Which Schools Spend The Most Money In Terms Of College Recruiting?

It’s no secret these days that collegiate sports programs are a huge business. Each year, collegiate sports rake in billions of dollars of revenue. Ticket sales, media rights, program donations, school visibility, and improved alumni relations are just some of the benefits of a successful sports department.

Not all of these benefits come without a cost, however. To maintain their level of success, college sports programs have to spend millions of dollars each year to keep their programs competitive. One of the biggest spending categories for these programs is the college recruitment process.

With athletes only having a small four-year window to compete at the college level, top-level schools are constantly forced to try to recruit their next big star. As a result, major college programs spend millions of dollars a year to try and attract the nation’s best recruits.

Who Leads The Pack?

With recruitment being such a key component to a collegiate sports program's short and long-term success, let’s take a look at which institutions are committing the most money to this process.

1. University of Georgia: It is no secret that Georgia tops this list. The Bulldogs come in first place with a staggering recruitment budget of $3,990,422.

2. University of Alabama: Not far behind their long-time rivals, the Crimson Tide rounds out second place with a total recruitment budget of $3,310,990.

3. The University of Texas at Austin: The Longhorns round out the top three with a total sports recruitment budget of $3,199,072.

4. Texas A&M University: Finishing right below their neighbors is our second Texan school. The Aggie’s total recruitment budget drops in at $3,036,727.

5. University of Michigan: Finishing off the top five is the Wolverines with a total recruitment budget of $3,011,982.

Recruiting is essential for colleges around the United States to ensure they can continue to climb the ladder and compete for championships each year. Not all teams can operate on budgets like those shown above, but teams who do are truly enjoying the recruiting process as those teams use a variety of methods to locate the best talent from around the world.