by our College Data Analytics Team
Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. This list ranks 10 programs for Men’s Football (Division I) by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To help you decide, College Factual evaluates each program using a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and aid per athlete from the EADA survey), and overall school quality, drawing on NCAA, U.S. Department of Education EADA, and IPEDS data. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
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Leading the list is The University of Alabama, our #1 college for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Tuscaloosa, AL. The University of Alabama records an NCAA APR of 1000, and a 98% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 58%. Team revenue averages $1,108,524 per participant, against $617,441 in expenses. The school awards about $20,760 in athletic aid per athlete.
Auburn University landed the #2 spot for Men's Football (Division I). Located in Auburn, AL, Auburn University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 992, alongside a GSR of 89%. About 61% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,003,378 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $485,326 per participant. The school awards about $28,233 in athletic aid per athlete.
Samford University landed the #3 spot for Men's Football (Division I). Samford University is a private not-for-profit school based in Birmingham, AL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 964, with a Graduation Success Rate of 93%. Its federal graduation rate is 72%. Team revenue averages $60,093 per participant, compared with $54,434 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $20,864 per athlete.
University of Alabama at Birmingham landed the #4 spot for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Birmingham, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 944, alongside a GSR of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. The program generates about $120,353 in revenue per athlete, against $109,684 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $17,655.
University of South Alabama is one of the top schools for Men's Football (Division I), at #5. University of South Alabama is a public school based in Mobile, AL. University of South Alabama records an NCAA APR of 967, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $110,542, against $114,205 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $15,705 per athlete.
Troy University landed the #6 spot this year. This public school is set in Troy, AL. Troy University records an NCAA APR of 973, alongside a GSR of 80%. About 66% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $97,655 per participant, against $79,700 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $13,487 per athlete.
Jacksonville State University landed the #7 spot this year. Located in Jacksonville, AL, Jacksonville State University is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 933, and a 78% Graduation Success Rate. Its federal graduation rate is 53%. The program generates about $94,929 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $94,929 per participant. The school awards about $14,761 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of North Alabama ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football (Division I). This public school is set in Florence, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 934, and a 69% Graduation Success Rate. About 59% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $30,679 per participant, compared with $30,679 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,402.
Alabama State University landed the #9 spot this year. Based in Montgomery, AL, Alabama State University is a public institution. Alabama State University records an NCAA APR of 953, with a Graduation Success Rate of 64%. The federal graduation rate stands at 50%. Team revenue averages $42,204 per participant, against $42,204 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $8,418 per athlete.
Alabama A & M University landed the #10 spot this year. Located in Normal, AL, Alabama A & M University is a public institution. Alabama A & M University records an NCAA APR of 897, alongside a GSR of 59%. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $34,926 per participant, compared with $30,016 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $8,274.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology weighs a blend of academic-athletic outcomes (NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate), athletic financial resources (team revenue, expenses, and athletic aid from the federal EADA survey), and overall school quality. The current methodology measures academic-athletic quality and does not include team win/loss performance.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.