College football recruiting: Ranking the 10 biggest spenders in 2023
Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football and to be the best, you have to spend like the best in order to stay out in front of the always-competitive race to sign the best players from around the country.
Private jets, hotel rooms, meals, and everything else all add up over time and the cost of recruiting, like everything else, is going up, up, and up.
Where things stand: 2023 College Football Recruiting Rankings
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.
Here's your look at the 10 biggest spenders from the 2023 cycle.
College Football Recruiting: Ranking the 10 Biggest Spenders in 2023
Not including salaries for coaching staffs
10. Florida
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What Florida spent: $1.6 million
Florida's 2023 class ranking: No. 14
Need to know: Florida hasn't wasted any time giving Billy Napier everything he needs to get the Gators back on the map recruiting, especially in the state itself. So far those efforts have gone well as the school signed a top-15 recruiting class a year ago and has made promising headway so far in 2024 as a consensus top-10 team early in the game.
9. Oregon
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What Oregon spent: $1.8 million
Oregon's 2023 class ranking: No. 9
Need to know: It was expected that Dan Lanning would be an able recruiter in the Pac-12 after emerging as one of the best in the game in the SEC when he was defensive coordinator at Georgia, attracting so many of those game-changing players on that team's historically great defense. Now he's bringing that experience to the Ducks, who clinched a top-10 class in his first outing and the school has become an important NIL destination for players around the country, too.
8. Michigan
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What Michigan spent: $2.2 million
Michigan's 2023 class ranking: No. 17
Need to know: Michigan's football fortunes have dramatically improved these last two years as the program won two straight Big Ten titles and made the College Football Playoff twice at a time when the school has made major investments in attracting talent. Michigan has nearly doubled its recruiting spending in that time and the results so far are promising, leading the Big Ten among in the field.
7. Alabama
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What Alabama spent: $2.3 million
Alabama's 2023 class ranking: No. 1
Need to know: Nick Saban and company are getting more for their money this time around after reining in the spending somewhat compared to last cycle, when they placed No. 2 in these rankings. Not that the decrease has hurt the school at all: the Crimson Tide still brought in the consensus No. 1 recruiting class, including a staggering nine 5-star prospects, among them top-ranked offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor in from Iowa and Caleb Downs, the No. 1 safety nationally out of Georgia.
6. Texas
What Texas spent: $2.4 million
Texas' 2023 class ranking: No. 3
Need to know: Crucially, the Longhorns are moving back into the national picture on the recruiting trail one year before the program's landmark move to the SEC in 2024, most notably by earning the commitment of No. 1 overall player Arch Manning, the latest quarterback produced by that long-time football dynasty. Other five-stars include Anthony Hill, the No. 2 linebacker from Denton, in addition to top-ranked tailback Cedric Baxter and No. 3 wide receiver Johntay Cook.
5. Oklahoma
What Oklahoma spent: $2.6 million
Oklahoma's 2023 class ranking: No. 4
Need to know: Despite the team's struggles on the field during Brent Venables' debut season as head coach, he and the Sooners performed well in their first full recruiting cycle, signing the No. 4 class that includes three impact five-stars: quarterback Jackson Arnold, edge rusher Adepoju Adebawore, and defensive back Peyton Bowen, a huge piece OU was able to flip from Oregon.
4. Tennessee
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What Tennessee spent: $2.9 million
Tennessee's 2023 class ranking: No. 10
Need to know: Ranking No. 1 in college football in total offense and emerging as a playoff contender last season has fared very well for Big Orange, who have jumped up the recruiting rankings this past cycle. The highlight of the class is 5-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the No. 2 passer in his class, and a trio of dominant front seven defenders in lineman Daevin Hobbs, edge rusher Caleb Herring, and linebacker Arion Carter, all top-15 at their position. Tennessee has also built an NIL powerhouse, which should help retain talent going forward.
3. Texas A&M
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What Texas A&M spent: $3 million
Texas A&M's 2023 class ranking: No. 15
Need to know: A year ago, the Aggies signed what 247Sports called the greatest recruiting haul in modern history. Then came a disastrous 2022 football season on the field, winning just two SEC games, and an exodus of transfers out of the program, the most of any in the Power Five. A&M responded by getting more aggressive on the trail and increasing its investment in talent acquisition, signing two five-stars in defensive lineman David Hicks, the No. 1 overall player from Texas, and running back Rueben Owens, the No. 5 player from the state and the third-ranked back in the country.
2. Clemson
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What Clemson spent: $3.2 million
Clemson's 2023 class ranking: No. 11
Need to know: Dabo Swinney has never had too much trouble luring some of the nation's top players to Clemson, not with two national titles in his back pocket and all the money he needs to get out on the road. As ever, defensive line is a major point of focus for the program, signing three premier attackers including five-star Peter Woods, a major get from Alabama, in addition to Tomarrion Parker and Vic Burley, both top-10 players at the position.
1. Georgia
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What Georgia spent: $4.5 million
Georgia's 2023 class ranking: No. 2
Need to know: College football's two-time defending national champion is the only school to spend over $2 million in each recruiting cycle dating back to 2017 — with the exception of the Covid-19 year, when every school put a clamp on spending — and its investments have paid off just about as well as they could.
Kirby Smart is arguably college football's most aggressive recruiter and his staff has spared no expense in making sure Georgia is front and center in the mind of the country's top prospects. The proof is in the pudding: UGA is on the cusp of a historic three-peat, something the sport hasn't seen since the 1930s.
(USAT)
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