by our College Data Analytics Team
Choosing a college as a student athlete means weighing both the classroom and the competition. Our ranking highlights 10 programs for Men’s Football by academic-athletic quality, using our 2026 methodology.
So you can compare your options, 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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Here are the top-ranked colleges for student athletes:
Harding University tops our 2026 ranking of the best colleges for Men's Football. Harding University is a private not-for-profit school based in Searcy, AR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,792, against $23,766 in expenses. The school awards about $9,216 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Arkansas ranked #2 among the best colleges for Men's Football. This public school is set in Fayetteville, AR. Its student-athletes post an NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) of 983, alongside a GSR of 84%. About 62% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. Team revenue averages $714,893 per participant, compared with $451,739 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $21,062 per athlete.
Arkansas State University earned the #3 place for student athletes. Based in Jonesboro, AR, Arkansas State University is a public institution. Arkansas State University records an NCAA APR of 947, alongside a GSR of 84%. Its federal graduation rate is 63%. The program generates about $75,403 in revenue per athlete, compared with $75,403 spent per athlete. Per-athlete athletic aid is roughly $16,588.
Ouachita Baptist University is one of the top schools for Men's Football, at #4. This private not-for-profit school is set in Arkadelphia, AR. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $21,851, compared with $21,871 spent per athlete. Athletic aid averages $6,935 per athlete.
University of Central Arkansas earned the #5 place for student athletes. Located in Conway, AR, University of Central Arkansas is a public institution. The team's NCAA APR score is 940, with a Graduation Success Rate of 84%. About 70% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $26,486 in revenue per athlete, compared with $26,486 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,449 in athletic aid per athlete.
Hendrix College placed #6 among the best colleges for Men's Football. Located in Conway, AR, Hendrix College is a private not-for-profit institution. Team revenue averages $5,440 per participant, against $5,440 in expenses. Athletic aid averages $0 per athlete.
Lyon College landed the #7 spot this year. Based in Batesville, AR, Lyon College is a private not-for-profit institution. The program generates about $6,076 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $6,076 per participant. The school awards about $0 in athletic aid per athlete.
Arkansas Tech University ranked #8 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Arkansas Tech University is a public school based in Russellville, AR. The program generates about $12,159 in revenue per athlete, with expenses of about $12,159 per participant. The school awards about $6,208 in athletic aid per athlete.
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff did well this year, earning the #9 position. Based in Pine Bluff, AR, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a public institution. Athletes here earn an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 925, alongside a GSR of 68%. About 47% of athletes graduate under the federal rate. The program generates about $19,198 in revenue per athlete, compared with $19,198 spent per athlete. The school awards about $8,028 in athletic aid per athlete.
Henderson State University ranked #10 on our 2026 list for Men's Football. Based in Arkadelphia, AR, Henderson State University is a public institution. Per-participant team revenue is roughly $11,452, with expenses of about $11,452 per participant. Athletic aid averages $6,143 per athlete.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This list is compiled 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.