A conference that started paying the players before it was a rule of law has seen an interesting development. One program outspent 14 rivals on recruiting last fiscal year, even while pulling back from its own record-setting pace. Welcome to the new, deeply confusing economics of college football, where teams like LSU and Texas, whose identities are made by the dollar sign, have been outspent by a team that lost its quarterback over money problems.

Josh Heupel’s program topped the SEC for the second consecutive year, spending $4.6 million on football recruiting in FY 2025 per Matt Stahl. That’s a drop from the staggering $5.38 million the Volunteers spent in FY 2024. It was when they ranked No. 1 among all public schools nationally, ahead of Alabama’s $5.27 million. But even while spending less, Tennessee remained well ahead of everyone else in the conference.

The program’s ascent on the recruiting trail hasn’t been quick or accidental. In 2014–15, Tennessee’s recruiting budget sat around $1 million. By FY 2022, they were fourth nationally at $2.9 million. In FY 2023, they were sixth in the SEC at $2.6 million. Then, in FY 2024, they made the single biggest jump in the conference. They more than doubled their spend in a year to vault to No. 1 nationally. Maintaining the top spot in FY 2025, even with a $780,000 cut to the budget, signals this isn’t a one-year anomaly.

Texas ranked fourth in the SEC in recruiting spending in FY 2025 at roughly $3.3 million. But in early 2026, Texas was being projected to assemble college football’s first $40 million roster. Steve Sarkisian’s program was expected to spend between $35 and $40 million on player compensation alone.

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LSU, ninth in the SEC with under $2 million in traditional recruiting spend, is a more dramatic case. Former coach Brian Kelly went on Sirius XM Radio in March 2026 and revealed that LSU is spending over $40 million to assemble the roster for new head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin’s squad includes the No. 1 transfer quarterback, No. 1 offensive lineman, and No. 1 edge rusher in the portal. LSU is also on the hook for $53 million for Kelly’s exit and committed $91 million across seven years for Kiffin.

This is the defining paradox of modern SEC football. The recruiting spending numbers you can actually measure tell you less and less about the actual competitive landscape. The real money from the NIL deals, the revenue-sharing distributions, and the cost of the roster are completely separate ledgers.

But interestingly, the SEC collectively spent less on recruiting in FY 2025 than in FY 2024. The 15 public schools combined for $38.6 million in FY 2025, down from $42.1 million in FY 2024, which itself was a jump from $35.9 million in FY 2023. Ten of the 15 programs saw their recruiting budgets shrink. Some by modest amounts. Others, most notably Texas A&M and Georgia, by over a million dollars each.​

The explanation sits largely at the feet of the transfer portal. When a prospect has two years of college film, you don’t need to fly three coaches to his hometown, arrange a private campus tour, or cater a five-figure dinner to evaluate him. The pitch happens over a phone call; the evaluation happens on a laptop. Traditional recruiting infrastructure — the kind that costs $3–5 million a year — becomes far less relevant when you’re filling half your roster from the portal. No school spent more than $5 million on recruiting in FY 2025. Two did in FY 2024.​

SEC college football programs supercharge the recruiting game with good hospitality

Tennessee’s recruiting budget covers travel for recruits and up to two family members. At the same time, the college football program stands out for its hospitality. They ended up spending $46,496.82 on one catered dinner during a June 2024 recruiting weekend. And part of the credit goes to Heupel. 

“In the Josh Heupel era, Tennessee has committed to spending more than ever on college football recruiting. The Volunteers ranked No. 4 overall in football recruiting spending in 2022 with a $2.9 million budget. Since then, the budget has grown by 45% and sat at $5,378,984 in 2024,” wrote On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos.

Since they top the FY 2025 list, the 2026 recruiting class rankings serve as the Volunteers’ report card. According to On3, the college football program ranks No. 9, with 31 total recruits committed. On the first day of the early signing period, they succeeded in wooing 2026 four-star edge rusher Carter Gooden. Was it easy?

No. The college football program flipped his commitment from UCLA. At the same time, during this year’s transfer portal, Tennessee had almost bridged the gap by transferring in 21 players while losing 23 players. That’s how it paid for two years in a row, as Tennessee maintained its streak of spending big on recruiting.