Division I · Mid-American Conference
Central Michigan University Football
Mount Pleasant, MI · the Chippewas · Central Michigan University overview
122
Roster
17 over the D-I cap of 105
$12M
Team budget
57th percentile in Division I
$95,151
Per roster spot
median $79,762
15
Coaches
1 head · 14 assistant
972
APR
97% of players retained
91%
Admitted
bottom quarter for selectivity
Central Michigan University fields a football team in the Mid-American Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 122 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 14 assistants. Team expenses were $11,608,428, above the median of $9.1M — $95,151 per roster spot, upper half of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 17 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 972, about the median of 964, with 97% of players retained year to year. The school gave $3,868,501 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $16,746 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#113Team budgetof 261 · Division I#116Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#93Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#84APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster122 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 17 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 14 assistant
- Team expenses$11,608,428 for the year
- Operating expenses$1,723,449 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$95,151 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate972 multi-year; 951 latest
- Players retained97% year to year
- Eligible97% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$3,868,501 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$16,746 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$404,366 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Drinkall head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Central Michigan University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →10,055undergraduates · 14,399 students in all
Women 60% Men 40%
- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →91%admitted · of 18,102 applicants
SAT middle 50%960 – 1210
ACT middle 50%21 – 27
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 62%
Football
Full picture →122on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105122
17 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate972
97% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $11,608,428 $95,151 per roster spot · upper half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 14 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $3,868,501
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $404,366
Cost
Full picture →$15,826net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $14,312
Campus safety
Full picture →1.17violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 1 burglaries · 24 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 2 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →23%of bachelor's degrees in business · 27 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Central Michigan University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program122 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions91% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$15,826 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 23%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusTown · 10,055Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety1.17 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 15 | 168 | $819k | — | 66% | |
| Northwood University Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 25 | 137 | $2.4M | — | 84% | |
| Ferris State University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 36 | 143 | $3.1M | — | 81% | |
| Saginaw Valley State University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 41 | 147 | $2.1M | — | 73% | |
| Michigan State University Division I · Big Ten Conference | 61 | 119 | $48M | 952 | 84% | |
| Calvin University Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 61 | 110 | $897k | — | 71% | |
| Davenport University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 64 | 136 | $2.3M | — | 97% | |
| Grand Valley State University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 71 | 141 | $3.3M | — | 95% | |
| The University of Olivet Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 80 | 139 | $596k | — | 97% | |
| Hope College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 87 | 121 | $764k | — | 76% | |
| Albion College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 93 | 121 | $664k | — | 83% | |
| Kalamazoo College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 99 | 104 | $576k | — | 76% |
Other football programs in the Mid-American Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University at Buffalo, the State University of New York 13 over cap | 118 | $14M | $119,474 | 959 | vs | |
| University of Massachusetts, Amherst 6 over cap | 111 | $13M | $120,892 | 938 | vs | |
| University of Toledo 17 over cap | 122 | $13M | $103,477 | 983 | vs | |
| Central Michigan University 17 over cap | 122 | $12M | $95,151 | 972 | vs | |
| Western Michigan University 8 over cap | 113 | $11M | $100,968 | 948 | vs | |
| Eastern Michigan University 14 over cap | 119 | $11M | $93,106 | 976 | vs | |
| Bowling Green State University 3 over cap | 108 | $11M | $101,710 | 947 | vs | |
| California State University, Sacramento 50 over cap | 155 | $10M | $65,329 | 959 | vs | |
| Ball State University 15 over cap | 120 | $8M | $66,583 | 969 | vs | |
| University of Akron 5 over cap | 110 | $7.6M | $69,371 | 945 | vs | |
| Kent State University | — | — | — | — | vs | |
| Miami University (Ohio) | — | — | — | — | vs | |
| Ohio University | — | — | — | — | vs |
Every Mid-American Conference football program · Football budgets ranked