University of California, Davis Football
University of California, Davis fields a football team in the Big Sky Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 116 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 12 assistants. Team expenses were $7,800,036, below the median of $9.1M — $67,241 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 11 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 970, about the median of 964, with 97% of players retained year to year. The school gave $4,818,992 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $15,956 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
Team budgets across the division
Roster sizes (cap 105)
The program
- Roster116 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 11 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 12 assistant
- Team expenses$7,800,036 for the year
- Operating expenses$1,457,515 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$67,241 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate970 multi-year; 975 latest
- Players retained97% year to year
- Eligible96% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$4,818,992 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$15,956 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$316,782 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Plough head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
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 →- Setting
- Suburb
- Type
- Public · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →- Test scores
- Scores not considered
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 85%
Football
Full picture →- Team expenses
- $7,800,036 $67,242 per roster spot · lower half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 12 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $4,818,992
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $316,782
Cost
Full picture →- Tuition & fees
- $15,247 in-state · $46,024 out
Campus safety
Full picture →- In residence halls
- 33 burglaries · 147 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 22 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →Research University of California, Davis
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 programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, Sacramento Division I · Mid-American Conference | 18 | 155 | $10M | 959 | 94% | |
| University of California, Berkeley Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 54 | 120 | $47M | 977 | 12% | |
| Stanford University Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 80 | 110 | $36M | 990 | 4% | |
| San Jose State University Division I · Mountain West Conference | 83 | 103 | $12M | 952 | 80% | |
| University of Nevada, Reno Division I · Mountain West Conference | 125 | 117 | $13M | 987 | 85% | |
| Middlebury College Division III · New England Small College Athletic Conference | 134 | — | — | — | — |
Other football programs in the Big Sky Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana State University-Bozeman 9 over cap | 114 | $10M | $88,911 | 950 | vs | |
| University of Montana 29 over cap | 134 | $8.9M | $66,342 | 961 | vs | |
| University of California, Davis 11 over cap | 116 | $7.8M | $67,241 | 970 | vs | |
| California Polytechnic State University 40 over cap | 145 | $7.4M | $50,807 | 983 | vs | |
| Northern Arizona University 15 over cap | 120 | $6.8M | $56,812 | 944 | vs | |
| Eastern Washington University 27 over cap | 132 | $6.6M | $50,164 | 963 | vs | |
| University of Idaho 11 over cap | 116 | $6.6M | $56,830 | 957 | vs | |
| University of Northern Colorado 15 over cap | 120 | $5.7M | $47,515 | 968 | vs | |
| Idaho State University 9 over cap | 114 | $5.7M | $49,935 | 959 | vs | |
| Portland State University 13 over cap | 118 | $5.4M | $46,174 | 954 | vs | |
| Weber State University 4 over cap | 109 | $5.4M | $49,408 | 957 | vs | |
| Utah Tech University 4 over cap | 109 | $4.7M | $43,397 | — | vs | |
| Southern Utah University 5 over cap | 110 | $4.3M | $39,073 | 953 | vs |
Every Big Sky Conference football program · Football budgets ranked