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Best Football colleges in Illinois

Explore colleges in Illinois recruiting Football athletes, most popular programs first. Open any school to see its division, costs and coaches, or let our football recruiting platform email every coach for you.

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420 coaches recruiting Football in Illinois
Overview

Football colleges in Illinois

How the programs break down by division, conference, cost and size. Updated October 2026.

Programs
36
Coaches recruiting
420
  • 6Division I
  • 5Division II
  • 18Division III
  • 5NAIA
  • 2Junior college

Illinois has 36 colleges with Football programs. Of those, 6 compete in NCAA Division I, 5 in NCAA Division II, 18 in NCAA Division III, 5 in the NAIA and 2 at the junior college level. The most popular programs are Northwestern University, Illinois State University and Northern Illinois University. Their head coaches are David Braun at Northwestern University, Brock Spack at Illinois State University and Rob Harley at Northern Illinois University. 7 schools compete in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, the most common conference.

Lowest net priceLewis and Clark Community College · $2,781Average yearly cost after aidMost selectiveUniversity of Chicago · 4%Acceptance rateLargest campusCollege of DuPage · 26,224Undergraduate students
All programs

Every Football program in Illinois

Open any school to see its coaches, costs and admissions.

Division I · 6

Northwestern University logoNorthwestern UniversityEvanston · Big Ten · Coach David BraunIllinois State University logoIllinois State UniversityNormal · Missouri Valley · Coach Brock SpackNorthern Illinois University logoNorthern Illinois UniversityDekalb · Mid-American · Coach Rob HarleyEastern Illinois University logoEastern Illinois UniversityCharleston · Ohio Valley · Coach Chris Wilkerson

Division II · 5

McKendree University logoMcKendree UniversityLebanon · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Jason RejfekUniversity of Illinois Springfield logoUniversity of Illinois SpringfieldSpringfield · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Colin WoodQuincy University logoQuincy UniversityQuincy · Great Lakes Valley · Coach Jason KilldayUniversity of Illinois, Springfield logoUniversity of Illinois, SpringfieldSpringfield · Great Lakes Valley

Division III · 18

University of Chicago logoUniversity of ChicagoChicago · Midwest · Coach Craig KnocheNorth Central College logoNorth Central CollegeNaperville · College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin · Coach Brad SpencerAugustana College logoAugustana CollegeRock Island · College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin · Coach Steve BellWheaton College logoWheaton CollegeWheaton · College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin · Coach Jesse Scott

NAIA · 5

Olivet Nazarene University logoOlivet Nazarene UniversityBourbonnais · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic · Coach Avante MitchellUniversity of Saint Francis logoUniversity of Saint FrancisJoliet · Coach Joe CurryUniversity of St Francis logoUniversity of St FrancisJoliet · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic · Coach Joe CurryJudson University logoJudson UniversityElgin · Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic · Coach Shawn Flynn

Junior college · 2

Lewis and Clark Community College logoLewis and Clark Community CollegeGodfrey · Region 24 · Coach Brett ElliottCollege of DuPage logoCollege of DuPageGlen Ellyn · Region 4 · Coach Matthew Rahn
Questions

Questions about Football colleges in Illinois

Quick answers about the programs and how to reach their coaches.

How many colleges in Illinois have Football?

36 colleges in Illinois have Football programs: 6 Division I, 5 Division II, 18 Division III, 5 NAIA and 2 Junior college.

Which colleges in Illinois have D1 Football?

6 colleges in Illinois compete in NCAA Division I Football: Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University and Western Illinois University.

Which colleges in Illinois have D2 Football?

5 colleges in Illinois compete in NCAA Division II Football: McKendree University, Quincy University, Roosevelt University, University of Illinois Springfield and University of Illinois, Springfield.

Which colleges in Illinois have D3 Football?

18 colleges in Illinois compete in NCAA Division III Football: Augustana College, Aurora University, Benedictine University, Concordia University, Chicago, Elmhurst University, Eureka College, Greenville University, Illinois College and 10 more.

Which colleges in Illinois have NAIA Football?

5 colleges in Illinois compete in NAIA Football: Judson University, Olivet Nazarene University, University of Saint Francis, University of St Francis and Xavier University.

Which colleges in Illinois have JUCO Football?

2 colleges in Illinois compete in NJCAA junior college Football: College of DuPage and Lewis and Clark Community College.

What is the most affordable college in Illinois with Football?

Lewis and Clark Community College has the lowest average net price at $2,781 a year after grants and scholarships.

What conference do most Football programs in Illinois compete in?

The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin has the most Football programs in Illinois.

Who are the Football head coaches in Illinois?

David Braun (Northwestern University), Brock Spack (Illinois State University), Rob Harley (Northern Illinois University), Chris Wilkerson (Eastern Illinois University), Joe Davis (Western Illinois University), Bobby Rome (Chicago State University), Jason Rejfek (McKendree University) and Colin Wood (University of Illinois Springfield).

How do I contact Football coaches in Illinois?

There are 420 coaches recruiting Football in Illinois. Start a free 7-day AthleticScholar trial to see who recruits your position and send personal messages from your own Gmail, with follow-ups until they reply.

By division

Football colleges by division in Illinois

The most popular programs at each level, with links to the full lists.

D1 Football colleges in Illinois

6 schools in Illinois compete in NCAA Division I.

D2 Football colleges in Illinois

5 schools in Illinois compete in NCAA Division II.

D3 Football colleges in Illinois

18 schools in Illinois compete in NCAA Division III. The 12 most popular are listed below.

See all 18 D3 Football colleges in Illinois

NAIA Football colleges in Illinois

5 schools in Illinois compete in NAIA.

JUCO Football colleges in Illinois

2 schools in Illinois compete in NJCAA junior college.