By Matt Cohen 

Auburn’s athletics department blasted past its previous record revenue set in the 2021-22 fiscal year by more than $20 million but did so with a significantly decreased profit and higher institutional support payments, according to a copy of Auburn’s 2022-23 revenues and expenses report obtained by AL.com in a public records request.

Auburn reported a total revenue of $195,301,922 in 2023, up from last year’s record $174,568,422.

The overall profit declined from the $22.9 million mark in the 2021-22 fiscal year to only $3.2 million last year. That comes after Auburn also operated at a record-high cost of $192 million in operating expenses.

Last year, Auburn saw a significant increase in severance payments, cutting into its previous record profit. That is largely because Auburn fired previous head coach Bryan Harsin one month into the 2022-23 fiscal year so payments owed to him were not factored into the previous year’s report.

Auburn owed $19.8 million in severance payments in 2022-23 compared to $8.2 million in the previous cycle.

Auburn reported it received $25 million in institutional support payments, a big increase from the $9.7 million in 2022.

Ticket sales actually decreased during the 2022-23 fiscal year despite record season ticket purchases for Jordan-Hare Stadium football games this year.

Part of the difference can be explained in the fiscal year not covering the entirety of the 2023 football season. The fiscal year runs from October 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023. Thus the ticket sales include only the end of the 2022 season and the beginning of the 2023 campaign.

Auburn reported $32.3 million in ticket sales for 2023, down from $34.1. million. That decrease came almost entirely from football, which dropped from $30 million to $28.7 million.

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