Towson University's football program earns an average of $47,837 per player annually – the 53rd highest rate in the nation – according to a North Baltimore Journal analysis of federal education data.
The analysis found that the university had 95 students playing on its football team and took in a total of $4.5 million in total football revenues.
The U.S. Department of Education’s office of postsecondary education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide.
Top 200: College football programs that reap the most revenue
School | State | Division | Enrollment | Football Total Participation | Football Revenue | Revenue Per Athlete |
The University of Texas at Austin | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 37,026 | 125 | $141,173,444 | $1,129,388 |
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,719 | 125 | $110,673,571 | $885,389 |
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,218 | 115 | $95,876,446 | $833,708 |
University of Notre Dame | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,480 | 117 | $96,835,375 | $827,653 |
The University of Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,071 | 135 | $108,117,057 | $800,867 |
Auburn University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,260 | 120 | $91,652,926 | $763,774 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 27,833 | 139 | $105,876,108 | $761,699 |
University of Georgia | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,252 | 128 | $93,335,288 | $729,182 |
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,036 | 120 | $86,183,249 | $718,194 |
Florida State University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,051 | 121 | $86,565,283 | $715,416 |
Pennsylvania State University-
Main Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 39,883 | 117 | $81,106,066 | $693,214 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,165 | 116 | $80,230,690 | $691,644 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 41,666 | 130 | $89,893,135 | $691,486 |
University of Florida | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 30,583 | 120 | $82,791,752 | $689,931 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,201 | 115 | $73,548,409 | $639,551 |
University of Oregon | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,309 | 111 | $66,307,082 | $597,361 |
University of Arkansas | AR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,774 | 122 | $71,197,898 | $583,589 |
University of Southern California | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,070 | 107 | $59,837,839 | $559,232 |
Texas A & M University-College Station | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 44,975 | 126 | $70,427,183 | $558,946 |
Michigan State University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 35,280 | 118 | $64,958,793 | $550,498 |
University of Mississippi | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,649 | 119 | $62,681,760 | $526,737 |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln | NE | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,381 | 139 | $69,503,006 | $500,022 |
University of South Carolina-Columbia | SC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,947 | 121 | $60,264,364 | $498,053 |
University of Iowa | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,690 | 121 | $58,685,965 | $485,008 |
Texas Christian University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,591 | 125 | $58,775,636 | $470,205 |
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,175 | 119 | $53,471,351 | $449,339 |
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | MN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,782 | 112 | $48,886,935 | $436,490 |
Stanford University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,032 | 103 | $44,469,378 | $431,742 |
Clemson University | SC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,849 | 121 | $51,712,856 | $427,379 |
University of Utah | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,081 | 127 | $51,559,243 | $405,978 |
Georgia Institute of Technology-
Main Campus | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,698 | 116 | $46,252,310 | $398,727 |
University of Arizona | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,049 | 113 | $44,177,156 | $390,948 |
Baylor University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,087 | 114 | $43,223,215 | $379,151 |
Syracuse University | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,324 | 117 | $44,182,377 | $377,627 |
Northwestern University | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,249 | 103 | $38,681,564 | $375,549 |
North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,818 | 115 | $43,165,259 | $375,350 |
University of Colorado Boulder | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,692 | 116 | $43,529,706 | $375,256 |
Texas Tech University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,588 | 121 | $44,646,242 | $368,977 |
University of California-
Los Angeles | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 30,329 | 109 | $39,953,277 | $366,544 |
Arizona State University-Tempe | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 38,761 | 121 | $43,012,682 | $355,477 |
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,129 | 114 | $40,124,656 | $351,971 |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 32,126 | 102 | $35,622,414 | $349,239 |
University of Louisville | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,325 | 121 | $42,066,595 | $347,658 |
Washington State University | WA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,534 | 117 | $40,547,097 | $346,556 |
University of California-Berkeley | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,107 | 133 | $44,279,264 | $332,927 |
Kansas State University | KS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,562 | 125 | $40,887,031 | $327,096 |
