My college boyfriend played football all four years, D3, as did my cousin. They both attended top 15 academic universities, however. Really would not have mattered if they got injured once they got in. I think that is the scenario you want.

I too like the broken leg test.

The smartest football player I ever knew, visited a wide variety of schools. One division one A, three division one AAs and a division 2 with his 5 official visits, if I am remembering correctly.

He worked out with each team. Each one had suggestions as to what position he would get to play, but suggested freshmen rarely play and that they couldn't predict where he would be on the depth chart, even as a sophomore.

As he put all the information together, what stuck with him was that the schools had 85-100 guys on the teams and only 25 or so who really played.

He went division 3 and started for 2.5 years before getting hurt badly enough so that he never played again.

When he tells the story, he emphasizes that if he had played D1 or D2, since the guys are even bigger, he might have gotten hurt without ever playing in a game at all.

Anonymous wrote:We have many friends who have kids who play sports in college. They talk about the "broken leg" test. If your kid was injured and unable to participate in their sport, would they still want to go to that school?

This and can you pay for the school if he is happy and can no longer play. Also, what does he want to major in and do they have his major?

Tell us which ones they are and we can weigh in!

4 year graduation rate, undergrad GPA and SAT scores. That will tell you 80% of what you need to know.

Anonymous wrote:These are the parameters I set in looking at schools for my son:

Four-year graduation rate 75% or higher
Freshman retention/return rate 90% or higher

This kicks out a lot of schools.

After that, I looked at:

Geographic location
Breadth of curriculum (ideally 40+ majors, with broad offerings)
Exmissions to graduate & professional schools
Strength of career center

Look at the Common Data Set for the above.

If you are using this guidelines you will have very very few choices in D2 (maybe 0, not completely sure). These would put you in the Wake, W&M, Lehigh range. Most of the local ODAC D3 schools don't make these guidelines. If you are offered at a school that meets those standards by all means take it. I suggest you do ask about the graduation and retention rates of the team relative to the school. If they exceed the school standard they are running a good program. Don't dismiss an education because it can't meet a top 200 graduation rate though.

Not many small private D1 football schools, and the ones that are small (Rice, Wake Forest, Colgate, Davidson) are pretty well known around here. If you get a chance to go to one of those don't hesitate. Just go. They will provide lots of academic support and a great experience.

If it's a D2 then you have a different situation. The small private ones are the better academic ones. But you have a very wide spread of experiences. D2 is unfortunately looked down upon in this area because most of the schools are in lower economic areas. The better academic D2 schools are Northeast and Midwest like Bentley, Tiffin, Hillsdale, Michigan Tech, Findlay, Stonehill. UVA Wise is a good semi-local choice. Alderson Broadus in WVA recruits a number of local kids.

You would do well to have a discussion with someone who really knows the colleges. If your son is good enough to play D1 then there are lots of opportunities throughout the spectrum. A lot of kids go to plenty of D2 schools throughout the country that very few have heard of and have a great experience playing their sport and getting an education. I would start with your coach and go from there. If you have a list of schools there are many coaches around the area that can provide referrals for you to talk about experiences and don't be afraid to ask about the parent groups. Most parent groups are happy to talk to you. Good luck.

Also, look at the endowment. You want a strong financial base for the school.

These are the parameters I set in looking at schools for my son:

Four-year graduation rate 75% or higher
Freshman retention/return rate 90% or higher

This kicks out a lot of schools.

After that, I looked at:

Geographic location
Breadth of curriculum (ideally 40+ majors, with broad offerings)
Exmissions to graduate & professional schools
Strength of career center

Look at the Common Data Set for the above.

I think all these low tier shit hole schools nobody has ever heard of are provincial and garbage, long-term. They're offering "scholarships" to bribe you to come.