Player payments, ticket sales, stadium updates: Athletics head says Tigers are in ‘great shape’
By Parth Upadhyaya – Daily Memphian
September 3, 2025
Ed Scott sat Wednesday morning inside a conference room at the University of Memphis’ Maxine A. Smith University Center and explained to the school’s board of trustees how the Tigers are “punching well above our weight class.”
Scott, Memphis’ athletic director who’s now 13 months into his role, has said some variation of those words several times during his tenure. But in this latest presentation, he laid it out plainly.
He shared with the board where the Tigers stand on revenue-sharing contracts with athletes, provided an update on the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium renovation project and gave insight into ticket sales.
“We’re in great shape,” Scott said.
Post-House vs. NCAA settlement
Since the June approval of the House vs. NCAA settlement allowed athletic departments to begin sharing revenue with athletes starting July 1, Memphis has moved quickly.
The Tigers have entered into revenue-share contracts with approximately 200 athletes. About 43 or more deals have also gone through NIL Go, the NCAA’s platform for reporting third-party NIL deals.
Scott said the contracts range from six or seven months up to 12 months, with Memphis choosing to cap deals at one year.
“We made a conscious decision based on our legal team’s guidance not to go past 12 months,” Scott said. “One, so we don’t lock in our coaches to student-athletes beyond what they may want. And two, to give our student-athletes flexibility.
“The last thing we want to do is be suing student-athletes for a breach of contract. I don’t think that’s a good look.”
Memphis is using Teamworks General Manager and Teamworks Wallet to pay athletes, with payments distributed monthly.
“Not a single student-athlete has missed payments,” Scott said.
He added that contracts include protections for the school if an athlete enters the transfer portal or other issues arise.
Liberty Stadium renovation and facilities
The $226.5 million Liberty Stadium renovation project remains on track and on budget.
Cost-saving measures have allowed for additional upgrades, including:
A 360-degree surround-sound system
New stadium lighting capable of light shows for night games
“We’ve not only managed the funding of the project, but we’ve been able to cut expenses in certain places to allow us to enhance the stadium,” Scott said. “When we open it in September 2026, it’ll open the right way.”
Fundraising progress:
$32.8 million raised toward a $50 million Liberty Stadium goal
Nearly $7.4 million raised toward a $12.5 million soccer facility goal
Memphis is also planning a new football academic building costing approximately $2.5–$3 million. Donors have contributed labor and materials, and construction is expected to begin soon.
Ticket sales update
Memphis football is currently at 88% of its ticket sales goal for the 2026 fiscal year, about $465,000 short of the $3.88 million target.
The program has sold 10,023 season tickets for the 2025 season, down slightly from 10,151 last year.
For men’s basketball, Memphis has sold 4,229 season tickets so far, compared to 4,641 last year. However, tickets only recently went on sale, and expectations are that demand will increase closer to the season.
Scott praised coach Penny Hardaway after a 29–6 season that included conference titles and a No. 5 NCAA Tournament seed.
“Objectively, by the numbers, it was the best year he’s ever had as a coach,” Scott said.