game on
scholarships
AT H L E T E S :
Road to Recruitment
PA R T 1
by Katie Goodson
Athletic recruitment can be daunting, overwhelm-
ing, and just plain confusing. Here’s Part 1 of our
official “Road to Recruitment” series- straight from
a college athlete who’s been through it all. This is
an exciting time in your life as a student athlete, so
relax and have fun with it!
FAQs
Division I offers the highest level of athletic competition. These
schools have the biggest budgets and largest student bodies,
meaning they have the most scholarship money to give.
sports?
A: Short answer? Five. Long answer?
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is broken
down into three divisions: Division I, Division II, and Division
III- we’ll talk more about those later. There are about 1,300
NCAA schools (University of Alabama, Auburn University, Troy
University, etc.), with nearly 500,000 student athletes. They’re
the ones you’re watching on College Gameday and filling out
your March Madness brackets with.
The NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) has
about 300 member schools. These schools typically have smaller
athletic budgets- think Faulkner University or the University
of Mobile. NAIA member schools are great for athletes who are
looking for smaller campuses and class sizes. Talent at this level
is still very competitive, so don’t discount these universities.
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Winter 2018
Q: How does the NCAA split their divisions?
A: Divisions are separated based on the level of
competition and the amount of resources each
school can supply to their athletic department.
Q: How many levels are there in collegiate
In our next installment of “Road to
Recruitment,” we’ll cover what you
should be doing to get recruited—
from academic requirements to high-
light videos. Stay tuned—you don’t
want to miss it!
The NJCAA (National Junior College Athletics Association) is
comprised of two-year community and state colleges. If you’re
trying to better yourself both academically and athletically to
earn a spot at a four-year college later down the road, junior
college is a great place to start.
With football only, Division I is further subdivided into two
categories: FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) and FCS (Football
Championship Subdivision). FBS teams, like Auburn University
and the University of Alabama, have bigger budgets and facili-
ties, while FCS teams, like Troy University and the University of
South Alabama, are the smaller schools in the division.
There are almost 300 schools competing at the Division II level,
including Auburn University at Montgomery and the University
of North Alabama. There are still athletic scholarships available
at this level, but they are usually only partial.
Division III is the largest of all the NCAA Divisions, with 444
schools. The key difference that sets Division III apart from the
others is there are no athletic scholarships given. Birmingham
Southern College and Huntingdon College are the only Division
III schools in Alabama.
Katie Goodson recently graduated from Faulkner
University with a degree in English literature. She
played softball for the Lady Eagles from 2013-2017,
and served as a student assistant for the team while
she finished her degree.
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