football facilities from 2016 to 2026, three times more than the second-highest ACC program at $150 million. That includes the Doak Campbell Stadium renovations and the new football-only facility, which expanded FSU’s dedicated football space from 41,800 square feet in 2022 to 150,000 square feet today.
Those numbers were a hot topic after reports of FSU being $437 million in debt went wild across the internet, but Board of Trustees chair Peter Collins defended the approach directly, say “yes, we have a lot more debt than we had a year ago, but we also have a brand-new west side of the stadium with a lot other improvements to the stadium, and we have a brand-new football-only facility. And the revenue that we’re raising, or getting, from the new football stadium is paying for those bonds…. that’s what people don’t understand. Yeah, I mean, we can be the lowest-debt university in the country if we never built anything, right? But that’s not the goal. The goal is to improve the program, improve the facilities, and this board would’ve never approved it if we didn’t have the revenue to pay it.”
Collins addressed the concerns that the money might have been used for NIL, explaining that “we’re never going to get $400 million worth of deals passed through NIL Go.”
One trustee noted that FSU holds the best bond rating of any public university in the state of Florida. A separate trustee added that “part of the lack of sophistication in this case as to why this is newsworthy is the performance of the football team….and it’s somewhat cloaked in universities not being financial fiduciaries. That’s not the case at all.”
Also speaking on NIL, Alford drew a distinction between the $20.5 million revenue share cap (which he says FSU is spending to the limit) and athlete endorsement deals, which he described as effectively uncapped provided they clear the NCAA’s NIL GO system and meet a valid business purpose and range-of-compensation standard. FSU has submitted 137 NIL deals, with 120 cleared and 16 still under review.
Baseball
A win’s a win, as FSU escaped a midweek matchup vs. UNF with a 14-9 victory on Tuesday on the back of two Myles Bailey home runs:
Softball
Florida State softball got back in the win column with a run-rule win over FAMU:
Basketball
FSU women’s basketball is set to take on No. 12 Duke tonight at 9 p.m. in Cameron Indoor:
Duke leads the all-time series, 40-15 and the Blue Devils will be the fifth ranked team the Seminoles will face this regular season. FSU has clinched a spot in the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament that will be held at the GAS South Arena from March 4-8 in Duluth, Georgia.
Florida State has six players averaging 7.0 points or more, led by Solè Williams, who is averaging 15.5, followed by Jasmine Shavers at 12.4.
FSU ranks third in the ACC with 8.2 three-pointers made per game. The Noles have tallied 230 three-pointers made this season, ranking fourth in program history. Shavers, who has made 52, sits 20th in the FSU all-time top 20 for single-season threes made.
Football
Chris Jones, Jordan Crutchfield, Darryon Williams, and CJ Richard Jr. were the latest crop of FSU football newcomers to meet with local media:
All Sports
No. 22/NR Florida State track and field is set to begin the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championship today, with competition lasting through Saturday:
The three-day meet will begin on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. with the men’s 200-meter prelims that will feature Neo Mosebi, Amare Williams, and Durian Moss. The field events will start at 6:15 p.m., starting with the women’s weight throw represented by Zianna Curtis. Expanded coverage will air through the ACC Network Extra and can be accessed at Seminoles.com. Flash Results will be available.
Florida State has won a combined total of 18 ACC Championships, including the second most of any men’s team with 14. FSU’s most recent titles come from 2018 and 2019.
The podium finishers in each event and the top relay team will earn an All-ACC First Team distinction, while the athletes who finish fourth through sixth in each event and the second and third place relay team will be honored as second team.
The No. 24 women’s team arrived in the USTFCCCA rankings on January 27 and remained in the top 25 for five consecutive weeks, entering the meet alongside No. 9 Clemson and No. 12 Stanford. The men’s squad will face off against No. 8 Virginia and No. 15 Virginia Tech.
Florida State will have a total of 48 student-athletes competing at the championships across 28 events. The FSU men’s and women’s team enters the meet with 10 top-eight seeds and 27 combined all-time performances this season. The Seminoles have also added three school records to this season’s resume.
Shenese Walker headlines the women’s sprints after a stellar regular season, remaining at the top of the national and conference ranks of the 60-meter, including first in the ACC in the 200 and fourth nationally. Walker has won two ACC Weekly honors this season for her program- and conference-record performance in the 60 at the Razorback Invitational on February 30. Her time of 7.09 stands as the 10th-fastest in the world and fourth-fastest Jamaican this season. The senior opened the season with a facility record at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational in the 200 and recorded the fifth-fastest time in school history at 23.15.
Kaelyaah Liburd will be a spotlight in the women’s 400, after finishing fifth at last year’s indoor conference championship at 53.15. Liburd opened the Clemson Orange and Purple Invitational on January 23 with a new school and national record with a career best of 51.68. Her time currently ranks first in the ACC.
In the women’s distance events, Bieke Schipperen will compete in the 5,000 meters. Schipperen closed the regular season by setting a new school and Dutch national record at the Boston Valentine Invitational, clocking 15:36.76. Schipperen eclipsed the previous program mark of 15:40.40 set by Lauren Ryan in 2022.
On the men’s side, Kyvon Tatham will look to capture his second consecutive gold in the men’s triple as Florida State holds 10 titles in the event since 1994.
No. 6 Florida State beach volleyball is set to host the Seminole Beach Bash this week, facing No. 16 North Florida and No. 14 FAU on Friday before taking on UNC Wilmington on Saturday as well as either No. 7 TCU, USF, or UTampa:
The Seminoles are 8-0 all-time against the Ospreys, including six total match sweeps. FSU competed against UNF for the first time in Gulf Shores, Alabama at the 2013 AVCA National Championships, where the Noles took all five courts and dropped only one set. Last time North Florida came to Tallahassee was in 2024.
Florida State has managed a 20-0 record against FAU, most recently sweeping the Owls 5-0 at home. All five courts won in straight sets, but the most thrilling dual came from court two with Maddie Trusty and Gella Andrew winning set one and two 22-20.
FSU hasn’t seen UNC Wilmington since 2021 at the CCSA Conference Championships. The Seminoles record versus the Seahawks is 6-0 all-time with complete dual sweeps.
TCU is the defending national champion and a new conference rival for Florida State. FSU is 14-7 all-time against the Horned Frogs, including a 4-0 record in Tallahassee. The teams will also play next month at the Pompano Tournament in Boca Raton.
Friday’s matches will honor Seminole Heritage, with Saturday featuring Kids Club activities and more. Live stats will be available at VolleyballLife.com.
