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2023 Top Tennessee Men's Football Schools

14 Colleges
$28,146 Avg Tuition & Fees*
37% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

When it comes to choosing a college, student athletes have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its Best Colleges for Men's Football in Tennessee ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

We analyzed 14 colleges and universities across Tennessee to determine which were the best for Men's Football athletes in Tennessee. Our ranking methodology focuses a number of different objective factors - such as the overall quality of the school, the school's athletic competitiveness, and the amount of athletic aid per student - to make this determination. Having a great sports team is not enough - the school must also focus on academic excellence.

See what other factors we include in our ranking methodology.

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We've developed a number of other tools and rankings to help you make your college decision. Start by filtering this list by location and then explore our other rankings that feature schools great for different groups of students such as online students or returnings adults.

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Top Colleges in Tennessee for Men's Football athletes in Tennessee

See which schools came out on top of our ranking:

1
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University tops this year’s ranking as the best school for Men’s Football athletes in Tennessee. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,440 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at Vanderbilt brought home $33,582,944 in revenue in a single year. The team has a great academic progress rate of 984, signifying that team members care about their grades. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Vanderbilt also took the #1 spot in our overall quality rankings. Read More…

2

Out of the 14 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Knoxville, Tennessee, the large public school awarded 5,533 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The Men’s Football team at UT Knoxville made $100,982,596 in revenue, while incurring $39,755,021 in expenses. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $61,227,575 in profit. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 967. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. In addition to its Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UT Knoxville is ranked #4 for overall quality in Tennessee. Read More…

3
Rhodes College crest
Rhodes College
Memphis, Tennessee

You’ll join some of the best athletes around if you attend Rhodes College. The school came in at #3 in this year’s ranking. Rhodes College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 538 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at Rhodes College brought home $644,003 in revenue in a single year. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Rhodes College not only placed well in this ranking, but it is also #2 on our overall quality list. Full Rhodes College Sports Report

4
UofM crest
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Memphis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football athletes in Tennessee list. University of Memphis is a large public school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 3,132 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at UofM took home $17,086,532 in revenue. The team has a great academic progress rate of 980, signifying that team members care about their grades. Full University of Memphis Sports Report

5
Middle Tennessee State University crest
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

A rank of #5 on our list means Middle Tennessee State University is a great place for Men’s Football athletes in Tennessee working on their bachelor’s degree. Murfreesboro, Tennessee is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,709 students in . On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at Middle Tennessee State University made $10,633,592 in revenue. The great academic progress rate of 985 shows that team members perform well in the classroom, too. Read More…

6

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking. UT Chattanooga is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee and, has a fairly large student population. In , this school awarded 2,039 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergraduates. On the financial side of things, the Men’s Football team at UT Chattanooga made $5,178,176 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 942. Read full sports report on The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

7

With a ranking of #7, Tennessee Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking. Tennessee Technological University is a medium-sized public school located in Cookeville, Tennessee that handed out 1,970 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Tennessee Tech University took home $3,718,346 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 947. Read More…

8
Maryville College crest
Maryville College
Maryville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #8, Maryville College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking. Maryville College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Maryville, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 190 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Maryville College took home $449,204 in revenue. Read More…

9

The University of Tennessee - Martin ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee list. UT Martin is a medium-sized public school situated in Martin, Tennessee. It awarded 1,059 bachelor’s degrees in . The Men’s Football team at UT Martin brought home $3,779,413 in revenue in a single year. The team has a respectable academic progress rate of 937. Read full sports report on The University of Tennessee - Martin

10
Tennessee State University crest
Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 795 bachelor’s degrees in . Speaking financially, the Men’s Football team at Tennessee State University took home $6,342,092 in revenue. The academic progress rate of the team is 947. Full Tennessee State University Sports Report

11
Austin Peay State University crest
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, Tennessee

Austin Peay State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking, coming in at #11. Clarksville, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,568 students in . Austin Peay State University brought in $4,851,803 while tallying up $4,174,731 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. That boils down to a yearly profit of $677,072 for the sports team. The academic progress rate of the team is 941. Read More…

12
Tusculum crest
Tusculum University
Greeneville, Tennessee

With a ranking of #12, Tusculum University did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee ranking. Located in Greeneville, Tennessee, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 228 diplomas to qualified bachelor’s degree students in . The team at Tusculum took home $1,459,354 in revenue and paid out $1,454,110 in expenses in recent times. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $5,244 in profit. Full Tusculum University Sports Report

13
Carson - Newman crest
Carson - Newman University
Jefferson City, Tennessee

Carson - Newman University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee list. Carson - Newman University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Jefferson City, Tennessee that handed out 386 bachelor’s degrees in . Carson - Newman brought in $1,925,369 while tallying up $1,817,915 in expenses for its Men’s Football team. So, the team made money for the school, bringing in $107,454 in profit. Full Carson - Newman University Sports Report

14
Lane College crest
Lane College
Jackson, Tennessee

Lane College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges for Men’s Football in Tennessee list. Jackson, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 105 students in . The Men’s Football team at Lane College brought home $1,087,329 in revenue in a single year. Full Lane College Sports Report

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Tuition and Fees and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top 14 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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