Oregon State University | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,395 | 105 | $33,866,008 | $322,533 |
University of Miami | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,102 | 114 | $35,358,218 | $310,160 |
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,330 | 137 | $42,225,614 | $308,216 |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,828 | 134 | $41,163,583 | $307,191 |
University of Kansas | KS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,987 | 109 | $33,144,217 | $304,075 |
Iowa State University | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,791 | 137 | $41,584,474 | $303,536 |
Mississippi State University | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,134 | 119 | $35,687,282 | $299,893 |
University of Kentucky | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,772 | 123 | $36,393,185 | $295,880 |
Duke University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,449 | 116 | $33,907,896 | $292,309 |
Indiana University-Bloomington | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 31,884 | 128 | $37,085,787 | $289,733 |
Vanderbilt University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,808 | 104 | $29,036,478 | $279,197 |
Boston College | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,486 | 105 | $28,487,714 | $271,312 |
University of Maryland-
College Park | MD | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,174 | 111 | $29,973,008 | $270,027 |
University of Connecticut | CT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,538 | 104 | $25,936,445 | $249,389 |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 33,939 | 107 | $25,423,916 | $237,607 |
University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 24,060 | 123 | $29,205,904 | $237,446 |
Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,301 | 110 | $26,014,107 | $236,492 |
Wake Forest University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 4,899 | 110 | $23,955,942 | $217,781 |
Brigham Young University-Provo | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,012 | 128 | $26,116,548 | $204,036 |
University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,420 | 108 | $21,136,336 | $195,707 |
Boise State University | ID | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,350 | 112 | $21,302,390 | $190,200 |
West Virginia University | WV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,524 | 128 | $22,453,097 | $175,415 |
University of Central Florida | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 38,228 | 124 | $21,546,497 | $173,762 |
Temple University | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,128 | 125 | $20,624,125 | $164,993 |
Southern Methodist University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,294 | 120 | $17,637,584 | $146,980 |
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,445 | 108 | $15,491,793 | $143,443 |
Colorado State University-Fort Collins | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,211 | 112 | $15,444,486 | $137,897 |
Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 6,487 | 99 | $13,367,701 | $135,027 |
University of South Florida-Main Campus | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,603 | 118 | $15,588,752 | $132,108 |
University of Tulsa | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,248 | 116 | $15,145,884 | $130,568 |
University of Memphis | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,372 | 120 | $14,713,436 | $122,612 |
University of Houston | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,399 | 122 | $14,641,643 | $120,013 |
California State University-Fresno | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,828 | 112 | $13,219,900 | $118,035 |
East Carolina University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,698 | 109 | $12,595,950 | $115,559 |
San Diego State University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,530 | 122 | $13,715,072 | $112,419 |
University of Wyoming | WY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,099 | 119 | $13,133,784 | $110,368 |
Rice University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,824 | 112 | $12,001,178 | $107,153 |
The University of Texas at El Paso | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,321 | 119 | $12,454,995 | $104,664 |
University of New Mexico-Main Campus | NM | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,732 | 113 | $11,778,648 | $104,236 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa | HI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,676 | 119 | $11,811,670 | $99,258 |
University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,237 | 100 | $9,806,497 | $98,065 |
University of Massachusetts-Amherst | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,340 | 114 | $10,457,450 | $91,732 |
The University of Texas at San Antonio | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,995 | 116 | $10,615,893 | $91,516 |
Ohio University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,794 | 120 | $10,705,125 | $89,209 |
Old Dominion University | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,173 | 118 | $10,391,676 | $88,065 |
University of North Texas | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,486 | 113 | $9,917,343 | $87,764 |
Western Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,999 | 99 | $8,667,334 | $87,549 |
James Madison University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 18,467 | 119 | $10,111,658 | $84,972 |
San Jose State University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,569 | 97 | $8,228,106 | $84,826 |
University of Toledo | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,810 | 120 | $10,046,711 | $83,723 |
Louisiana Tech University | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,434 | 100 | $8,334,252 | $83,343 |
Utah State University | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,888 | 108 | $8,981,573 | $83,163 |
