Are Cost of Attendance Scholarships Going to Hurt UK?

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Earlier this year the University of Kentucky announced that it will offer full cost of attendance scholarships to student athletes to cover the difference between a traditional scholarship and what it really costs to attend college each year. Most Power Five conference teams have followed suit this year. When it was first announced many expected this to be a good thing for Kentucky but no one took into account that the formula for full cost of attendance creates a different amount for different schools.

Kentucky’s $3,278 is middle of the pack overall but lags behind rivals Tennessee ($5,666) and Louisville ($5,202). That means that when tuition, books, room and board etc. are paid for, a kid attending UL will get a check for nearly two thousand more dollars than one would at Kentucky. There are some that are growing concerned that Kentucky’s newfound recruiting prowess will begin to suffer because of the size of the stipend. At the end of a collegiate athletic career that adds up to $8-10k more in Louisville or Knoxville.

The question now is how much that will affect a high schooler’s mentality. Ten grand sounds like a huge difference when you are young and it remains to be seen how coaches will sell this benefit to parents. What you can count on is that they will sell it. Any recruiting advantage coming from the stipend would likely come from current players talking to recruits and, likely, spending some of the money to impress them. Because if we are honest with ourselves we can admit that kids are going to blow this money on non-essentials just like normal college kids when they get their financial aid checks. Former UK coach Joker Phillips may have hit the nail on the head when asked about more money for players, saying that he expected them to spend it on tattoos and pitbull puppies. Kids that age generally aren’t financially responsible.

When you really look at it, it probably does cost more to live in Louisville than it does Lexington for a year. The formula used to calculate these numbers is a federal tool used by universities everywhere and is not related to college sports. So the idea that Louisville or anyone falsified the numbers to offer a higher amount is pretty unlikely. Doing so would obviously be risky with federal consequences and would possibly scare off potential students looking for a college. Not exactly a smart trade off. The numbers are a little misleading as well, because it doesn’t highlight the things provided by the university itself.

We will all have to wait and see how this plays out, but if cost of attendance really becomes a recruiting tool in the near future it likely won’t remain one long. Ohio State and Alabama are each one of the lower COA schools among Power 5 teams. Don’t think for one second that Urban Meyer is going to sit back quietly while rival schools gain an advantage in recruiting. The entire state of Alabama may catch fire when they realize how much higher Auburn’s cost of attendance is that the Tide’s. There is no telling how this will unfold but rest assured that it will be an interesting ride.

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