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Auburn

Report: Auburn spent 6th most in the SEC on football recruiting in 2022

On3 imageby: Keith Niebuhr04/05/23On3Keith
On3 image

Auburn had the sixth-highest recruiting budget in the SEC during the 2022 fiscal year and No. 1 Georgia outspent the Tigers by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, per a report Wednesday in USA Today.

Auburn spent $1,307,480; the Bulldogs led the SEC — and the country — with recruiting expenses by spending $4,506,248. That was a significant distance ahead of Clemson, which had the second-highest total at $3,158,941.

Georgia now has won two straight national titles.

Overall, Auburn was 16th nationally in money spent for recruiting. Surprisingly, the Tigers were behind programs such as Rutgers, Maryland and Arizona.

Some schools did more with less.

Take Ohio State for example. The Buckeyes, a yearly national title contender, finished two spots behind Auburn for 2022 with recruiting expenditures of $1,292,799.

While Georgia’s recruiting expenses nearly doubled from 2017, Auburn’s grew only marginally from a 2017 total of $1,076,050.

Auburn spent far less than its two main rivals

It is not known how much Auburn’s recruiting expenses will grow in 2023 and beyond.

About its report, USA Today wrote, “That data was revealed in NCAA financial reports obtained by USA TODAY Sports Network in response to open records requests and compiled in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University. Georgia’s spending far exceeded any other Power 5 public university. In fact, its recruiting budget was at least double that of 45 of the 51 other public schools in Power 5 conferences.”

It added, “Recruiting expenses cover transportation, lodging and meals for recruits, additional personnel for official and unofficial visits, phone charges and postage for pursuing recruits and the value of schools’ vehicles and planes or those used by the school for recruiting. Compensation for coaches and recruiting support staff is not included in the recruiting expenses. …. Varying accounting systems for athletics departments and/or university can result in a lack of uniformity in how these numbers are compiled for financial reports. USA TODAY Sports Network obtained recruiting expenses for Power Five public universities for the past six years.”

Worth noting, “the SEC will add two top-10 spending teams in 2024. Oklahoma ($2.63 million) and Texas ($2.44 million) ranked No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, in 2022 recruiting expenses.”

You can find the complete USA Today story HERE.

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