Trying to learn more about the different college divisions? We want to give you some insights on what to expect when looking at different colleges.
Facilities
Not surprisingly, facilities can vary drastically due to budget. Most division 2 or 3 schools can’t afford multiple practice fields or lavish locker rooms. That doesn’t mean you should rule these schools out. You might be surprised when you go on visits. A lot of these schools can still have very good locker rooms, practice fields, or weight rooms.
Scholarships
Schools get a set amount of scholarships to offer every year. For example, FBS teams get 85 scholarships for their football team. Bringing it down to FCS, they only get 63 (some leagues even less). So if you are offered by any school, that means they are giving you one of their limited spots! Another example of a difference in scholarships is that redshirting does not exist in D3.
Schedule
Players and coaches often have set time periods they can interact with each other during the off season. Limitations are different for each division. This means players and coaches can have more meetings or workouts together in division 1 than division 2 or 3. As for the regular season, you can find seasons might have a few less games in 2 or 3 and travel limitations could be in place because of budget.
Conferences
This is where you likely won’t see a large difference from the division levels. Each division still has different conferences all over the country. You will have rivalries, champions, and conference power houses. The difference comes with what can come after the regular season. It can vary from bowls games, March Madness, playoff brackets, and more.
Skill Level
While the divisions will see a large difference in competition, don’t forget the skill level will be much better than anything you have seen in high school. Every player you will face has earned a spot to play in college. Division 1 might have more 2-5 star players, but don’t forget division 2 and 3 will still have players that were star athletes at their high schools.
You can learn more from this article on the college divisions. If you have any questions on which division is right for you, contact us here.