There is nothing wrong with a recruit wanting to go Division 1. In fact, I was one of the many athletes who approached my recruiting with the attitude that I was going to go Division 1 or bust. The reasons why I wanted to go D1 so badly are the same reasons why many athletes do so today, because you hear that is where all the scholarship dollars are. And to be honest, the only schools you really know about are Division 1 programs that you see on National television. But in order to go D1 you have to be talented enough to do it, and even if you do, it never occurs to anyone, that it might not be at all how you thought it would be.

There are myths that have been built up over time about the D1 community, and these myths are propagated by sports media. However, most of the untruths that people believe come from us filling in the blanks for what goes unsaid. When you see a report that the Big Ten is signing a 7 billion dollar television deal, it is likely to make you assume that other conferences are not trailing too far behind them. But assuming that all D1 schools is the same, is like saying that all of America is the same. Know the truth about what Division 1 is, and more importantly what it is not, in order to determine if it truly is right for you.

D1 is not what you think it is athletically

There are way more Division 1 schools than you think there are. There are more than 350 fully fledged D1 athletic departments, and what that really means is that most D1 schools you have never heard of. There are approximately 30 conferences in Division 1 and for the better part of the last 2 decades, national sports media has primarily covered what is considered to be the “Power 5” conferences. This means that nearly 25 conferences in Division 1 receive significantly less media coverage, and some get almost none at all. The D1 NCAA basketball tournament is the only true reminder that D1 has schools like Prairie View A&M, Longwood, Colgate, High Point,  and Canisius on its roster.

There is also an assumption that D1 is the highest level of competition with all of the best athletes. I’m not disputing whether D1 does have the best collection of talented athletes in college sports. But it is only partially true that it has the best athletes. With so many schools in participation, the talent gap across Division 1 is incredibly vast. Going D1 for many athletes will mean that they have precious little chance of playing on a national stage, for any school outside of the power 5 conferences. And another athlete with the same level of talent who elects to go D2, D3, or NAIA can instead compete for national championships regularly. 

The very top programs in Division 1 typically attract athletes in each sport who are borderline professional level. But the lowest rungs of Division 1 always overlap with Division 2 and even Division 3 schools. You don’t need to be a projected NBA Draft pick to get into Division 1, although it certainly helps the team’s chances of playing for a national title. Every year non-d1 teams beat a few that are in scrimmages and non-conference games. An All-American at the Division 3 level in any sport is typically capable of starting for at least some of the many Division 1 programs. In fact the smallest conferences in Division 1 could probably be swapped out entirely with some of the top conferences in Division 2 quite easily and nobody would really notice a difference in the television product.

D1 is not what you think it is financially 

When people consider Division 1 sports they often think that it is big business. This is true for the top football and basketball programs in the nation. But for other programs this is so far away from the reality that at best we can say that it stretches the truth so far that it might pull a muscle. And at worst this is a complete misrepresentation of the way things actually work. Division 1 FBS college football is the biggest money making sport and it is not even close. Men’s basketball is also a legitimate money maker through the NCAA tournament primarily. But most sports are not “revenue” generating sports and that means that even higher level teams in sports like soccer, baseball, or track & field rarely turn a profit at the end of the year.

The money, or lack thereof throughout all of Division 1 means that there are many programs that do not have millions to spend. There are fields and gyms outside of D1 that rival those that are, all throughout its lower half. This means that going D1 doesn’t necessarily mean you will have better facilities than you would elsewhere. Smaller conferences in D1 for example, are known as “bus conferences” where they avoid traveling anywhere that would require a plane to get there. It is incredibly rare for many D1 teams to travel more than a few states over via bus to get to a competition. Likewise the gear and other amenities that athletes receive at those programs is nothing like those at the biggest name schools.

D1 does not have as much scholarship money as you think

Contrary to popular belief, most of the full scholarships given out in D1 are to FBS football, men’s and women’s basketball, and volleyball. If you do not play one of these sports at the D1 level, the odds of getting a full-ride athletic scholarship are much lower. Although it is possible to get a full-ride in other sports, you would normally need to be one of the top recruits a coach is pursuing. In many cases there will be D2 and D3 athletes who receive just as much money if not more than an athlete who chooses D1. And for recruits who go looking for a full-ride that doesn’t exist, are not only not going to find it, but may end up not playing sports at all for a D1 school. 

The Bottom Line

Division 1 is considered to be the holy grail of college athletics. But it may not be the best choice for every recruit. If your dream is to run through the tunnel at a Power 5 football program, you can pursue it if your talent allows it. But for some recruits, the price of being at the highest level will be wagered against years of riding the bench. And what you will find is that the experience of going D1 is not only not all it is cracked up to be, but for many recruits not all that different from athletic competition outside of it.

KNOW THE GAME. WIN THE GAME.

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