On the field, Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns are chasing a national title and conference championship. Off the field, they’re winning in ways that have their SEC rivals seeing red. The newest member of the conference is dominating the veteran programs.

In a recent report for the 2025 fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, the Longhorns dominated SEC ticket sales. The program reported ticket sales of $62.8 million for that duration.

The Longhorns not only defeated their local rivals, Texas A&M, 27-17 in their most recent outing, but the program also dwarfed them in ticket sales. Coming second, the Aggies reported $53.9 million in ticket revenue.

The Oklahoma Sooners came in third with $47.9 million in ticket revenue, followed closely by the Arkansas Razorbacks with $46.2 million. The top five close with the LSU Tigers, who generated $43.6 million in the fiscal year. Sixth-placed Alabama Crimson Tide is a worthy mention as well, with $42.7 million.

The on-field success during the 2024 season directly fueled the ticket revenue boom. The team’s impressive 11-1 regular season record and a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinal created unprecedented demand, even with a tough loss to eventual champion Ohio State, capping their 13-3 campaign. They had a similar display the year before, where they also led the league in ticket sales. In the 2023 season, they not only reached the playoff semifinals but also won the Big 12 Championship and finished with a 12-2 record.

While the 2025 season saw their performance drop to a 10-3 overall record and no playoff appearance, Steve Sarkisian’s tenure has been marked by the program making significant progress on all fronts. The 2025 season marked the fourth consecutive year the Longhorns sold out their season tickets before the start of the season.

Notably, the recent fiscal year was an upgrade from their revenue in the 2024 fiscal year—running from mid-2023 to mid-2024—when they led the league with $52.8 million, as no other program crossed the $50 million mark. The Aggies brought in $47.2 million. It was almost the same top-five arrangement as the most recent report, only that the LSU Tigers were ahead of the Razorbacks in 2024.

Beyond ticket sales, Sarkisian understands the quality of Longhorns fans and how instrumental they can be for the team.

In the Longhorns’ 27-10 win against UTEP last season, the fans booed quarterback Arch Manning after he threw 10 straight incompletions. Sarkisian took no time to respond to the fans, urging leniency toward the team.

“Don’t give up on us,” Sarkisian said via Orangebloods. “We have a pretty good team.”

His request appeared to resonate, as the Longhorns responded with a dominant 55-0 blowout victory against Sam Houston the following week. The win also served as a breakout game for Manning, who looked revitalized while throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

Longhorns’ move to SEC helping ticket sales

The University of Texas’s chief financial officer, Rob Novak, while giving a breakdown of the entire program’s revenue, commended the football program for being the most productive. He noted that the Longhorns’ move to the SEC has led to increased demand and higher ticket revenue. In particular, he mentioned games against Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky as highly productive.

“All traveled and sold really well,” he said. “You had that Georgia game that’s on F1 weekend on national television, a prime-time game. So those are attributed to about $6 million in single-game favorable ticket sales.”

Another major factor that played to their advantage was that they played seven home games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in the 2024 season, as opposed to six in other seasons. As Sarkisian enters another season, he will be looking not only to lead the team in ticket sales but also to reward their loyal fans with a national championship.