Schools can spend big money on the NCAA basketball recruiting trail in an effort to bring in better recruits, but some are more efficient with their spending than others.
NCAA basketball recruiting is often thought to be a numbers game. If you want to land coveted recruits, especially the highest-rated ones, you’re going to have to cast a wide net because more are bound to say no than yes.
It’s become very common for schools to invest large sums annually to cast that wide net. Kentucky famously spends hundreds of thousands of dollars so that John Calipari to fly around the country in a private jet and see as many prospects as possible – and to see them multiple times.
But there’s a financial reason for this, too. A program won’t make money if it doesn’t win (and often win big), and a program won’t win if it doesn’t have good players, hence the willingness for programs to spend like they do.
This is a strategy that has worked for Calipari and UK. They have yet to bring in a recruiting class that ranked outside the top two in the 247sports Composite Rankings since he took over, which has paid dividends on the basketball court in the form of seven Elite Eight appearances, four Final Fours, and a national championship over the past decade.
Kentucky’s success has also seen an actual return on their recruiting investment. They are the second most valuable program in the country, according to Forbes, and are among the nation’s top three programs in annual revenue.
However – and you’ve probably picked up on this by now – not every school spends at the same Kentucky does, and some still find a way to bring in quality recruiting classes.
Which programs have been the most efficient with their spending on the recruiting trail? Here are the top five:
*Spending amounts come via NCAA Financial Reports from the 2018 fiscal year, obtained by Stadium. Recruiting class rankings are based on the 2019 247sports Composite.*