Report: Where UF ranked in the SEC, nationally in recruiting spending in 2022
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida increased its football recruiting budget significantly during the 2022 fiscal year, but the full investment in UF coach Billy Napier and his staff will be reflected in report for the 2023 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023.
The Gators had the fifth-highest recruiting budget in the SEC during the 2022 fiscal year, per a report Wednesday from USA Today. Florida spent a program record $1,641,320 on football recruiting from July 2021 to June 2022, which ranked 10th nationally.
However, the difference between Georgia’s recruiting budget and the next highest spender in the SEC (Texas A&M) was nearly the entire amount of UF’s budget. The back-to-back national champions spent $4.51 million on recruiting in the 2022 fiscal year.
Texas A&M was second in the SEC at $2.98 million, followed by Tennessee ($2.91M) and Alabama ($2.32M). Clemson ($3.15M), Oklahoma ($2.63M), Texas ($2.43M), Michigan ($2.24) and Oregon ($1.83M) also spent more than the Gators in 2022.
Florida’s biggest recruiting budget prior to this past year was $1,271,821 in 2019, the last fiscal year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, UF’s football support staff pay total for 2022 was $7.3 million; the previous high for this category was $4.7 million in 2018.
The University Athletic Association has increased football spending by $4.72 million to $90.2 million, according to the Gators’ 2022-2023 operating budget obtained by the Orlando Sentinel through a public records request.
The additional spending is highlighted by a 55 percent increase in the recruiting budget. Roughly $700,000 was added to the recruiting budget to hit the $2 million mark, which will be represented in the 2023 fiscal year report.
Why the Gators spend less than UGA
A big discrepancy in the recruiting budgets for Florida and Georgia stem from travel costs. Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart spares no expense while utilizing charter flights and helicopters to visit recruits.
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During the 2019 fiscal year, UGA staff members traveled on some 140 charter flights that totaled $850,610 through Georgia Jet and Atlanta Air Charter. Another $83,260 was spent on helicopters.
The UAA’s ownership of two private jets, a $3.3 million Phenom 100 and $8.5 million Phenom 300, and an aviation department budget of $839,000 offsets some of Florida’s costs tied to recruiting travel.
USA Today wrote, “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.”
You can find the complete USA Today story HERE.
The Gators’ 2023 class ranked No. 12 nationally during Napier’s first full recruiting cycle, although their average player rating (91.34) ranked seventh in the country. Florida’s 2024 class currently ranks No. 4 with five commitments, including three top-60 overall recruits.
UF signed a total of 20 recruits from the high school ranks, and of that group, 16 were blue chips. With 80 percent of the class falling in that category, it marked Florida’s best blue-chip ratio since Urban Meyer’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class at UF in 2010 (85 percent).
