ATHENS — Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks took time with DawgNation to address some of the Bulldogs’ most pressing and promising issues.
UGA has projects with several facilities underway, most notably the first phase of renovations to Sanford Stadium, Foley Field and softball’s Jack Turner Stadium.
The bill between the three of those two-phase projects is an estimated $143 million, a figure that shows just how much more aggressive — and progressive — Georgia athletics has gotten since Brooks took over following the 2021 season.
UGA athletics ranks fifth in the nation — and third in the expanded SEC — with more than $203 million in revenue — with $169 million in expenses, per the formula applied by the USA Today.
The 43-year-old Brooks has announced there won’t be an increase in football ticket prices this year despite the $140 million that’s gone into the past two football programs.
Always quick to deflect praise, the third-year AD pointed to the support the school continues to raise in its all-important fundraising.
“Even with inflation, it’s been important for us to appreciate our fanbase, and thankfully we’ve had so many donors step up and give to the Magill Society,” Brooks said.
“Their gifts have allowed us to keep building … and not taking on a ton of new debt, which allows to stay firm with the ticket prices.”
Georgia is also starting work on baseball ($45 million) and softball ($38 million) projects that should help left both sports’ facilities up to par in the SEC.
The indoor tennis facility, which will rank among the most elite in the nation, is also nearing completion and there are future plans in the works for an indoor and outdoor track facility that will also rank among the best in the country.
Brooks updated the work being done at Stegeman Coliseum, too, which has been closed for repairs since pieces of concrete fell from the ceiling as a result of thermal movement earlier this spring.
Brooks is overseeing all of this while also keeping Georgia at the forefront of NIL management and strategy, working hand-in-hand supporting Smart’s two-time championship football program and lobbying for UGA’s interests amid the new schedule models.
“The phrase ‘building an airplane while its in the air’ has been a few times to describe the NIL and everything going on in the athletics world,” Brooks joked.
“You have to be extremely adaptable and flexible as college athletics is evolving every single day.”
No doubt, and Brooks has already proven himself among the best in the nation, as he was one of six finalists for athletic director of the year as determined by the Sports Business Journal.
Brooks, like his head coach, shrugged off any controversy over the temporary eight-game football schedule in 2024 and 1-7 or 3-6 models that will soon be utilized.
“Over a four-year period, every team is going to come to Sanford Stadium at least once, and we are going to get to every stadium over four years,” Brooks said.
“I think that’s the biggest thing to focus on and be appreciative of — the schedule will balance out.”
Here’s DawgNation 2023 offseason one-on-one interview with Josh Brooks covering the state of Georgia athletics:
