BYU AD Tom Holmoe: Cougars have the cash to compete with fellow Big 12 newcomers By Kevin Reynolds July 10, 2023 (Kevin Reynolds - The Salt Lake Tribune)
The three schools entering the Big 12 from the American Athletic Conference have all seen an increase in their overall athletic department budget as they get a boost in conference revenue going from the AAC to the Big 12. The AAC paid out around $7 million per school, according to USA Today. The Big 12, by the time each school becomes a full-share member, will pay out over $40 million.
BYU athletic department added 30 positions since being admitted to the Big 12. The football staff received 12 of those.
BYU lured Jay Hill away from the head coaching position at Weber State. Hill is making close to $1 million, a significant increase in spending on BYU’s part.
BYU has hired three full-time people to help with recruiting in the last 18 months. When asked if he felt BYU’s football salary pool was currently competitive with the rest of the conference he said, “I do.”
BYU says it is still looking at options for facility updates. However, Holmoe indicated he would not be rushed into making those decisions just because the other incoming schools are making upgrades.
“We won’t do that at BYU,” he said. “It’s just not our style. It’s not the manner in which to go about our business.”
Last year, BYU added a terrace in one end zone for corporate sponsors. It updated “Club 22,” a luxury sponsorship area on the concourse.
The football offices are also getting a new meeting room for the defensive staff, new position rooms and updated “war rooms” for the offensive and defensive staff.
The annual Equity in Athletics report says BYU’s total operating revenue was $95.1 million. On that report, Houston checked in at $78.8 million, Cincinnati came in at $60 million,UCF reported $85 million.