The Georgia Bulldogs spent $5.3 million dollars on recruiting throughout the 2023 fiscal year (from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023). Georgia’s lavish recruiting spending did pay off as the Bulldogs recently signed the No. 1 class of 2024 in the country.
Georgia spent more on recruiting than Michigan and Ohio State combined during the 2023 fiscal year. The Wolverines and Buckeyes totaled $4.0 million in recruiting expenses combined.
Thus far, Texas A&M ($4.0 million) and Clemson ($3.5 million) also reported spending over $3.0 million on recruiting. Texas A&M finished with just the No. 19 recruiting class in the country, while Clemson finished with the No. 11 class of 2024, per 247Sports. Several other schools have not reported how much they spent in 2023.
Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald notes that Georgia made less of a revenue surplus in 2023.
Georgia’s total operating revenue was a school record $210.1 million and its operating expenses were $186.6 million. The revenue was up $7.1 million from the previous fiscal year while the expenses rose $17.6 million.
In fact, when factoring in around $22 million in capital projects and the athletic department’s annual $4.5 million donation to the school, Georgia finished 2023 with a deficit.
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Spending big on football is nothing new for the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs spent over $4 million on recruiting in 2022, which was the most in the country. Some Georgia fans would say the spending on recruiting is a worthwhile investment, while others would argue that Georgia is spending too much.
It would be very interesting to see how much Georgia’s recruiting spending would be when factoring in name, image and likeness.