How many high school football players go d1 [Explained!]

College football is a lot more competitive than high school football, especially division 1 football. How many high school football players go D1?

Division 1 schools are more competitive to get into than division 2 or 3 schools. A high school football player only has a 1 in 33 chance of playing for a D1 school. 1 in 100 plays for a D1 FBS school and 1 in 40 plays for a less competitive D1 FCS school.

As a high school football coach, I know how competitive it is to make college teams. A lot of hard-working and skilled players aren’t quite good enough to play for a D1 team. 

Odds of High School Players Playing College or Professional Football

High school football has by far the most players, followed by D2/D3 college football, D1 college football, and then professional football. Each level is more competitive than the last because it has fewer players. The odds of a high school player reaching each level are:

• 1 in 13 for D3 college football
• 1 in 20 for D2 college football
• 1 in 40 for D1 FCS football
• 1 in 100 for D1 FBS football
• 1 in 554 for professional football

You Can Make Money Playing D1 Football

While a D1 player can’t get paid to play as professional players do, they can make money from sponsorships and endorsements. There are no longer any rules against sponsorships and endorsements for college football players. 

A lot of the time, a D1 player has always been the best player on their team. They were the best player on their team when they were 8, 9, 10, 15, and so on. That isn’t always true, but D1 players are excellent players. 

How to Make a D1 Team

D1 teams are for hard-working and talented athletes. Many D1 players go on to professional football. 

Many of the people you will be playing with are on their way to the NFL. You have to be great and not just good to play for a D1 team. 

D1 players get to be on television, especially D1 FBS players. They are supported by schools that put a lot of money into their football teams.

Make and Edit Football Highlights Videos

Since only one in 33 high school football players makes a D1 team, you need to stand out. Send coaches a 3-5 minute video showing your football skills. 

Put the most impressive stuff at the start of the video, not the end. Possibly, the coach won’t watch the whole video, so don’t save your most impressive play for the end. Briefly show some stats and then go from there to your most impressive moment.

Show that you are a very skilled player who has all of:

• Speed
• Agility
• Strength
• Teamwork
• Stamina
• Football skills

Demonstrate Your Skills in Person

Go to football combines, football showcases, and football camps to demonstrate your skills. You can be more than good enough to play D1 and never play if no one knows about you. People need to see that you are good enough to play D1 football.

Football Combines

Football combines are all about demonstrating your athletic ability. You don’t play football, you only demonstrate your strength and speed. 

You might not even practice any football skills at a combine. Instead, you measure things like your vertical jump and 40-yard dash. You go to a football combine to get stats about your athletic abilities.

Unlike at a football camp, you don’t receive any training or instruction. High school football players should repeatedly go to combines and improve their numbers.  

Football Showcases

Football showcases test your football skills and not only your athletic abilities. They are invite-only and usually for particularly good players. College coaches and sports analysts are at football showcases. 

Football Camps

Football camps teach you how to play better as well as evaluate your current skills. Universities and coaching companies offer football camps to players. You will show off your football skills and sometimes also your athletic abilities. 

Why Do Grades Matter?

People who get good grades in high school usually also get good grades in college. If a student struggles in high school, they might find college even harder and drop out. A college football team doesn’t necessarily want a poor student who might drop out of school and leave the team. 

It’s a challenge to both go to school full-time and play football competitively. If a college student or one applying to colleges has poor grades, this may mean they lack time management skills. 

Again, a team won’t want a player that might quit early on. Poor grades can also suggest that a student is too lazy to succeed. 

Excellent Students Get Academic Scholarships

Schools have only a limited number of athletic scholarships to divide up between their players, with D1 FBS schools having the most scholarships. 

If an athlete gets a scholarship for excellent grades, they do not need an athletic scholarship as well. This means the school can give the athletic scholarship to another person. This may make the team really like the athlete. 

Key Takeaways

• A high school athlete has a 1 in 100 chance of playing for a D1 FBS team and a 1 in 40 chance of playing for a less prestigious D1 FCS team. The odds of playing either FBS or FCS is 1 in 33. 
• Going pro is five or six times as unlikely as playing D1 FBS. A high school player only has a 1 in 554 chance. 
• D1 college football is for very good players, especially D1 FBS football. Many of them are on their way to being NFL players. D1 FBS players are seen on national television.
• College football players can now make money from endorsements/sponsorships. There are no longer rules against this.