Picking a college for your sport means looking beyond the field or court. Our ranking highlights 14 schools for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
To arm you with the information you need, 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.
Find Your Fit
Looking for a different division or a related ranking? Use the shortcuts below.
Get your FREE recruiting profile, assessment & game plan!
Learn more about these schools below:
The University of Alabama tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football. The University of Alabama is a public school based in Tuscaloosa, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 1000, with a Graduation Success Rate of 98%. About 58% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $1,108,524 in revenue per athlete, compared with $617,441 spent per athlete. The school awards about $20,760 in athletic aid per athlete.
Auburn University earned the #2 place for student athletes. This public school is set in Auburn, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 992, with a Graduation Success Rate of 89%. Its federal graduation rate is 61%. The program generates about $1,003,378 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $485,326 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $28,233.
Samford University landed the #3 spot for Men's Football. Based in Birmingham, AL, Samford University is a private not-for-profit institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 964, alongside a GSR of 93%. The federal graduation rate stands at 72%. The program generates about $60,093 in revenue per athlete, against $54,434 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $20,864.
University of Alabama at Birmingham ranked #4 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Birmingham, AL. University of Alabama at Birmingham records an NCAA APR of 944, with a Graduation Success Rate of 86%. The federal graduation rate stands at 76%. The program generates about $120,353 in revenue per athlete, against $109,684 in expenses. The school awards about $17,655 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of South Alabama ranked #5 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Mobile, AL, University of South Alabama is a public institution. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 967, alongside a GSR of 84%. The federal graduation rate stands at 68%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $110,542, with expenses of about $114,205 per participant. The school awards about $15,705 in athletic aid per athlete.
Troy University came in at #6 in this year's ranking. Troy University is a public school based in Troy, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 973, and a 80% Graduation Success Rate. The federal graduation rate stands at 66%. The program generates about $97,655 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $79,700 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,487.
Tuskegee University landed the #7 spot this year. This private not-for-profit school is set in Tuskegee, AL. The program generates about $17,451 in revenue per athlete, against $17,451 in expenses. The school awards about $3,470 in athletic aid per athlete.
Huntingdon College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. Located in Montgomery, AL, Huntingdon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $5,752 in revenue per athlete, against $5,432 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $1,932 per athlete.
Jacksonville State University ranked #9 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This public school is set in Jacksonville, AL. The team's NCAA APR score is 933, with a Graduation Success Rate of 78%. About 53% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $94,929 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $94,929 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $14,761.
University of North Alabama placed #10 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Florence, AL. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 934, with a Graduation Success Rate of 69%. The federal graduation rate stands at 59%. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $30,679, with expenses of about $30,679 per participant. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $13,402.
University of West Alabama did well this year, earning the #11 position. Located in Livingston, AL, University of West Alabama is a public institution. The program generates about $22,104 in revenue per athlete, against $21,580 in expenses. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $11,323.
Alabama State University ranked #12 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. This public school is set in Montgomery, AL. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 953, with a Graduation Success Rate of 64%. Its federal graduation rate is 50%. Team revenue averages $42,204 per participant, against $42,204 in expenses. The school awards about $8,418 in athletic aid per athlete.
Alabama A & M University landed the #13 spot this year. Located in Normal, AL, Alabama A & M University is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 897, and a 59% Graduation Success Rate. About 44% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $34,926 in revenue per athlete, compared with $30,016 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,274 in athletic aid per athlete.
Miles College landed the #14 spot this year. Based in Fairfield, AL, Miles College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $18,350 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $18,350 per participant. Athletic aid averages $4,563 per athlete.
Explore Other Sports
More Rankings >
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Programs are scored on 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
See our data sources and methodologies.