Patrick Nyarko (12) traps the ball during Tech's home victory over Old Dominion in the third round of the 2007 NCAA tournament. Following the season, Nyarko was taken in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft by Chicago.
Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. — This story has been modified from its original version. A recruit's name (Vinson to Vinston) and the school to which another recruit would eventually commit (Florida State, not Florida) have been corrected. The Collegiate Times regrets these errors.
As revenue in college sports has risen, so has the pressure to recruit the best high school athletes from around the country.
According to documentation provided by the Virginia Tech athletics department, the 2007-08 year saw $824,296 spent on recruitment, the highest since 2003-04. Football accounted for 26 percent, or $217,714, of this total.
Tech's recruitment budget increased 148 percent in preparation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, and it's not even among the top 25 Division I teams with regard to spending. Tech's intention to join the ACC was announced in the summer of 2003. In the previous academic year, the school spent $345,755 to recruit athletes. The following school year, anticipating entrance into the ACC, the school's recruitment expenditures jumped to $856,464. Overall success of athletic departments is measured by the United States Sports Academy Director's Cup. It awards points based on final rankings in a set number of sports.
In 2002-03, Tech finished 112th. Since the entrance of the athletes recruited after the spending increase, Tech has finished no worse than 58th. The 2007-08 academic year produced Tech's highest finish, 37th.
After the initial surge of spending upon joining the ACC, Tech's spending has leveled off. In 2006-2007, Tech spent $755,848 on recruitment. The median for Division I-A schools was $632,600.
Lisa Rudd, assistant director of athletics for financial affairs, said each athletic program's coaching staff is given a general operating budget and they decide how to spend it. Therefore, recruiting expenditures vary each year. Much of the money spent in 2007-08 went into bringing in what scout.com rated the 20th best recruiting class in the country. This included running back Ryan Williams -- redshirted by the team in September -- and offensive guard Vinston Painter.
While Tech has seen major spending increases, other schools have spent significantly more.
Among ACC schools, Tech was 10th in recruitment spending during the 2006-07 year. Only Boston College and Wake Forest spent less on recruiting. Tech was also the 10th ACC school in the Director's Cup rankings, 48th overall. Duke spent the most -- more than $1.2 million -- and finished 11th in the nation in the Director's Cup. North Carolina, spending just under $1 million on recruiting, recorded the top Director's Cup finish among ACC schools, finishing third.
However, in previous years, football and basketball have not been included in Director's Cup rankings. Changes have been made to the scoring system and the first rankings for the 2008-09 year will come out in January.
Spending on men's sports jumped by 190 percent in 2003 compared to only 89 percent in women's sports.
In 2007-08, women's sports accounted for 31 percent of recruitment expenses.
As of 2002, football accounted for over 40 percent of recruitment expenses. Last year, football accounted for just 26 percent of recruiting expenses. Men's basketball is just behind, accounting for 22 percent. Tech's recruiting classes in football, the sport with the highest revenue, appear to correlate with on-field performance, regardless of how much money is spent. Scout.com ranks football-recruiting classes. In the 2002-03 season, prior to the spending increase, Tech's football team recorded a 10-4 record and finished ranked 21st in the nation. Its recruiting class was also ranked 21st.
The following season, with the spending increase in effect, Tech's recruiting class was unranked, once again similar to the football team, which finished with an 8-5 record.
Subsequent years remained true to the trend. Seasons in which Tech played in a BCS bowl: 2004-05 and 2007-08, yielded top-20 recruiting classes. Seasons without BCS Bowls did not.
Recruiting spending has not dipped below $693,116 since Tech's entrance to the ACC. However, profits are not taking a hit. Football revenue has skyrocketed from $14.9 million in 2002 to $40.6 million in 2007.
Tech is actually getting more for its money than other major schools' athletic departments.
Tennessee spent more money on recruiting than any other school in the country in 2006-07. It was the only school to eclipse $2 million in recruiting expenses.
Scout.com ranked its recruiting class fourth in the country. Tennessee now faces a season without a bowl game and its revenues will take a hit because of it.
South Florida is on the other end of the spectrum. It spends less on recruiting than any other school with a BCS conference football team.
However, in 2007 it recorded the 48th best football recruiting class in the country. That was ahead of Kansas State, the fifth biggest spender in that year.
Of the schools in the 2007 Scout football recruiting top-25 class, only four spent less.
FOOTBALL RECRUTING : A MAZE OF REGULATIONS
Leave a comment 1 Comment Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Sloppy editing, guys. First, it's Vinston Painter (not Vinson) and E.J. Manuel is signed with Florida State, not Florida.
Reply to this Top