Independent Study Finds 5-Star College Football Players Are Worth Absurd Amount of Money

The controversial debate on whether collegiate athletes should be compensated for the revenue they drive in for their respective programs is unrelenting.

However, a recent independent study proves that high end football recruits are worth an absurd amount of money: $650,000 annually to be exact. The study considered Rivals' recruiting cycles and looked to determine what each prospect was worth to his school's income from 2002 through 2012.

It was found that each five-star recruit increased earnings by almost $200,000. Additionally, four-star prospects bring in approximately $90,000, and two-star athletes are worth roughly $13,000 per year.

What makes these findings all the more mind-blowing is the fact that team factors were supposedly removed before research was conducted. According to the study, each five-star player was worth .437 wins per season, though it did acknowledge that one coveted recruit would be worth more to a struggling program than a perennial powerhouse.

This study will undoubtedly benefit both sides of the aforementioned debate. However, speaking just in terms of top-tier recruits, the results certainly endorse the campaign for them to profit off their name, image and likeness.