Recruiting Battles

The Ivy League might have Division I's most unique recruiting pitch: come play at one of the world's most prestigious institutions, but prepare to cough up $90,000 (per year).

I was curious to find out if this recruiting pitch actually worked, and if it stood firm when scholarship-granting institutions threw their hats in the ring.

What we're going to cover in this article:

1. The conferences & programs the Ivy League competes with most in recruiting
2. Who wins these battles (conference vs. conference and school vs. school)
3. What this says about the competitiveness and value of the Ivy League experience

Note: This data comes from 1,024 athletes in the classes of 2026 & 2027 holding at least one Ivy League offer. See every offer on the RFE Recruiting Tracker, or browse every recruiting battle yourself here.

The Ivy League vs. Everyone Else

The first thing we have to answer is which conferences and/or programs go after the same kids as the Ivy League?

Honestly, the findings did not surprise me.

61.2% of kids with an Ivy League offer also hold an offer from a Patriot League, service academy (Army, Navy, Air Force), or Mid-American Conference (MAC) program.

1. Service Academies34.7%
2. Patriot League33.3%
3. MAC28.8%

Any of the three61.2%

Here's why this makes a ton of sense:

• The Patriot League is the second-best academic conference in the FCS. Unlike the Ivy League, they offer scholarships (except Georgetown). The pitch: Come get a great education for free.

• Army, Navy, and Air Force offer an unrivaled college and post-college experience. They compete in the FBS (a higher level of football than the Ivy League), have storied traditions, and offer scholarships. Athletes who are not opposed to serving may see an academy as a no-brainer compared to an Ivy.

• Ivy League prospects with a MAC offer are 2.5x more likely to hold a Power 4 offer. Takeaway: The MAC cherry-picks the cream-of-the-crop Ivy prospects with the hopes of selling the FBS dream (but not too much that they lose them to a bigger program).

So each conference clearly has a unique recruiting pitch. Which one actually wins the most recruits?

What The Numbers Say

When an athlete held an offer to both an Ivy League and Patriot League, service academy, or MAC program (and then committed to one of them), he picked the Ivy League 56% of the time.