2 SEC Schools Getting Low ROI on College Football Recruiting Investments

This past week, financial numbers for SEC Football's 2025 fiscal year were released. Needless to say, spending didn't get too far out of hand for the "It Just Means More" conference, with no SEC program exceeding a $5 million spend.

Still, two schools stood above the rest in spending. And it wasn't the two most successful schools on the recruiting trail, either.

Alabama Decimated by Flips During 2025 Recruiting Cycle

When you point to why the Alabama Crimson Tide spent so much in recruiting, you could point in all the directions players who flipped from Kalen DeBoer's program went. The 2025 cycle was brutal for Alabama, which was coming off a disappointing 9-4 season in DeBoer's debut in Tuscaloosa the previous fall.

10 players reneged on signing their NLIs, and while that meant they didn't get paid out most of the terms on their contracts, they still made money with every visit. While the Tide still finished with the No. 3 class, there were clear missing pieces in the trenches.

The Ohio State Buckeyes were the biggest beneficiary, with Zion Grady developing into a difference-maker quickly. Ultimately, DeBoer's program spent a lot, but didn't get everything it paid for. Only one team outspent Alabama last year on recruiting.

Tennessee Finishes Eighth in the SEC But Spent the Most

While the Tennessee Volunteers finished with the No. 8 recruiting class in the SEC during the 2025 cycle, they were the only program to spend more than $4 million on recruiting-related expenses. The Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, Auburn Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, and LSU Tigers all outperformed the Vols.

In 2026, Tennessee is ranked No. 4 in the conference, behind Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. Josh Heupel and Co. have their ambitions, and they're well-founded, with the 2026 class being exquisitely built with a 5-star quarterback, left tackle, and receiver.

Still, if the results don't come on the field, since portal spending could've gotten the Vols a more sure-thing under center this fall and said 5-star freshman QB Faizon Brandon may be forced to start, that will be an easy thing to point at and wonder if a change is necessary at head coach, at AD, or both, in Knoxville.

When you have a chart that has a Tennessee Orange bar rising high above the rest of the conference, it's a bad look when you don't think of the Vols as anything close to a powerhouse.