Report: UNC 21st nationally in football recruiting spending

Carolina among the ACC's highest recruiting spenders

The cost of recruiting elite players in college football is skyrocketing, and Carolina is making the investment.

According to a USA Today investigation, the program's budget has increased by 82.6 percent from 2013-2018, spending $984,871 on recruiting in the 2018 fiscal year. 

Ranked 21st among public schools, the Tar Heels were between heavyweight programs Oregon and Ohio State in the rankings. That could figure to change with Mack Brown in charge, as the program has put a bigger emphasis on in-state recruiting and defining a footprint of Washington, D.C. to Jacksonville, Fla., and Atlanta.

Clemson, fifth overall nationally, leads the ACC, followed by Florida State. Carolina is third in the league in recruiting spending, with Virginia and Louisville rounding out the top five.

Georgia and Alabama lead all schools in recruiting expenses, followed by Tennessee and Texas. Five of the top 10 schools are SEC programs, with the Big Ten accounting for two and Big 12 accounting for one.

See the complete report and database here.