NCAA · Football
Football programs
651 programs across 3 divisions, each with its coaching staff, roster, budget and the school behind it.
651
Programs
261 D1 · 158 D2 · 232 D3
78,099
Roster spots
last season
1,029,588
High-school players
2024-25
1 in 13
Odds of any NCAA spot · 7.6%
1 in 33 (3.0%) for Division I
105
D-I roster cap
230 of 261 programs over it last season
$9.1M
Median D-I budget
$79,762 per player
1 in Alaska, Hawaii or abroad not shown
Division IDivision IIDivision III
When coaches may contact you
The first date a coach in each division may email or call a recruit, by high-school graduation year — the general NCAA rule for football. You may write to any coach at any time.
| Grad year | Division I | Division II | Division III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | September 1, 2025 | June 15, 2025 | Any time |
| 2028 | September 1, 2026 | June 15, 2026 | Any time |
| 2029 | September 1, 2027 | June 15, 2027 | Any time |
| 2030 | September 1, 2028 | June 15, 2028 | Any time |
The full guide: eligibility, what to send, and how the roster cap changes the math.
Division by division
| Division | Programs | Spots | Median budget | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | 261 | 31,184 | $9.1M | $80k |
| Division II | 158 | 20,787 | $1.7M | $14k |
| Division III | 232 | 26,128 | $613k | $5k |
Division I roster cap 105 from 2025-26: last season 230 programs carried more, 5 were exactly at it and 23 had room. Players already on a roster may stay, so the squeeze lands on the next classes. How the caps work.
Odds: 7.6% of high-school players hold an NCAA roster spot (1 in 13); 1 in 33 (3.0%) in Division I, about 1 in 38 (2.7%) once rosters are at the cap. Transfers and international players hold some of those spots. The honest version · every sport.
Biggest team budgets · Division I
| # | School | Team budget | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Notre Dame Independent | $93M | 124 | 970 | |
| 2 | The Ohio State University Big Ten Conference | $92M | 122 | 985 | |
| 3 | University of Miami (Florida) Atlantic Coast Conference | $88M | 127 | 973 | |
| 4 | Florida State University Atlantic Coast Conference | $83M | 124 | 942 | |
| 5 | University of Alabama Southeastern Conference | $82M | 132 | 990 | |
| 6 | Clemson University Atlantic Coast Conference | $81M | 137 | 993 | |
| 7 | Pennsylvania State University Big Ten Conference | $77M | 130 | 982 | |
| 8 | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick Big Ten Conference | $76M | 137 | 979 | |
| 9 | University of Southern California Big Ten Conference | $74M | 116 | 970 | |
| 10 | University of Oklahoma Southeastern Conference | $71M | 128 | 965 |
Best Academic Progress Rates · Division I
| # | School | APR | Roster | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University-Barnard College The Ivy League | 999 | 111 | $5.4M | |
| 2 | University of Washington Big Ten Conference | 999 | 114 | $69M | |
| 3 | University of Mississippi Southeastern Conference | 997 | 126 | $62M | |
| 4 | Northwestern University Big Ten Conference | 995 | 109 | $38M | |
| 5 | U.S. Air Force Academy Mountain West Conference | 995 | — | — | |
| 6 | Brown University The Ivy League | 994 | 112 | $3.6M | |
| 7 | Clemson University Atlantic Coast Conference | 993 | 137 | $81M | |
| 8 | University of Pennsylvania The Ivy League | 992 | 108 | $3.5M | |
| 9 | Dartmouth College The Ivy League | 992 | 108 | $3.8M | |
| 10 | Yale University The Ivy League | 992 | 121 | $7.8M |
Most room on the roster · Division I
| # | School | Room under the cap | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Richmond Patriot League | 16 | 984 | |
| 2 | Delaware State University Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. | 14 | 921 | |
| 3 | Hampton University Coastal Athletic Association | 13 | 933 | |
| 4 | Abilene Christian University United Athletic Conference | 12 | 938 | |
| 5 | Villanova University Patriot League | 9 | 983 | |
| 6 | Bucknell University Patriot League | 7 | 987 | |
| 7 | Colgate University Patriot League | 7 | 990 | |
| 8 | Lehigh University Patriot League | 7 | 972 | |
| 9 | Mississippi Valley State University Southwestern Athletic Conf. | 7 | 938 | |
| 10 | Missouri State University Conference USA | 6 | 971 |
Lowest net price · Division I
| # | School | Net price | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio University Mid-American Conference | $3,897 | — | — | |
| 2 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Southland Conference | $6,978 | — | — | |
| 3 | California State University, Fresno Pac-12 Conference | $7,303 | 112 | 954 | |
| 4 | University of New Mexico Mountain West Conference | $7,528 | 117 | 943 | |
| 5 | New Mexico State University Conference USA | $8,353 | 149 | 956 | |
| 6 | University of West Florida United Athletic Conference | $8,908 | 124 | — | |
| 7 | Tennessee State University Ohio Valley Conference | $9,231 | 109 | 947 | |
| 8 | Marshall University Sun Belt Conference | $9,734 | 118 | 951 | |
| 9 | Murray State University Missouri Valley Football Conference | $9,738 | 110 | 962 | |
| 10 | Florida Atlantic University American Conference | $9,839 | 115 | 965 |
Every football coach's email, filters for roster room, budget, admission rate, majors and cost — and one reviewed email per school from your own Gmail.Start your board