Football in New England (2024 edition)

[shizzle787]

I made a post about this a few years ago but here is an update.

Number of college football and high school (according to MaxPreps) programs in the New England states:

Vermont

College programs: 3

Vermont State-Castleton (D3)
Middlebury (D3)
Norwich (D3)

High school programs: 31 (in three divisions)

New Hampshire

College programs: 5

New Hampshire (FCS)
Dartmouth (FCS)
Franklin Pierce (D2)
Saint Anselm (D2)
Plymouth State (D3)

High school programs: 56 (in four divisions)

Maine

College programs: 6

Maine (FCS)
Bates (D3)
Bowdoin (D3)
Colby (D3)
Husson (D3)
University of New England (D3)

High school programs: 54 (in four divisions) + 24 8-man (in two divisions)

Rhode Island

College programs: 4

URI (FCS)
Brown (FCS)
Bryant (FCS)
Salve Regina (D3)

High school programs: 43 (in four divisions)

Connecticut

College programs: 11

UConn (FBS)
Yale (FCS)
Sacred Heart (FCS)
CCSU (FCS)
New Haven (D2)
Post (D2)
SCSU (D2)
Coast Guard (D3)
Trinity (D3)
Wesleyan (D3)
WCSU (D3)

High school programs: 139 (in six divisions)

Massachusetts

College programs: 28

Boston College (FBS)
UMass (FBS)
Holy Cross (FCS)
Harvard (FCS)
Merrimack (FCS)
Stonehill (FCS)
AIC (D2)
Assumption (D2)
Bentley (D2)
Amherst (D3)
Anna Maria (D3)
Bridgwater State (D3)
Curry (D3)
Dean (D3)
Endicott (D3)
Fitchburg State (D3)
Framingham State (D3)
MIT (D3)
Massachusetts Maritime (D3)
Nichols (D3)
Springfield (D3)
Tufts (D3)
UMass Dartmouth (D3)
Western New England State (D3)
Westfield State (D3)
Williams (D3)
Worcester State (D3)
WPI (D3)

High school programs: 274 (in eight divisions)

Prep football:

8-man NEPSAC prep: CT-3, ME-1, MA-1 (5 in total)

NEPSAC prep (in two divisions): CT-16, MA-23, RI-2, NH-4 (45 in total)

 

[HuskyDogArt]

I'd love to see the changes in Football in New England. Especially the changes in Football at the high school level..

 

[noeynox]

Good stuff. Prep school ball around here, is high level. If you get a chance to go to a game or two you will be impressed.

 

[UConnJim]

The biggest change in New England football is how 7v7 football tournaments have proliferated over the past 10 years which has helped develop QBs and the passing game. If you go to HS games, you will see many more teams playing wide open passing offenses.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Didn't know Stonehill was FCS.

 

[CCSUblue]

Didn't know Stonehill was FCS.

Joined NEC in 2022.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I won't call any school out specificaly but I am surprised that a few on the list still field football programs.

 

[UConnJim]

I won't call any school out specificaly but I am surprised that a few on the list still field football programs.

Without naming schools, many schools are now using sports to keep their enrollment up. Some schools may have 125+ kids on the football team and many will never play, but they will pay tuition to the school and stay enrolled. (I have a nephew on a D3 that has ~140 kids on the roster.) That is why you see a number of D3 schools adding sports to keep their enrollment up.