Chicago-based Robert Morris University football fielded 190 players in 2016 – the seventh highest such student popularity number in the nation – according to a Prairie State Wire analysis of federal education data.
Other Illinois schools among the nation’s 100 college or university football teams that field the most football players were McKendree University in Lebanon (148) and North Central College in Naperville (132).
The U.S. Department of Education’s office of postsecondary education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide.
Top 100: College football programs in U.S. with most participation
| School | State | Division | Football Team Members |
| University of Mount Union | OH | NCAA Division III with football | 251 |
| MidAmerica Nazarene University | KS | NAIA Division I | 215 |
| Methodist University | NC | NCAA Division III with football | 201 |
| Tusculum College | TN | NCAA Division II with football | 192 |
| Lindenwood University | MO | NCAA Division II with football | 191 |
| Robert Morris University Illinois | IL | NAIA Division II | 190 |
| Benedictine College | KS | NAIA Division I | 190 |
| Newberry College | SC | NCAA Division II with football | 187 |
| Limestone College | SC | NCAA Division II with football | 178 |
| Baldwin Wallace University | OH | NCAA Division III with football | 174 |
| Ashland University | OH | NCAA Division II with football | 173 |
| Alderson Broaddus University | WV | NCAA Division II with football | 171 |
| Delaware Valley University | PA | NCAA Division III with football | 169 |
| Graceland University-Lamoni | IA | NAIA Division II | 167 |
| Hardin-Simmons University | TX | NCAA Division III with football | 167 |
| Trine University | IN | NCAA Division III with football | 166 |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | TX | NCAA Division III with football | 165 |
| Saint Ambrose University | IA | NAIA Division II | 163 |
| North Carolina Wesleyan College | NC | NCAA Division III with football | 163 |
| Henderson State University | AR | NCAA Division II with football | 162 |
| Thomas More College | KY | NCAA Division III with football | 162 |
| University of Pikeville | KY | NAIA Division I | 159 |
| Howard Payne University | TX | NCAA Division III with football | 158 |
| University of Dubuque | IA | NCAA Division III with football | 156 |
| University of St Thomas | MN | NCAA Division III with football | 156 |
| Mississippi College | MS | NCAA Division II with football | 156 |
| Midland University | NE | NAIA Division II | 156 |
| Carson-Newman University | TN | NCAA Division II with football | 156 |
| Grand View University | IA | NAIA Division II | 154 |
| Wayland Baptist University | TX | NAIA Division I | 152 |
| ASA College | NY | NJCAA Division I | 151 |
| Marian University | IN | NAIA Division II | 150 |
| Lindsey Wilson College | KY | NAIA Division I | 149 |
| Olivet College | MI | NCAA Division III with football | 149 |
| Carthage College | WI | NCAA Division III with football | 149 |
| McKendree University | IL | NCAA Division II with football | 148 |
| Wingate University | NC | NCAA Division II with football | 146 |
| Huntingdon College | AL | NCAA Division III with football | 145 |
| Iowa Central Community College | IA | NJCAA Division II | 145 |
| Georgetown College | KY | NAIA Division I | 145 |
| Heidelberg University | OH | NCAA Division III with football | 145 |
| Albright College | PA | NCAA Division III with football | 145 |
| Ohio Northern University | OH | NCAA Division III with football | 144 |
| Southeastern Oklahoma State University | OK | NCAA Division II with football | 144 |
| Shorter University | GA | NCAA Division II with football | 143 |
| Bridgewater College | VA | NCAA Division III with football | 143 |
| Saginaw Valley State University | MI | NCAA Division II with football | 142 |
| Wagner College | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 142 |
| Averett University | VA | NCAA Division III with football | 142 |
| Valdosta State University | GA | NCAA Division II with football | 141 |
| Concordia University-Nebraska | NE | NAIA Division II | 141 |
| Pittsburg State University | KS | NCAA Division II with football | 140 |
| Adrian College | MI | NCAA Division III with football | 140 |
| Chowan University | NC | NCAA Division II with football | 140 |
| Texas A & M University-Commerce | TX | NCAA Division II with football | 140 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 139 |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln | NE | NCAA Division I-FBS | 139 |
| Pacific University | OR | NCAA Division III with football | 139 |
| Washington & Jefferson College | PA | NCAA Division III with football | 139 |
| Colorado State University-Pueblo | CO | NCAA Division II with football | 138 |
| DePauw University | IN | NCAA Division III with football | 138 |
| Iowa State University | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 137 |
| Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 137 |
| Warner University | FL | NAIA Division II | 136 |
| Lackawanna College | PA | NJCAA Division II | 136 |
| The University of Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 135 |
| Hartwick College | NY | NCAA Division III with football | 135 |
| Tiffin University | OH | NCAA Division II with football | 135 |
| Arkansas Tech University | AR | NCAA Division II with football | 134 |
| McNeese State University | LA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 134 |
| Davenport University | MI | NCAA Division II with football | 134 |
| University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 134 |
| University of Nebraska at Kearney | NE | NCAA Division II with football | 134 |
| John Carroll University | OH | NCAA Division III with football | 134 |
| George Fox University | OR | NCAA Division III with football | 134 |
| University of California-Berkeley | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 133 |
| Iowa Western Community College | IA | NJCAA Division I | 133 |
| Wartburg College | IA | NCAA Division III with football | 133 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 133 |
| Northwood University | MI | NCAA Division II with football | 133 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne University | NC | NCAA Division II with football | 133 |
| Chadron State College | NE | NCAA Division II with football | 133 |
| Utica College | NY | NCAA Division III with football | 133 |
| Lake Erie College | OH | NCAA Division II with football | 133 |
| Mt San Antonio College | CA | CCCAA | 132 |
| North Central College | IL | NCAA Division III with football | 132 |
| Charleston Southern University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 132 |
| Ferrum College | VA | NCAA Division III with football | 132 |
| Troy University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 131 |
| Bethany College | KS | NAIA Division II | 131 |
| Stevenson University | MD | NCAA Division III with football | 131 |
| Concordia University-Ann Arbor | MI | NAIA Division II | 131 |
| Doane University-Arts & Sciences | NE | NAIA Division II | 131 |
| Midwestern State University | TX | NCAA Division II with football | 131 |
| Southwestern Assemblies of God University | TX | NAIA Division I | 131 |
| Florida Institute of Technology | FL | NCAA Division II with football | 130 |
| Louisiana College | LA | NCAA Division III with football | 130 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 130 |
| Walsh University | OH | NCAA Division II with football | 130 |
| Reinhardt University | GA | NAIA Division II | 129 |
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