Division I · Southland Conference
McNeese State University Football
Lake Charles, LA · the Cowboys and Cowgirls · McNeese State University overview
117
Roster
12 over the D-I cap of 105
$5.3M
Team budget
28th percentile in Division I
$44,962
Per roster spot
median $79,762
14
Coaches
1 head · 13 assistant
919
APR
94% of players retained
68%
Admitted
upper half for selectivity
McNeese State University fields a football team in the Southland Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 117 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 13 assistants. Team expenses were $5,260,577, well below the median of $9.1M — $44,962 per roster spot, lower half 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 919, about the median of 964, with 94% of players retained year to year. The school gave $2,677,169 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $9,878 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#189Team budgetof 261 · Division I#191Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#151Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#246APRof 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, 13 assistant
- Team expenses$5,260,577 for the year
- Operating expenses$62,959 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$44,962 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate919 multi-year; 892 latest
- Players retained94% year to year
- Eligible89% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$2,677,169 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$9,878 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$207,559 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Viator head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put McNeese 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 →5,560undergraduates · 6,060 students in all
Women 63% Men 37%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Master's university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →68%admitted · of 3,294 applicants
SAT middle 50%810 – 1120
ACT middle 50%18 – 24
- Test scores
- Scores required
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 51%
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 Rate919
94% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $5,260,577 $44,962 per roster spot · lower half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 13 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $2,677,169
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $207,559
Cost
Full picture →$11,393net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $8,460 in-state · $9,960 out
Campus safety
Full picture →0.16violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 15 burglaries · 2 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 0 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →21%of bachelor's degrees in health professions & nursing · 19 fields · Associate's, Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research McNeese 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 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$11,393 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsHealth professions & nursing · 21%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 5,560Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.16 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar University Division I · Southland Conference | 52 | 119 | $5.6M | 939 | 86% | |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette Division I · Sun Belt Conference | 72 | 142 | $15M | 956 | 89% | |
| Northwestern State University Division I · Southland Conference | 109 | 117 | $3.2M | 961 | 94% | |
| Louisiana State University Division I · Southeastern Conference | 123 | 115 | $51M | 952 | 74% | |
| Southern University, Baton Rouge Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 123 | 122 | $3.2M | 952 | 50% | |
| Stephen F. Austin State University Division I · Southland Conference | 131 | 140 | $5.5M | 894 | 88% | |
| University of Houston Division I · Big 12 Conference | 131 | 119 | $23M | 961 | 70% | |
| Texas Southern University Division I · Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 132 | 120 | $2.8M | 950 | 93% | |
| Rice University Division I · American Conference | 135 | 123 | $20M | 986 | 8% | |
| Houston Christian University Division I · Southland Conference | 142 | 119 | $5.9M | 964 | 85% | |
| Sam Houston State University Division I · Conference USA | 144 | 127 | $9.7M | 936 | 85% | |
| Nicholls State University Division I · Southland Conference | 147 | 131 | $3.4M | 945 | 96% |
Other football programs in the Southland Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of the Incarnate Word 46 over cap | 151 | $6.9M | $45,399 | 938 | vs | |
| Houston Christian University 14 over cap | 119 | $5.9M | $49,269 | 964 | vs | |
| Lamar University 14 over cap | 119 | $5.6M | $47,424 | 939 | vs | |
| Stephen F. Austin State University 35 over cap | 140 | $5.5M | $39,390 | 894 | vs | |
| McNeese State University 12 over cap | 117 | $5.3M | $44,962 | 919 | vs | |
| East Texas A&M University 20 over cap | 125 | $5.2M | $41,876 | — | vs | |
| Southeastern Louisiana University 25 over cap | 130 | $4.3M | $33,443 | 942 | vs | |
| Nicholls State University 26 over cap | 131 | $3.4M | $26,005 | 945 | vs | |
| Northwestern State University 12 over cap | 117 | $3.2M | $27,132 | 961 | vs | |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | — | — | — | — | vs |
Every Southland Conference football program · Football budgets ranked