Lafayette College | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,505 | 80 | $6,581,062 | $82,263 |
Middle Tennessee State University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,985 | 129 | $10,541,364 | $81,716 |
University of Delaware | DE | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,736 | 94 | $7,654,129 | $81,427 |
Miami University-Oxford | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,109 | 111 | $9,029,644 | $81,348 |
University of Nevada-Reno | NV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,390 | 123 | $9,730,719 | $79,112 |
The University of Montana | MT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,789 | 110 | $8,605,296 | $78,230 |
Western Kentucky University | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,967 | 114 | $8,914,222 | $78,195 |
Montana State University | MT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,157 | 110 | $8,532,272 | $77,566 |
Marshall University | WV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,917 | 117 | $8,905,082 | $76,112 |
Fordham University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,725 | 93 | $7,060,178 | $75,916 |
Florida International University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,920 | 109 | $8,168,032 | $74,936 |
Villanova University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,469 | 89 | $6,650,278 | $74,722 |
Liberty University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 27,100 | 107 | $7,934,308 | $74,152 |
Appalachian State University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,450 | 110 | $7,923,498 | $72,032 |
University of South Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,596 | 126 | $9,022,485 | $71,607 |
Ball State University | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,018 | 99 | $7,044,512 | $71,157 |
Northern Illinois University | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,323 | 113 | $8,035,152 | $71,108 |
Eastern Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,714 | 129 | $9,033,503 | $70,027 |
University of Richmond | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,998 | 97 | $6,740,937 | $69,494 |
University of Idaho | ID | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,248 | 105 | $7,283,199 | $69,364 |
Furman University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,691 | 103 | $7,131,648 | $69,239 |
University of Akron Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,367 | 105 | $7,253,770 | $69,084 |
Florida Atlantic University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,715 | 115 | $7,915,024 | $68,826 |
Kent State University at Kent | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,034 | 100 | $6,861,750 | $68,618 |
Bucknell University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,525 | 84 | $5,672,257 | $67,527 |
University of North Carolina at Charlotte | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,257 | 122 | $8,182,524 | $67,070 |
College of the Holy Cross | MA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,689 | 92 | $6,162,749 | $66,986 |
Troy University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,329 | 131 | $8,764,479 | $66,904 |
Georgia State University | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,062 | 119 | $7,955,423 | $66,852 |
University at Buffalo | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,732 | 117 | $7,796,405 | $66,636 |
College of William and Mary | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,206 | 100 | $6,587,516 | $65,875 |
Colgate University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,864 | 90 | $5,899,143 | $65,546 |
University of Louisiana at Lafayette | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,859 | 133 | $8,450,123 | $63,535 |
University of Southern Mississippi | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,242 | 111 | $7,047,869 | $63,494 |
Central Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,077 | 115 | $7,233,254 | $62,898 |
Coastal Carolina University | SC | Other | 8,828 | 122 | $7,596,064 | $62,263 |
Bowling Green State University-
Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,111 | 107 | $6,537,321 | $61,096 |
Arkansas State University-Main Campus | AR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,248 | 118 | $7,159,248 | $60,672 |
Lehigh University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,990 | 90 | $5,301,592 | $58,907 |
Texas State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,180 | 120 | $6,952,086 | $57,934 |
New Mexico State University-Main Campus | NM | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,825 | 108 | $6,184,956 | $57,268 |
Eastern Washington University | WA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,507 | 90 | $5,080,398 | $56,449 |
Citadel Military College of South Carolina | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,503 | 123 | $6,602,237 | $53,677 |
University of Rhode Island | RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,422 | 85 | $4,545,687 | $53,479 |
Elon University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,854 | 101 | $5,355,620 | $53,026 |
Wofford College | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 1,664 | 97 | $4,963,325 | $51,168 |
Samford University | AL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,204 | 108 | $5,478,355 | $50,726 |
North Dakota State University-Main Campus | ND | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,631 | 113 | $5,722,585 | $50,642 |
Howard University | DC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,553 | 89 | $4,492,172 | $50,474 |
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | NH | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,415 | 103 | $5,174,334 | $50,236 |
Georgia Southern University | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,912 | 123 | $6,138,567 | $49,907 |
