Penn State football’s recruiting budget was effectively doubled, up from $1.143 million during the 2022-23 fiscal year according to Penn State athletics’ most recently released fiscal year reporting.
The report indicates that Penn State football operated with a budget of $2.8 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. According to a USA Today report of similar data in April of 2023, Penn State’s mark of $2.8 million would be the fifth-best in the nation behind Tennessee, Texas A&M, Clemson and Georgia. Similar reporting stated that Michigan spent $2.24 million. For their part the Bulldogs led the way with $4.5 million annual recruiting budget.
The report, which is general standardized across all reporting bodies, defines recruiting as: “Transportation, lodging and meals for prospective student-athletes and institutional personnel on official and unofficial visits, telephone call charges, postage and such. Include value of use of institution’s own vehicles or airplanes as well as in-kind value of loaned or contributed transportation.”
Penn State football’s recruiting budget increase likely has a big impact on the alignment Penn State coach James Franklin has praised between he and new Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft and new Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi.
“I think probably the biggest factor for that is the alignment,” Franklin said earlier this year. “That has been phenomenal. I think you guys know in the past, I’ve always been happy with the leadership, but I did feel we needed more alignment. Specifically when it comes to football. I think that’s been obvious from the chair to the president. If you spend time around our president, she just has an energy, an enthusiasm and a positivity for Penn State specifically, but for this community and for students and their experience. It’s infectious. It really is.
“(Kraft) is aggressive when it comes to athletics and I think is fighting for not just football, for all the sports. So that has been really good. That has been a real positive. That’s probably the biggest thing. I feel like I can focus more of my time and energy on our players and our program right now then probably I ever have in 12 years all the way back to Vanderbilt.”
Penn State football at-large reported an expense budget of $62 million up from $57.6 million the year prior while Penn State athletics reported all-time highs in expenses and revenue, both sitting just above $202 million. Penn State’s 2022-23 fiscal year came out positive by $126,352 a year after reporting a positive cash flow of $10.6 million.
