Division I - FBS FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION

FBS is the top level of collegiate football competition. It is comprised of 129 programs from large, mostly public, universities (with some exceptions such as Notre Dame, Northwestern, and Stanford), and includes all major teams and conferences. FBS games are televised nationally with 12 regular season games and a potential of a bowl game for teams that win 6 or more games. The FBS National Champion is decided through a 4 team playoff bracket with the two winning teams playing for the Championship. Athletes who play in the FBS will usually play in large stadiums of between 20,000 and 115,000 person capacity.

FBS schools recruit nationally and are very selective, with only 1 in every 100 high schoolers recruited to play there. Players wanting to play at the D1 level must meet the GPA requirements for recruitment (see article). Each program is capped at 85 scholarships per team and each team can recruit up to 25 scholarship players per year - however, each recruiting class typically has between 15 and 20 scholarship players. The NCAA requires that each scholarship must be awarded to a single individual and cannot be divided among several players. The teams have a roster of between 100-120 players and a staff of 30-50 people dedicated to football, with football-only strength staff, medical staff, recruiting staff, academic staff, and operational staff.

Division I - FCS FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION

FCS is the second highest level of collegiate football. This division is comprised of 124 mostly medium-sized public institutions. Games are sometimes on cable channels but are often available with a high-quality online broadcast. The teams play 11 regular season games followed by a 24 team playoff bracket. Athletes in the FCS will usually play in stadiums of between 5,000 and 25,000 person capacity.

Like the FBS, FCS programs are highly selective and only about 1 in every 40 high school football athletes will play in the FCS. Like FBS schools, FCS schools also have to follow the academic requirements set by D1 (see article). Most of the programs focus their recruitment regionally, but some schools such as those in the Ivy League will recruit nationally. The programs are capped at 63 scholarships and each team can give up to 30 scholarships to incoming players per year (Ivy and Pioneer leagues do not offer athletic scholarships). Unlike the FBS, FCS scholarships can be divided into partial awards, but most players get a full ride. The teams have approximately 11 full-time coaches and a roster of about 80 to 110 players. The teams typically share facilities and other resources such as the medical and academic staff with the rest of the athletic department.

Division II

D2 football is comprised of smaller football programs (mostly regional public schools) that still offer some scholarships. The division hosts 169 football teams that play 11 regular season games and a 28 team playoff bracket. Most of the teams have a stadium capacity of between 5,000 and 15,000 seats and their games are mainly covered online.

Division 2 football teams are selective in the players their recruit, with only 1 in every 20 high school athletes making it to D2. Each athlete must also meet the GPA requirements set by the division (which are lower than D1, see article). Teams mostly recruit regionally and offer up to 36 full scholarship equivalents. While there is a cap at 36 full scholarships, each of those can be split up any way the school would like. For example, a school can give 36 full scholarships or 72 half scholarships. They can also give 30 full scholarships and 10 half scholarships and 4 quarter scholarships, etc. Additionally, many schools and conferences offer less than the full 36 scholarships. The teams have a typical roster size of between 100 to 140 players and a smaller staff when compared to D1 (comprised of a mix of full-time and part-time coaches). D2 football teams share facilities and support staffs with the rest of the athletic department.

NAIA

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) football consists of schools that are not associated with the NCAA. These schools are typically similar to NCAA D2. While there are NAIA schools in 24 different states, 69 of the 92 total NAIA schools are located in 11 states: Kansas (13), Iowa (9), Kentucky (7), Illinois (6), Missouri (6), Florida (6), Montana (5), Nebraska (5), North Dakota (4), Indiana (4), and Texas (4). NAIA has its own academic requirements that must be met before an athlete can receive an offer.

Division III

D3 football consists of the smallest NCAA football programs and does not offer athletic scholarships. The programs in D3 are mostly small private schools with a few small public schools competing as well. The division hosts 249 football teams that play 10 regular season games with a 32 team playoff bracket format. Most of the teams have a stadium capacity between 2,000 and 5,000 seats and the games are covered online.

Division 3 teams are still pretty selective, with only 1 in 13 high school players making it onto a team. While not mandated by the NCAA, Division 3 schools have some of the toughest GPA requirements because of the academic caliber of schools in the division (see article). These schools focus largely on regional recruits. While D3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, they combine need-based financial aid with academic scholarships in order to reduce the cost for their athletes. In many cases, the combined financial package from a D3 school can be a better deal than a small athletic scholarship from a D2 team. The teams can have a large roster size of over 150 players, with a large percentage comprising of freshmen athletes because many D3 players quit during or after their freshman season. Like D2 schools, D3 programs tend to have a smaller staff with a mix of full-time and part-time coaches. The facilities and support staff are shared across the athletic department and sometimes with the general student body.

Junior College

Division 3 teams are still pretty selective, with only 1 in 13 high school players making it onto a team. While not mandated by the NCAA, Division 3 schools have some of the toughest GPA requirements because of the academic caliber of schools in the division (see article). These schools focus largely on regional recruits. While D3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships, they combine need-based financial aid with academic scholarships in order to reduce the cost for their athletes. In many cases, the combined financial package from a D3 school can be a better deal than a small athletic scholarship from a D2 team. The teams can have a large roster size of over 150 players, with a large percentage comprising of freshmen athletes because many D3 players quit during or after their freshman season. Like D2 schools, D3 programs tend to have a smaller staff with a mix of full-time and part-time coaches. The facilities and support staff are shared across the athletic department and sometimes with the general student body.

If you are a good athlete but your grades are not good enough, PG and JC schools are a good option to qualify and get recruited. PG programs will only make a small change to your GPA, so PG schools are best if you are very close to meeting the minimum requirements or if you can significantly improve your ACT/SAT test scores. JC’s are different, after 2 years and earning an AA degree, your high school grades and test scores will not matter for most schools. This can be a good option for athletes that are not close to the grades they need to qualify.

It is realistic for the average athlete’s recruiting interest to increase by one division from what they are getting out of high school, but it is not a guarantee. In most cases, it is best not to pass up existing scholarship offers in order to attend a PG or JC program with a hope that your options will improve, because they may stay the same or get worse. Additionally, both JC and PG options can be especially good for players that get injured before or during their senior year.