Mercer University | GA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,012 | 100 | $4,931,350 | $49,314 |
Stony Brook University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 15,729 | 108 | $5,242,814 | $48,545 |
Towson University | MD | NCAA Division I-FCS | 16,827 | 95 | $4,544,506 | $47,837 |
University of Maine | ME | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,082 | 87 | $4,161,371 | $47,832 |
Cumberland University | TN | NAIA Division I | 1,265 | 58 | $2,738,002 | $47,207 |
University of California-Davis | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 28,544 | 105 | $4,900,362 | $46,670 |
SUNY at Albany | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,387 | 97 | $4,465,728 | $46,038 |
Indiana State University | IN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,347 | 90 | $4,142,172 | $46,024 |
Bethune-Cookman University | FL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,583 | 106 | $4,844,543 | $45,703 |
Kennesaw State University | GA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 24,171 | 102 | $4,615,934 | $45,254 |
Monmouth University | NJ | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,484 | 109 | $4,919,009 | $45,129 |
North Carolina Central University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,238 | 114 | $5,110,609 | $44,830 |
University of the Incarnate Word | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,488 | 98 | $4,358,369 | $44,473 |
University of North Dakota | ND | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,787 | 100 | $4,418,413 | $44,184 |
Northern Arizona University | AZ | NCAA Division I-FCS | 21,490 | 99 | $4,277,876 | $43,211 |
University of Louisiana at Monroe | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 5,149 | 127 | $5,394,664 | $42,478 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 19,650 | 95 | $3,996,199 | $42,065 |
Presbyterian College | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 943 | 104 | $4,359,553 | $41,919 |
Lamar University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,161 | 105 | $4,389,388 | $41,804 |
Hampton University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,652 | 81 | $3,384,701 | $41,786 |
Houston Baptist University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,160 | 98 | $4,042,388 | $41,249 |
Grambling State University | LA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,597 | 84 | $3,431,098 | $40,846 |
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | TN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,868 | 108 | $4,361,612 | $40,385 |
University of Northern Colorado | CO | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,242 | 100 | $4,024,251 | $40,243 |
California State University-Sacramento | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 23,181 | 95 | $3,802,982 | $40,031 |
Morgan State University | MD | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,738 | 96 | $3,805,156 | $39,637 |
Youngstown State University | OH | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,618 | 102 | $4,023,675 | $39,448 |
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | IL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,509 | 103 | $4,048,610 | $39,307 |
Missouri State University-Springfield | MO | NCAA Division I-FCS | 15,008 | 94 | $3,599,407 | $38,292 |
Delaware State University | DE | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,486 | 81 | $3,084,881 | $38,085 |
Tennessee State University | TN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,696 | 100 | $3,807,885 | $38,079 |
Yale University | CT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,468 | 103 | $3,884,949 | $37,718 |
Sam Houston State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 14,497 | 121 | $4,520,319 | $37,358 |
Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,552 | 114 | $4,135,493 | $36,276 |
Eastern Kentucky University | KY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 11,002 | 118 | $4,236,561 | $35,903 |
Portland State University | OR | NCAA Division I-FCS | 13,698 | 115 | $4,112,577 | $35,762 |
South Carolina State University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,281 | 101 | $3,606,733 | $35,710 |
Illinois State University | IL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,420 | 114 | $4,016,804 | $35,235 |
Southern Utah University | UT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,601 | 116 | $4,053,189 | $34,941 |
Virginia Military Institute | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 1,713 | 99 | $3,440,530 | $34,753 |
Central Connecticut State University | CT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,529 | 95 | $3,285,715 | $34,586 |
Weber State University | UT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,265 | 103 | $3,553,197 | $34,497 |
Robert Morris University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,940 | 89 | $3,069,513 | $34,489 |
Austin Peay State University | TN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,935 | 104 | $3,584,968 | $34,471 |
Stephen F Austin State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,571 | 105 | $3,614,225 | $34,421 |
Prairie View A & M University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,817 | 93 | $3,165,173 | $34,034 |
Abilene Christian University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,550 | 114 | $3,867,984 | $33,930 |
University of Northern Iowa | IA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,119 | 105 | $3,549,488 | $33,805 |
Murray State University | KY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,916 | 94 | $3,164,078 | $33,660 |
Southeastern Louisiana University | LA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,010 | 115 | $3,860,567 | $33,570 |
Bryant University | RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,399 | 114 | $3,727,218 | $32,695 |