Track and field is undergoing a rapid change. Yeah, that’s old news. Faster times. Dropping records. And stacking competition. We know this is the new order of the day. And we have the NCAA conferences to thank for this. The SEC more so than the rest, because it has grown into a powerhouse of college track and field! Olympic-caliber athletes? Yes, you’ll find them here! But is this signature trait turning out to be a curse more than a boon? Well, in a way, it is certainly giving birth to a few problems.

Let’s get this straight. Since 2016, the number of non-SEC schools that have ended in the top two at the NCAA Outdoor track and field can be counted on fingers. Yes, it’s that rare. Also, half of the collegiate leaders in all events (both men’s and women’s) are from the SEC! After all, IT is one of the most resource-laden, reputable, and competitive track and field spaces. It’s basically a mini ‘professional league’ within college track and field. But a renowned Brand Director who has studied it minutely over the years has highlighted a major problem here.

March 3, Brand Director Rob uploaded a YouTube video where he presented the “truth about the SEC.” Rob cited the potential reason behind the SEC having stricter recruiting standards than most other NCAA conferences. Well, per him, about 25% of all the five-star recruits on the National recruiting list for 2024 ended up in the SEC.  The reason? Well, when he analyzed it, it came up to, “Those freshman kids, they really didn’t make a difference at least not on the scoreboards in this Indoor Championship meet.” Although a few did walk away with medals, this wasn’t the case at the SEC Conference Championships recently because “International athletes were dominating.”

Rob, the founder of SCA recruiting, further said that based on statistics, across all individual events at the Championships, on both the men’s and the women’s side, only 9 freshmen athletes ever scored even one point at the meet. Clearly, that’s because international athletes are performing so brilliantly that they are overshadowing the American freshmen and high school track and field recruits. This is further leading the coaches to make tough decisions and avoid the American athletes who are just not up to that mark.

Thus, Brand director Rob opined, “Recruiting in the SEC is basically an arms race because you can’t really win a conference Championship, specifically in the sprints, jumps, and the hurdles if you don’t have an athlete who could possibly win the NCAA Championship outright.” This is the reason why when the American coaches recruit, they look for nothing but five-star talent. This gets stricter now that the SEC is under the new revenue-sharing model. Because, unlike before, programs in the power conferences are now allowed to offer unlimited scholarships— but with a strict roster cap of track and field athletes.  Thus, only the best of the best would make it through.

Still, at the end of the day, the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which got a brand new winner days ago, remains one of the most resourceful and richest NCAA conferences. Look at the figures for yourself!

Track and field enthusiasts cannot skip this SEC record revenue!

As of February 2025, the big numbers are out! Apparently, the SEC took in about $852.5 million of revenue during its 2023 fiscal year. Now, this right here was the college athletic conference record for earnings! up by about $50 million from 2022.

It’s not just that. The program also spends a significant amount. The SEC commissioner announced in 2024 that there was about to be a revenue distribution of $808.4 million to the SEC’s 16 universities for the 2023-24 fiscal year. And this includes so much, from world-class coaching, medical care, mental health support, nutrition, health coverage for the SEC student athletes, and more.

No wonder it shows in the quality of the program they maintain. What do you think? Let us know below!