A fascinating study has shined a light on the value of elite college football recruits.
According to a study done by Ohio State University professor Trevon Logan, the average five star football recruit on Rivals is worth $650,000 in annual revenue. A four star recruit is worth $350,000, a three star recruit generates $150,000 in annual revenue and a two star recruit actually loses $13,000 a year.
Ohio State described the formula for the study in part as follows:
For the study, the researchers collected a unique dataset from the federal Office of Postsecondary Education that included annual football-specific revenue and expenses from 2002 to 2012 for all college football bowl subdivision (FBS) schools – the top level in the sport.
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Those damn sure are some gaudy numbers, and there’s no other way to describe them. According to this study, a five star recruit is worth more than $2.5 million if he sticks around for all four years.
If more and more studies come out backing up these numbers, I imagine it’s going to only get harder for the NCAA to argue athletes shouldn’t be allowed to profit.
Even a three star recruit is worth $600,000 over a four year career. We’re talking about guys who might not see the field for two or three seasons.
The big name players are worth substantially more.
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I’ll be curious to see if studies of this nature change anybody’s stance on players being able to make money. I’m guessing they will.
Let us know in the comments if you think college athletes should be allowed to profit!
