Florida football isn’t spending Alabama or Georgia money just yet, but the Gators received a nice boost in the recruiting budget this year, according to a report from Edgar Thompson the Orlando Sentinel.
The University Athletic Association increased football spending by $4.72 million to $90.2 million, according to the Gators’ operating budget obtained by the Sentinel. Roughly $700,000 was added to the recruiting budget, a 55% increase, to hit the $2 million mark.
Billy Napier‘s staff is all in on recruiting from top-to-bottom and athletic director Scott Stricklin indicated a willingness to spend more on the program under the new regime. These numbers not only back up those expectations but also place Florida fifth in the country in terms of recruiting budgets, according to 247Sports’ most recent update on the topic.
Still, other schools may have adjusted their numbers in the last year and reached that $2 million mark as well. Florida does have some hidden recruiting money in the UAA’s two private jets and nearly a flight department budget of $839,000.
With more money to spend than ever before, the expectation is for Billy Napier to help Florida rebound quickly in recruiting space. So far, Florida has eight recruits after a recent decommitment from offensive lineman [autotag]Tommy Kinsler[/autotag]. That puts UF at No. 42 on 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings and several misses have some Gators fans questioning the first-year coach before his first real game.
Four-star cornerback [autotag]Sharif Denson[/autotag]’s commitment on Monday did bring the fanbase back down to earth, but there’s bound to be unrest as long as UF remains outside of the top 20, especially with the news of increased spending coming in. Hopefully, those dollars pay off and the UAA invests even more into the program over the coming years.
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