July 20, 2009

The High Cost of Recruiting in the SEC

The Mobile Press-Register shines a bright light on the high cost of recruiting in the Southeastern Conference.

The findings? Staggering.

Over the past three years, the eleven public schools of the SEC have averaged a combined spend of over $5 million dollars per year, with an average annual budget of nearly $500,000.

Three Year Average SEC Football Recruiting Expenses

Tennessee: $1,154,802 Auburn: $705,125 LSU: $662,772 Florida: $599,818 Georgia: $521,174 Arkansas: $499,578 Ole Miss: $410,608 Kentucky: $307,571 Miss. State: $286,467 Alabama: $285,649 S. Carolina: $273,909 Vanderbilt: N/A

Vanderbilt did not disclose expenses

These numbers must be taken with a grain of salt, of course. Recruiting budgets typically cover travel for both coaches & official visits for recruits, hotels, entertaining recruits on campus, complementary tickets and postage. They do not reflect coaches' salaries or capital expenses for facilities.

That said, there's no question that the arms race is heating up in the SEC.

The Vols number stands out just for the sheer size, but likely reflects the reality that UT recruits nationally and lacks a large in-state base. Of the 32 signed LOI's that Tennessee picked up in February 2007, only 11 signees were in-state commitments.

"That's their biggest cost, just the actual flight, particularly when you're talking about recruiting kids and bringing in kids from everywhere," said Brent Hubbs, a radio host who also runs Volquest.com, Tennessee's Rivals.com site.

The number that stands out to me is Auburn's, especially when you contrast the Tigers against Alabama. Not only are the Plainsmen averaging an additional $420K per year more than the Crimson Tide, but it's hard to argue that the payoff has outpaced 'Bama.

For example, in 2006 the Tigers had the #10 ranked class nationally while the Tide had the #11 class. In 2007, Auburn had the #7 class to Bama's #10 class. And - as the Saban spotlight grew - in 2008, Alabama had the Rivals #1 class while AU was relegated to #20.

So, why is the Alabama number so low (relatively speaking)? One of the biggest factors is it's Alabama's private plane operation.

"We very seldom charter a plane because that's very expensive," Moore said. "We try to use our plane. The plane that we fly now is very capable of going a long distance and coming back without refueling. And we have our own fuel. So we buy ourselves a lot cheaper than we would if we had to fuel up in Orlando or wherever."

While most teams have access to private aircraft - for example, Auburn has two planes - Alabama's model of limiting recruiting trips to a five-hour radius means that the coaches can travel roundtrip without refueling, allowing the team to utilize it's contract fuel and maintenance pricing.

With the new television contracts bringing in $15 million per team, per year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see teams upgrading their private aircraft in an effort to (ultimately) reduce travel expenses - something of a new wings race in the SEC.

Comments:

The High Cost of Recruiting in the SEC
The Mobile Press-Register shines a bright light on the high cost of recruiting in the Southeastern Conference. The findings? Staggering. Over the past three years, the eleven public schools of the SEC have averaged a combined spend of over $5 million dollars per year, with an average annual budget of nearly $500,000.
Three Year Average SEC Football Recruiting Expenses
Tennessee: $1,154,802 Auburn: $705,125 LSU: $662,772 Florida: $599,818 Georgia: $521,174 Arkansas: $499,578 Ole Miss: $410,608 Kentucky: $307,571 Miss. State: $286,467 Alabama: $285,649 S. Carolina: $273,909 Vanderbilt: N/A Vanderbilt did not disclose expenses These numbers must be taken with a grain of salt, of course. Recruiting budgets typically cover travel for both coaches & official visits for recruits, hotels, entertaining recruits on campus, complementary tickets and postage. They do not reflect coaches' salaries or capital expenses for facilities. That said, there's no question that the arms race is heating up in the SEC. The Vols number stands out just for the sheer size, but likely reflects the reality that UT recruits nationally and lacks a large in-state base. Of the 32 signed LOI's that Tennessee picked up in February 2007, only 11 signees were in-state commitments.
"That's their biggest cost, just the actual flight, particularly when you're talking about recruiting kids and bringing in kids from everywhere," said Brent Hubbs, a radio host who also runs Volquest.com, Tennessee's Rivals.com site.
The number that stands out to me is Auburn's, especially when you contrast the Tigers against Alabama. Not only are the Plainsmen averaging an additional $420K per year more than the Crimson Tide, but it's hard to argue that the payoff has outpaced 'Bama. For example, in 2006 the Tigers had the #10 ranked class nationally while the Tide had the #11 class. In 2007, Auburn had the #7 class to Bama's #10 class. And - as the Saban spotlight grew - in 2008, Alabama had the Rivals #1 class while AU was relegated to #20. So, why is the Alabama number so low (relatively speaking)? One of the biggest factors is it's Alabama's private plane operation.
"We very seldom charter a plane because that's very expensive," Moore said. "We try to use our plane. The plane that we fly now is very capable of going a long distance and coming back without refueling. And we have our own fuel. So we buy ourselves a lot cheaper than we would if we had to fuel up in Orlando or wherever."
While most teams have access to private aircraft - for example, Auburn has two planes - Alabama's model of limiting recruiting trips to a five-hour radius means that the coaches can travel roundtrip without refueling, allowing the team to utilize it's contract fuel and maintenance pricing. With the new television contracts bringing in $15 million per team, per year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see teams upgrading their private aircraft in an effort to (ultimately) reduce travel expenses - something of a new wings race in the SEC.