Division I · Big Ten Conference
Michigan State University Football
East Lansing, MI · the Spartans · Michigan State University overview
119
Roster
14 over the D-I cap of 105
$48M
Team budget
88th percentile in Division I
$405,275
Per roster spot
median $79,762
16
Coaches
1 head · 15 assistant
952
APR
95% of players retained
84%
Admitted
lower half for selectivity
Michigan State University fields a football team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 119 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 15 assistants. Team expenses were $48,227,813, well above the median of $9.1M — $405,275 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 14 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 952, about the median of 964, with 95% of players retained year to year. The school gave $11,243,351 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $26,643 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#32Team budgetof 261 · Division I#28Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#128Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#185APRof 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
- Roster119 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 14 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 15 assistant
- Team expenses$48,227,813 for the year
- Operating expenses$6,279,232 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$405,275 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate952 multi-year; 991 latest
- Players retained95% year to year
- Eligible95% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$11,243,351 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$26,643 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$2,158,141 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Fitzgerald head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Michigan 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 →40,483undergraduates · 51,316 students in all
Women 53% Men 47%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →84%admitted · of 58,879 applicants
SAT middle 50%1150 – 1350
ACT middle 50%26 – 31
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 83%
Football
Full picture →119on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105119
14 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate952
95% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $48,227,813 $405,276 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 15 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $11,243,351
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $2,158,141
Cost
Full picture →$24,630net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $17,270 in-state · $44,040 out
Campus safety
Full picture →1.46violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 52 burglaries · 109 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 59 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →17%of bachelor's degrees in business · 28 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Michigan 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 program119 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions84% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$24,630 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsBusiness · 17%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 40,483Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety1.46 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Olivet Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 30 | 139 | $596k | — | 97% | |
| Albion College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 36 | 121 | $664k | — | 83% | |
| Alma College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 46 | 168 | $819k | — | 66% | |
| University of Michigan Division I · Big Ten Conference | 49 | 139 | $62M | 980 | 18% | |
| Davenport University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 54 | 136 | $2.3M | — | 97% | |
| Eastern Michigan University Division I · Mid-American Conference | 55 | 119 | $11M | 976 | 81% | |
| Hillsdale College Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 56 | — | — | — | 21% | |
| Calvin University Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 58 | 110 | $897k | — | 71% | |
| Saginaw Valley State University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 60 | 147 | $2.1M | — | 73% | |
| Central Michigan University Division I · Mid-American Conference | 61 | 122 | $12M | 972 | 91% | |
| Adrian College Division III · Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | 61 | 177 | $566k | — | 68% | |
| Northwood University Division II · Great Midwest Athletic Conference | 63 | 137 | $2.4M | — | 84% |
Other football programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ohio State University 17 over cap | 122 | $92M | $757,043 | 985 | vs | |
| Pennsylvania State University 25 over cap | 130 | $77M | $595,277 | 982 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 32 over cap | 137 | $76M | $554,182 | 979 | vs | |
| University of Southern California 11 over cap | 116 | $74M | $638,060 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln 50 over cap | 155 | $71M | $455,320 | 974 | vs | |
| University of Washington 9 over cap | 114 | $69M | $604,576 | 999 | vs | |
| University of Michigan 34 over cap | 139 | $62M | $443,620 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Oregon 21 over cap | 126 | $61M | $482,916 | 968 | vs | |
| University of California, Los Angeles 16 over cap | 121 | $55M | $456,240 | 944 | vs | |
| University of Iowa 26 over cap | 131 | $51M | $388,506 | 971 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington 9 over cap | 114 | $50M | $440,417 | 969 | vs | |
| Michigan State University 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $405,275 | 952 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $403,373 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 12 over cap | 117 | $45M | $388,484 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison 17 over cap | 122 | $41M | $335,274 | 986 | vs | |
| Northwestern University 4 over cap | 109 | $38M | $347,722 | 995 | vs | |
| Purdue University 21 over cap | 126 | $37M | $295,184 | 954 | vs | |
| University of Maryland, College Park 15 over cap | 120 | $36M | $295,855 | 956 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference football program · Football budgets ranked