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I’ve typed this about 20 different times, and it’s hard to fully dial in what’s in my head... but what is the future of D2 football?
Right now, it feels like D2 has become a waiting room: a place for transfers and student-athletes who are academically eligible and looking for their next opportunity. If money comes calling, they’re gone. If anyone thinks athletes are staying for altruistic reasons, I think that’s denial. Loyalty to institutions is largely gone. Loyalty to coaches, though, still exists.
I also think we’re on the brink of a major divide in D2 between the haves and the have-nots. The elite programs, the ones we see in the playoffs year after year, likely won’t change much, unless they move up to FCS. Even that seems less likely now because of the financial realities.
More and more, D2 feels like a revolving door between FCS and FBS. Athletes will only “play for free” (not literally, but at a level most D2 programs can’t match financially) if they believe there’s a real shot at a championship. There will always be exceptions, but those will mostly come down to relationships and coaching ties.
At some point, recruiting stops being about building four-year programs and starts being about managing constant turnover. Development, culture, and long-term planning all get harder when rosters are in flux every year.
Right now, it feels like D2 has become a waiting room: a place for transfers and student-athletes who are academically eligible and looking for their next opportunity. If money comes calling, they’re gone. If anyone thinks athletes are staying for altruistic reasons, I think that’s denial. Loyalty to institutions is largely gone. Loyalty to coaches, though, still exists.
I also think we’re on the brink of a major divide in D2 between the haves and the have-nots. The elite programs, the ones we see in the playoffs year after year, likely won’t change much, unless they move up to FCS. Even that seems less likely now because of the financial realities.
More and more, D2 feels like a revolving door between FCS and FBS. Athletes will only “play for free” (not literally, but at a level most D2 programs can’t match financially) if they believe there’s a real shot at a championship. There will always be exceptions, but those will mostly come down to relationships and coaching ties.
At some point, recruiting stops being about building four-year programs and starts being about managing constant turnover. Development, culture, and long-term planning all get harder when rosters are in flux every year.
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