Oklahoma football: Big spenders

Oklahoma ootball has been busy writing checks on the recruiting trail. According to a report published by USA Today, the Oklahoma Football program ranked as the 5th-highest program in the expense category for recruiting in 2022.

According to the report, over the last six seasons, the Sooners have spent a whopping $7.6 million on recruiting. More impressively, in 2022 the Sooners spent $2.63 million on recruiting expenses. The only programs to spend more than the Sooners in 2022 were Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. Texas was a close second in 2022 spending, falling short of the Sooners by about $200,000.

Is Oklahoma seeing a return on its investment? Ultimately, time will tell; however, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, the Sooners landed the No. 4 recruiting class in 2023, behind No. 1 Alabama, Georgia, and Texas.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of a college football program. The SEC powers, and Clemson, have been the perennial big spenders in the recruiting game, which has paid off in the form of 16 national championships in the last 20 seasons. That’s an 80 percent return on investment. I’m not a Wolf of Wallstreet, but that is advantageous.

When Venables arrived in Norman, he clarified that the Sooners needed to improve facilities and prioritize recruiting. In his initial full recruiting class, he pulled in three five-star recruits and several four-stars. Some argue that the 2023 recruiting class was the highest-rated class in Oklahoma football history.

With the impending move to the SEC, the Sooner program is already spending like an SEC contender. In the age of Name, Image, Likeness, the Sooners’ program seems to be on the cutting edge. Only time will tell if the investment in recruiting will pay off on the field; however, if past practice ia an indicator, the future is bright in Norman.