Division I · Ohio Valley Conference
Eastern Illinois University Football
Charleston, IL · the Panthers · Eastern Illinois University overview
117
Roster
12 over the D-I cap of 105
$5M
Team budget
24th percentile in Division I
$42,816
Per roster spot
median $79,762
20
Coaches
1 head · 19 assistant
930
APR
93% of players retained
68%
Admitted
upper half for selectivity
Eastern Illinois University fields a football team in the Ohio Valley Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 117 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 19 assistants. Team expenses were $5,009,541, well below the median of $9.1M — $42,816 per roster spot, bottom quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 12 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 930, about the median of 964, with 93% of players retained year to year. The school gave $3,075,414 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $8,008 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#199Team budgetof 261 · Division I#198Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#151Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#242APRof 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
- Roster117 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 12 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 19 assistant
- Team expenses$5,009,541 for the year
- Operating expenses$758,726 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$42,816 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate930 multi-year; 933 latest
- Players retained93% year to year
- Eligible92% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$3,075,414 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$8,008 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$123,243 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Wilkerson head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Eastern Illinois 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 →6,849undergraduates · 8,804 students in all
Women 57% Men 43%
- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Master's university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →68%admitted · of 11,648 applicants
SAT middle 50%890 – 1110
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 45%
Football
Full picture →117on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105117
12 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate930
93% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $5,009,541 $42,817 per roster spot · bottom quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 19 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $3,075,414
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $123,243
Cost
Full picture →$14,621net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $13,124 in-state · $15,566 out
Campus safety
Full picture →1.45violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 14 burglaries · 30 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 34 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →13%of bachelor's degrees in business · 22 fields · Bachelor's, Master's
Research Eastern Illinois 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 program117 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions68% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$14,621 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 13%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusTown · 6,849Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety1.45 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State University Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference | 41 | 113 | $4.8M | 958 | 92% | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Division I · Big Ten Conference | 43 | 119 | $48M | 970 | 44% | |
| Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Division III · Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | 45 | 105 | $507k | — | 73% | |
| Millikin University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 49 | 101 | $631k | — | 54% | |
| DePauw University Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference | 71 | 157 | $818k | — | 54% | |
| Greenville University Division III · Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | 77 | 105 | $391k | — | 95% | |
| Wabash College Division III · North Coast Athletic Conference | 78 | — | — | — | 63% | |
| Illinois Wesleyan University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 82 | 136 | $615k | — | 45% | |
| Illinois State University Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference | 83 | 128 | $5.1M | 962 | 89% | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington Division I · Big Ten Conference | 91 | 114 | $50M | 969 | 80% | |
| Purdue University Division I · Big Ten Conference | 94 | 126 | $37M | 954 | 50% | |
| Eureka College Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 103 | 73 | $280k | — | 88% |
Other football programs in the Ohio Valley Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State University 4 over cap | 109 | $6.9M | $63,430 | 947 | vs | |
| Eastern Illinois University 12 over cap | 117 | $5M | $42,816 | 930 | vs | |
| Gardner-Webb University 13 over cap | 118 | $4.5M | $38,508 | 961 | vs | |
| Charleston Southern University 21 over cap | 126 | $4.3M | $34,405 | 932 | vs | |
| Lindenwood University 5 over cap | 110 | $4.2M | $37,883 | — | vs | |
| University of Tennessee at Martin 11 over cap | 116 | $4M | $34,325 | 937 | vs | |
| Southeast Missouri State University room for 1 | 104 | $3.7M | $35,397 | 959 | vs | |
| Western Illinois University 9 over cap | 114 | $3.5M | $30,828 | 959 | vs |
Every Ohio Valley Conference football program · Football budgets ranked