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In January , exercising their new found independence, the Power5 conferences gained approval for full cost of attendance scholarships. That’s great, schools throw student-athletes a bone and the athletes stop all of the silly unionization talk from last year – right? Unfortunately, the Power5 planners seem to have failed to consider one unintended consequence of the new legislation. Universities set their own cost of attendance number, leaving the (recruiting) foxes in charge of the henhouse.
Here’s a chart from Saturday Down South showing current cost of attendance figures set by various schools around th Had with ad with e country:
[su_spacer size=”40″]| INSTITUTION | OLD SCHOLARSHIP | NEW SCHOLARSHIP | DIFFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $23,710 | $29,376 | $5,666 |
| Auburn | $23,578 | $29,164 | $5,586 |
| Louisville | $19,142 | $24,344 | $5,202 |
| Mississippi State | $17,294 | $22,420 | $5,126 |
| Texas Tech | $18,944 | $24,044 | $5,100 |
| Penn State | $29,810 | $34,598 | $4,788 |
| TCU | $50,940 | $55,640 | $4,700 |
| Oklahoma | $19,341 | $23,955 | $4,614 |
| Oklahoma State | $18,180 | $22,740 | $4,560 |
| Ole Miss | $18,204 | $22,704 | $4,500 |
| Wisconsin | $20,678 | $24,994 | $4,316 |
| Texas | $21,552 | $25,862 | $4,310 |
| South Carolina | $21,414 | $25,565 | $4,151 |
| Kansas State | $18,194 | $22,306 | $4,112 |
| Arkansas | $19,064 | $23,066 | $4,002 |
| Florida State | $17,800 | $21,684 | $3,884 |
| Baylor | $50,278 | $54,160 | $3,882 |
| Nebraska | $19,762 | $23,448 | $3,726 |
| Missouri | $21,040 | $24,704 | $3,664 |
| Clemson | $23,304 | $26,912 | $3,608 |
| Utah | $19,448 | $23,022 | $3,574 |
| Cal | $28,616 | $32,168 | $3,552 |
| Washington State | $24,634 | $28,176 | $3,542 |
| Arizona State | $21,851 | $25,209 | $3,358 |
| Florida | $17,230 | $20,550 | $3,320 |
| Arizona | $21,900 | $25,200 | $3,300 |
| Pitt | $29,024 | $32,324 | $3,300 |
| Maryland | $21,342 | $24,504 | $3,162 |
| LSU | $24,192 | $27,288 | $3,096 |
| Kansas | $17,288 | $20,364 | $3,076 |
| Indiana | $21,382 | $24,418 | $3,036 |
| Rutgers | $27,012 | $29,933 | $2,921 |
| Alabama | $24,542 | $27,434 | $2,892 |
| Miami | $59,162 | $61,942 | $2,780 |
| Vanderbilt | $61,470 | $64,250 | $2,780 |
| Virginia Tech | $20,960 | $23,739 | $2,770 |
| Texas A&M | $19,764 | $22,470 | $2,706 |
| Washington | $24,433 | $27,112 | $2,679 |
| Stanford | $62,540 | $65,165 | $2,625 |
| Ohio State | $22,198 | $24,800 | $2,602 |
| Georgia | $20,082 | $22,680 | $2,598 |
Raising the number for the purpose of competitiveness in athletic recruiting will have the opposite effect on recruiting for the general student population. Of course, the fact that you are reading this article would suggest that you have a keen interest in UGA athletics and probably come down on the side of Georgia adjusting its cost of attendance numbers for the purpose of athletic recruiting competitiveness.
Obviously, we are at the threshold of competitive bidding for the services of student athletes. If the Power5 conferences do not cap CoA numbers we will arrive at an athlete free market in short order.