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Top 20 spenders for recruiting by Power Five college football programs

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•04/06/23

USA Today has released a list of the top spenders when it comes to college football recruiting, and a few of the top programs on the list should come as no surprise.

On the heels of winning back-to-back national titles, Georgia comes up as the biggest recruiting spender for 2022 once again, dropping $4.51 million on landing the best of the best.

Of note, Georgia’s recruiting budget has nearly doubled in just five years. The Bulldogs spent $2.27 million on its recruiting class in 2017, though USA Today notes the figures are not adjusted for inflation.

The publication also notes that Georgia’s recruiting budget was at least double that of 45 of the 51 other public schools in Power 5 conferences.

Spend a lot, reap a lot.

Meanwhile, five of the top 10 in college football recruiting spending for 2022 hailed from the SEC. In addition to Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida all finished in the top 10. Also among the top 10 were Oklahoma and Texas, which are set to join the SEC in short order.

What exactly is USA Today tracking in the college football recruiting spending category? The publication writes:

“Recruiting expenses cover transportation, lodging and meals for recruits, additional personnel for official and unofficial visits, phone charges and postage for pursuing recruits and the value of schools’ vehicles and planes or those used by the school for recruiting. Compensation for coaches and recruiting support staff is not included in the recruiting expenses.”

Following right behind Georgia in college football recruiting spending was Clemson, which checked in at No. 2 at $3.16 million. Tennessee and Texas A&M were next up, respectively, at $2.98 million and $2.92 million.

Rounding out the top 5 was Oklahoma, checking in with a 2022 recruiting budget of $2.63 million.

You can view the rest of the top 20 when it comes to college football recruiting spending below.

College Football Recruiting Spending – 2022

  1. Georgia – $4.51M
  2. Clemson – $3.16M
  3. Texas A&M – $2.98M
  4. Tennessee – $2.92M
  5. Oklahoma – $2.63M
  6. Texas – $2.44M
  7. Alabama – $2.32M
  8. Michigan – $2.24M
  9. Oregon – $1.84M
  10. Florida – $1.64M
  11. Rutgers – $1.61M
  12. Penn State – $1.49M
  13. Washington – $1.46M
  14. Maryland – $1.38M
  15. Arizona – $1.31M
  16. Auburn – $1.31M
  17. North Carolina – $1.31M
  18. Ohio State – $1.29M
  19. Ole Miss – $1.27M
  20. Georgia Tech – $1.24M