We all know how well Ohio State football recruits on an annual basis, but what is interesting is how much money the athletic department budget is for the Buckeyes.
In a report by CBS Sports Shehan Jeyarajah, he found out what each team in every major conference spent during the 2022 recruiting cycle, and you might be a wee bit surprised.
There were plenty of big spenders across the country, with these schools topping their respective conferences: Clemson at $3.15 million, Oklahoma with $2.63 million, Oregon with just $1.83 million, and Georgia with a whopping $4.05 million — which was the high mark in the country.
Find out below just how much each Big Ten school spends along with how many recruits they signed, what their class was ranked according to the 247Sports composite team rankings, and a final breakdown of the results. (Northwestern is excluded as they did not disclose their information as a private institution.)
14
Iowa with $577,589
Mark your calendars, Hawkeye fans‼️🗓️
Join us Saturday, April 22, for an open practice at Kinnick Stadium at 10:45 am.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/o3KR0dNs5O
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 6, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 30th nationally, 6th in Big Ten
13
Indiana - $826,606
New week. 😤 Same goals. pic.twitter.com/wS1V7x0uOX
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) April 3, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 25th nationally, 4th in Big Ten
12
Wisconsin - $857,490
They not playin 😤@G_Scruggs can confirm. pic.twitter.com/58wDSMVnrb
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) April 4, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 44th nationally, 11th in Big Ten
11
Purdue - $878,651
Getting after it! pic.twitter.com/k3nkVLEIET
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) April 5, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 38th nationally, 9th in Big Ten
10
Michigan State - $955,303
Happy National Student-Athlete Day to all of our Spartan Student-Athletes! pic.twitter.com/quLEpvWAKv
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 6, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 23rd nationally, 4th in Big Ten
9
Nebraska - $1,020,050
Spring Ball, Day VIII pic.twitter.com/jI2ICla9oK
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) April 4, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 41st nationally, 10th in Big Ten
8
Minnesota - $1,127,389
The only cup of ☕ you will need today. #RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/ptaU2bMAmV
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) April 5, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 49th nationally, 14th in Big Ten
7
Illinois - $1,157,460
Let him cook. @cwash82 ✌️#famILLy // #HTTO // #Illini pic.twitter.com/P56uhB0lEa
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) April 2, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 46th nationally, 12th in Big Ten
6
Ohio State - $1,292,799
every rep counts 🔒 pic.twitter.com/0blyXIUG3X
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 5, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 4th nationally, 1st in Big Ten
5
Maryland - $1,380,974
Episode 2 of Terpsville, by the Maryland Terrapins
Who is a real fan? 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/LhTxZQ0eUZ
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) April 6, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 31st nationally, 7th in Big Ten
4
Penn State - $1,486,521
Sunny + 75° 🥵
Footballs are flyin’ 🏈
11 days ‘til the spring game 🔵⚪️Vibes are 📈 in Happy Valley 😎
→ Blue-White Game April 15 @ 2pm pic.twitter.com/JDmIgFqqoH
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) April 4, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 6th nationally, 2nd in Big Ten
3
Rutgers - $1,609,032
All the way 🆙 @Mike_Higgins88 | #CHOP pic.twitter.com/T4Tgpl1MKb
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) April 4, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 33rd nationally, 8th in Big Ten
2
Michigan - $2,240,064
Every day is a great day in maize and blue!
🟡🔵 Cinematic Recap pic.twitter.com/Sj69B1nOnk
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 2, 2023
Breakdown
Recruiting ranking in 2022: 9th nationally, 3rd in Big Ten
1
Final breakdown
daily deposits 📈🌰 pic.twitter.com/6UiUFSmXRE
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 4, 2023
Final thoughts
It’s not all about spending, as Ohio State has the best results without spending the most. Every school increased its budget compared to its 5-year average, with Michigan increasing by almost $1 million, the most in the conference.
You’d have to expect that Wisconsin will up its budget with Luke Fickell now running the show. The same applies to Nebraska and Matt Rhule.
Iowa did more with less, having lower spending but did a great job getting results, while Rutgers spent a lot without getting much in return.
Also, you have to wonder if the top recruiting school in the conference, OSU, got closer to the top of the conference in spending and even with the national leaders, how much better would the results would actually be? The Buckeyes already are the best recruiting school in the Big Ten and typically top 5 nationally without the biggest budget, so is it worth the extra spending?
Hard to say given the results, but if Ohio State wants the mythical recruiting crown, it might be forced to up its spending.
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