Top football recruits bring in big money for colleges – COVID-19 could threaten revenue
Colleges and universities are spending more than ever to land the nation’s top football recruits, with some schools having boosted their recruiting budgets by more than 300% in the last five years.
These budgets can surpass US$2 million for schools like the University of Tennessee. Is it worth it?
I study economics. Research I recently did shows just how big the payoff for spending money to recruit the best players can be.
Half a million dollars
The schools that secure five-star recruits – the 30 or so players judged to be in the top one-hundredth of the top 1% of high school football players – can increase total revenue by over $500,000 for a university’s athletic department. Most football teams never secure a five-star recruit. Others, such as the University of Alabama and Louisiana St...