Friday Night Notes: Biggest spenders of 2022, Duce…

Friday Night Notes: Biggest spenders of 2022, Duce Robinson sets date and more

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

You have to spend money to make money. That may not apply in everyone’s case, but when it comes to recruiting the top high school football players in the nation, it certainly rings true.

Case in point: the Georgia Bulldogs are on top of the mountain in college football. While a lot has gone into their winning two national titles in a row, it certainly hasn’t hurt that they’re willing to spend big to get who they want. In fact, lately, they’ve outspent everyone else in college football by a wide margin.

According to a report by Marc Weiszer and Steve Berkowitz at USA TODAY, Georgia spent $4.5 million on recruiting for football in 2022. That’s over 50% more than any other Power 5 program.

Here is the full list of the top six schools in recruiting spending last year:

1. Georgia: $4.5 million

2. Texas A&M: $2.98 million

3. Tennessee: $2.92 million

4. Texas: $2.44 million

5. Alabama: $2.32 million

6. Michigan: $2.24 million

After Michigan, there’s a large gap in the arms race. No other school reported having spent more than $1.85 million.

Duce Robinson sets date for decision

One prospect who is definitely worth splurging on is the nation’s top uncommitted recruit in the 2023 class: Pinnacle (Ariz.) tight end Duce Robinson.

While he’s expected to eventually pick Georgia, Robinson is in no hurry to make his decision. When he was asked for an update on National Signing Day, he told ESPN that he’s simply not sure where he wants to go yet and wants to have full conviction when he does commit.

We now have an update: According to 247Sports, Robinson says he’s set his commitment date for April 1:

“April 1 is the cutoff date, so I’ll have a decision by then. As far as when that date might be, I couldn’t really tell you. A hundred percent plan on committing and signing to a school and being there whenever move-in day is.”

Robinson has received offers from 28 schools overall. Georgia is considered the favorite to get him but several others in the mix, including USC, Alabama, Texas and Oregon.

He’s the No. 1 tight end of 2023 and ranks No. 17 overall in his class.

SMU's wild new WR among latest commits

This was a relatively slow news week in the recruiting business. Still, at least one school managed to get themselves a blue chip prospect.

On Monday evening, South Oak Cliff (Texas) WR Jamyri “Wildman” Cauley announced his commitment to SMU:

I have always dreamt of becoming the neighborhood hero and now I am living proof through my talents on and off the football field. I want to now become the hero of my city and what better way than to commit and join SMU located in the heart of Dallas.#PonyUp 🐎 pic.twitter.com/dEqe8OAPqG

— Jamyri Cauley (@wildman_soc) February 7, 2023

In 20 games played over the last two seasons, Cauley has totaled 56 catches, 1,309 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.

That production has helped rank Cauley (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) No. 28 among receivers in his class. His picking SMU came as a bit of a surprise. He had offers from 24 other schools, including Texas, TCU and Baylor.

Cauley is the second player to join SMU’s class of 2024 along with Vero Beach (Fla.) quarterback Tyler Aronson.