I don’t know what the market cost of a Quality wide receiver, o line, D line, linebacker, etc. is, But I suspect you can get very solid value for 50-100K. Running backs and quarterbacks probably cost a lot more.

The sheer number of quality football players means that they’re going to generally be worth less on the market. The demand is pretty much always the same but supply is pretty high. Football seems to be a sport where players stick around for four or five years pretty consistently. Their bodies actually need to develop into men to dominate and take punishment. Even with transfer portal the investment you make an a football player is more long-term. Even a five star guy has to stick around for two years and is likely to stick around for three or four.

The cost to go from being something like a top 50 recruit Ranking to a top 10 must be astronomical in football. You’re going after the top portal guys who are proven talents and/or very high probability success players from high school. There’s also only one Viable option for football, which is the NFL. Canadian football & XFL are incomparable to the pay and status of alternate leagues in basketball.

Now compare basketball. Lots of those players are one done and are choosing college over pro ball somewhere else. Every One player has major impact on the court. The impact of funds on basketball is instantly noticeable when buying quality.