New Episode of BBOC: Georgia Tech Director of Athletics Ryan Alpert and Executive Deputy Athletic Director Brent Jones
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New Episode of BBOC: Georgia Tech Director of Athletics Ryan Alpert and Executive Deputy Athletic Director Brent JonesOn the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus, a college sports podcast powered by Playfly Sports, JohnWallStreet Founder Corey Leff and Playfly Sports Chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with Georgia Institute of Technology Vice President and Director of Athletics Ryan Alpert and Associate Vice President and Executive Deputy Athletic Director Brent Jones.
In this 50-minute conversation, the four discuss:
Running Each Revenue Vertical Like an Individual Business
Georgia Tech athletics generated a record $175 million in revenue in FY2026, a 12% YoY increase, while fundraising surpassed $100 million for the first time. The department’s growth strategy centers on treating each of its five primary revenue streams as distinct businesses with their own operating plans.
“You have philanthropy and that is straight non-seat related giving…Then you have seat related benefits, your annual fund donations tied to seats and parking. Obviously, sponsorships, concessions [and] merchandise, and outside of those business verticals we're all kind of dipping our toes into what we call non-traditional revenues, concerts, [venue] rentals [etc.]. …To be a modern day successful athletic department you really have to [maintain] a roadmap for each one of those business verticals to know where you are today and what it's going to take to be able to grow each one,” Alpert said.
Each of GT’s individual operating plans are informed by comparisons to higher-performing programs across the country.
We “look in conference to understand [how others are doing]. Clemson has probably been, over the last 10 years, the most successful ACC program, winning two national championships. They're at something like $220 million in [total] operating revenue, so how are we closing the gap with that group,” Alpert said. “We want to put ourselves in the top quartile of the ACC in all metrics. So, we're looking at what those top teams are getting, where are the outliers [in our conference], the SEC, the Big Ten, but then where are their midpoints and where are their top quartile numbers? That’s where we're benchmarking ourselves against.”
Under Armour’s Promise to Restore School Tradition and Expand Choice
Under Armour replaced Adidas as the school’s official apparel provider on July 1. Financial terms of the 10-year deal were not disclosed, though it is reportedly worth nearly six times the $3.11 million in average annual cash and product received under its old agreement. But the financial windfall was only part of UA’s appeal. The deal also addresses a persistent frustration among students, alumni, and program supporters.
“Our fans have been clamoring for more traditional and unique apparel items. Under Armour heard us loud and clear that we wanted to get back to our traditional white and gold [color scheme too]. It sounds simple, [but] we're in a very affluent area [and there is a] high level of desire for golf apparel [here]. So, top-line apparel, women's apparel, children's apparel [are all] things that are consumed at a really high level [but weren’t necessarily available in the past],” Alpert said.
The expanded offerings and increased use of the school’s most recognizable color are translating into increased sales.
“We've seen record numbers in the first quarter with Under Armour getting [their products] in the front of stores [and] getting [gold] apparel into places where people can buy it more easily, more accessibly,” Alpert said.
Borrowing From the Braves’ Playbook
Georgia Tech developed a list of 100 improvements designed to improve the gameday experience at Bobby Dodd Stadium. A conversation with Atlanta Braves President Derek Schiller helped to inspire one of the most significant additions: a general-admission social/beer garden.
“If you go back to what the Braves [did] with the [Truist Park] Chop House, that's one of the first Major League Baseball stadiums to have this social club [concept]. This [space will not have] assigned seating. It's all general admission. It's standing-[room] only. It [has space for] about 100 outside and another 150 to 200 inside. It's going to have three premium bars, two [other] places to be able to purchase [drinks]. It has its own access upstairs, [a] private elevator, as well as restrooms. What [the Wreck Deck will] offer is something that we cannot replicate [with our other premium amenities]. It is literally going to have the best sight lines, probably in America, for a college football game,” Jones said.
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We’ll be back with the next episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus on September 17. Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark will be our guest.
Previous episodes of BBOC, including sit-downs with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois, Maryland AD Jim Smith, American Commissioner Tim Pernetti, Pittsburgh AD Allen Greene, Wake Forest AD John Currie, Kansas AD Travis Goff, Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris, Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill, SMU AD Damon Evans, Ohio State AD Ross Bjork, West Virginia President Michael Benson, Weatherford Capital Founding Partner Drew Weatherford, IMG Academy CEO Brent Richard and USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews on the Enrollment Cliff, Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, St. John’s AD Ed Kull, Army AD Tom Theodorakis, Alabama AD Greg Byrne, Clemson AD Graham Neff, Rutgers University Director of Athletics Keli Zinn and Scarlet Knight Enterprises Chairman Oliver Luck, DePaul University AD DeWayne Peevy, East Carolina University AD Jon Gilbert, and University of Utah AD Mark Harlan and Crimson Brand Partners CEO Matt Webb can be found on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel.
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In the latest episode, The Sports Advisors discuss The USTA & U.S. Open and offer up some free, unsolicited advice to new USTA CEO Craig Tiley.
Nick Kelly, Shripal Shah, John Brody, Pat Crakes, and host Corey Leff discuss screens as the most scalable growth opportunity for USTA, player access being the next premium frontier, rights owners needing to prioritize partners that elevate their events, creators offering the path to general market and much more.
📺 Watch the full episode on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The next episode will be released on Wednesday, September 9.