College football recruiting: Ranking the biggest spenders in 2023
Recruiting is the life blood of any college football program and the coaching staff that isn't always looking for new talent is one that's falling behind.
But in order to recruit the best, you have to put down some serious money.
Private jets, hotel rooms, meals, and the salaries for ever-larger support staffs all add up over time and the cost of recruiting, like everything, is going up, up, and up.
According to documents obtained by USA Today, the biggest programs in college football broke the bank for trips and visits and everything else, with the top-tier schools putting down at least $1 million every year.
College football recruiting: Ranking 2023's biggest spenders
via USA Today
6. Michigan
USA Today Images
2023 recruiting spending: $2.24 million
Michigan's class ranking: No. 18, via 247Sports Composite
Need to know: Michigan's recent success on the field, culminating in two wins over Ohio State and a pair of College Football Playoff appearances came on the heels of a bigger investment in recruiting, nearly twice what the school spent in the year before the pandemic, and the most in the Big Ten, more than Ohio State and Penn State.
5. Alabama
USA Today Images
2023 recruiting spending: $2.32 million
Alabama's class ranking: No. 1, via College Football HQ recruiting rankings
Need to know: Cutting back on its helicopter usage this past cycle has the Crimson Tide slipping down these rankings, but not when it comes to acquiring talent, emerging as the consensus top recruiting team again in 2023. Alabama ran away with the five-star talent this cycle, signing nine of the top prospects nationally.
4. Texas
USA Today Images
2023 recruiting spending: $2.4 million
Texas' class ranking: No. 3, via College Football HQ recruiting rankings
Need to know: Steve Sarkisian may be just above .500 during his time on the Forty Acres, but he's been making a serious impact on the recruiting trail, signing four five-star players in 2023, including consensus No. 1 overall prospect quarterback Arch Manning, his recruitment alone costing the school more than a quarter-million dollars, a worthwhile investment given what his projected stardom would do for the program.
3. Tennessee
USA Today Images
2023 recruiting spending: $2.98 million
Tennessee's class ranking: No. 9, via College Football HQ recruiting rankings
Need to know: Big Orange posted the No. 1 total offense in college football last season, allowing head coach Josh Heupel to cash in on the team's newfound success on the recruiting trail. Five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was the result, giving the Vols a major, potentially-program turning commitment from a top-five player at the position.
2. Texas A&M
USA Today Images
2023 recruiting spending: $2.98 million
Texas A&M's class ranking: No. 15, via 247Sports Composite
Need to know: The experts on the ground called the Aggies' recruiting class in 2022 the single greatest in modern history. That may not have been the case this year after the team's surprising struggles on the field, but A&M was still aggressive on the trail, bringing in a pair of five-star prospects including running back Rueben Owens and defensive lineman David Hicks, both from the state of Texas.
1. Georgia
USA Today Images
2023 recruiting spending: $4.5 million
Georgia's class ranking: No. 2, via College Football HQ recruiting rankings
Need to know: College football's two-time national champions have placed a very heavy premium on its recruiting efforts under Kirby Smart and that commitment is reflected in the serious money Georgia is spending, leading the nation in this department in the last four non-Covid recruiting cycles, dominating not just in the state but increasing its nationwide footprint: three of UGA's five 5-star prospects are from the state of Florida.
(USAT)
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams