Division I · Missouri Valley Football Conference
Illinois State University Football
Normal, IL · the Redbirds · Illinois State University overview
128
Roster
23 over the D-I cap of 105
$5.1M
Team budget
26th percentile in Division I
$39,994
Per roster spot
median $79,762
18
Coaches
1 head · 17 assistant
962
APR
95% of players retained
89%
Admitted
bottom quarter for selectivity
Illinois State University fields a football team in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 128 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 17 assistants. Team expenses were $5,119,248, well below the median of $9.1M — $39,994 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 23 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 962, about the median of 964, with 95% of players retained year to year. The school gave $4,291,310 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $13,003 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#193Team budgetof 261 · Division I#206Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#56Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#131APRof 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
- Roster128 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 23 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 17 assistant
- Team expenses$5,119,248 for the year
- Operating expenses$983,516 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$39,994 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate962 multi-year; 954 latest
- Players retained95% year to year
- Eligible97% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$4,291,310 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$13,003 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$118,584 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Brock Spack head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Illinois State 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 →18,450undergraduates · 20,989 students in all
Women 58% Men 42%
- Setting
- Suburb
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →89%admitted · of 20,884 applicants
SAT middle 50%1010 – 1230
ACT middle 50%22 – 27
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 66%
Football
Full picture →128on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105128
23 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate962
95% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $5,119,248 $39,994 per roster spot · lower half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 17 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $4,291,310
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $118,584
Cost
Full picture →$20,871net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $14,121 in-state · $23,479 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.87violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 2 burglaries · 43 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 3 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →22%of bachelor's degrees in business · 26 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Illinois State 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 program128 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions89% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$20,871 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 22%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusSuburb · 18,450Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.87 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Wesleyan University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 1 | 136 | $615k | — | 45% | |
| Eureka College Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 20 | 73 | $280k | — | 88% | |
| Millikin University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 46 | 101 | $631k | — | 54% | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Division I · Big Ten Conference | 49 | 119 | $48M | 970 | 44% | |
| Knox College Division III · Midwest Conference | 78 | 90 | $581k | — | 71% | |
| Eastern Illinois University Division I · Ohio Valley Conference | 83 | 117 | $5M | 930 | 68% | |
| Illinois College Division III · Midwest Conference | 85 | 112 | $550k | — | 75% | |
| Western Illinois University Division I · Ohio Valley Conference | 89 | 114 | $3.5M | 959 | 75% | |
| Monmouth College (Illinois) Division III · Midwest Conference | 91 | 117 | $383k | — | 87% | |
| Aurora University Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 92 | 138 | $711k | — | 85% | |
| North Central College Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 98 | 142 | $1.1M | — | 58% | |
| Northern Illinois University Division I · Mountain West Conference | 99 | 143 | $13M | 962 | 70% |
Other football programs in the Missouri Valley Football Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of North Dakota 2 over cap | 107 | $6.9M | $64,656 | 962 | vs | |
| University of South Dakota 17 over cap | 122 | $6M | $49,098 | 968 | vs | |
| South Dakota State University 9 over cap | 114 | $5.9M | $51,936 | 978 | vs | |
| Illinois State University 23 over cap | 128 | $5.1M | $39,994 | 962 | vs | |
| Southern Illinois University at Carbondale at cap | 105 | $5M | $48,092 | 971 | vs | |
| Youngstown State University 18 over cap | 123 | $5M | $40,850 | 956 | vs | |
| Indiana State University 8 over cap | 113 | $4.8M | $42,391 | 958 | vs | |
| University of Northern Iowa at cap | 105 | $4.7M | $44,540 | 969 | vs | |
| Murray State University 5 over cap | 110 | $4M | $36,384 | 962 | vs |
Every Missouri Valley Football Conference football program · Football budgets ranked