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(Offensive Positions) How Big Do You Need To Be To Play College Football?

With over 1.1 million high school football players at the high school level and only 80,000 college football players, not every high school football player with get to fulfill their dream of playing college football on a scholarship.

If you turn on the TV to watch the upcoming NFL combine, or read over the measurements of the ESPNU top 150 football recruits, you might be led to believe that every college football player is 6’2”+ and over 220lbs. However, a look across any high school football field you know that is not true. So, how big do you have to be to play college football? What’s the average size of college football players, who is the biggest and the smallest?

We decided to answer that question once and for all by taking the roster from the majority of college football programs we found the biggest, smallest and average size of college football players broken down by position.

Football by Offensive

The biggest difference is size comes between DI-A programs and the rest of the football division levels. Players at the NCAA D1-A (FBS) level are the biggest and best football prospects from across the country. Depending on the position, they are consistently 1-2 inches taller and 15-20lbs heavier. This is why, if you are trying to make a D1 roster as an undersized recruit coaches have such a difficult time recruiting you.

Looking at the NCAA D1-AA, D2, D3 and NAIA levels you see the size is much more evenly distributed. At these levels coaches are more willing to take a chance on an undersized recruit or someone who might need to spend a year or two developing more size or strength.

This is our first graphic in a series of two. We will be posting the graphic for defensive positions next. **If you are interested in having this graphic posted on your website, we can send you the embedding code.**

What are your thoughts? Do you measure up to play college football? Do you have questions about what else it takes to get recruited? Leave your questions in the comments or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+!


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