University of Northern Colorado Football
University of Northern Colorado fields a football team in the Big Sky Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 120 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 11 assistants. Team expenses were $5,701,876, below the median of $9.1M — $47,515 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 15 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 968, about the median of 964, with 97% of players retained year to year. The school gave $4,124,541 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $12,423 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
- Roster120 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 15 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 11 assistant
- Team expenses$5,701,876 for the year
- Operating expenses$1,393,669 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$47,515 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate968 multi-year; 964 latest
- Players retained97% year to year
- Eligible97% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$4,124,541 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$12,423 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$128,208 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Ed Lamb 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
- City
- Type
- Public · Doctoral/professional university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 51%
Football
Full picture →- Team expenses
- $5,701,876 $47,516 per roster spot · lower half of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 11 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $4,124,541
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $128,208
Cost
Full picture →- Tuition & fees
- $11,528 in-state · $25,940 out
Campus safety
Full picture →- In residence halls
- 4 burglaries · 40 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 3 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →Research University of Northern Colorado
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University Division I · Pac-12 Conference | 23 | 108 | $21M | 954 | 90% | |
| University of Colorado Boulder Division I · Big 12 Conference | 41 | 118 | $43M | 955 | 83% | |
| Colorado School of Mines Division II · Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 54 | 143 | $3.1M | — | 60% | |
| University of Wyoming Division I · Mountain West Conference | 78 | 117 | $13M | 969 | 97% | |
| U.S. Air Force Academy Division I · Mountain West Conference | 97 | — | — | 995 | 14% | |
| Colorado State University Pueblo Division II · Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | 145 | 135 | $2.4M | — | 100% |
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