The college football media and this website will almost exclusively report about Division 1 FBS football, and for good reason. It has more talented players, bigger brands, and fills up stadiums that are bigger than cities. But that doesn’t mean lower-level football doesn’t matter. That doesn’t mean the athletes aren’t talented and the players don’t love the game.
In the start of a three-part series, I talk to Division 3 SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles defensive back Ian Herrera, St. Lawrence Saints center Hunter Thompson, and FBS UAB Blazers defensive lineman Connor Knight to explain and compare their recruitment.
Both Herrera and Thompson are from Liverpool, NY, and played in the Big 44 section 3/4 all-star game. Herrera was a second-team all-CNY player, while Thompson was an honorable mention. Meanwhile, Knight, the Trussville, AL native, was a consensus three-star who chose UAB as one of thirty-eight offers. He also played in the Alabama North/South All-Star Game.
The Schools
SUNY Brockport is located in Brockport, New York, and plays football in the Empire 8 Conference. The conference only has seven football-playing members, all of which are in upstate New York. It is one of the stronger D3 conferences in the nation, led by SUNY Cortland, who ranks seventeenth in the D3 preseason top 25.
Brockport has 6,992 students and plays at the 10,000-seat Bob Boozer Field. They have a very impressive 46-10 record from the last five seasons and are coming off of a solid 8-2 record in 2022. The school has won four conference titles and made the D3 playoffs seven times, all of which took place since 2000. This includes a trip to the D3 semifinals in 2017.
St. Lawrence University is in Canton, New York, and is one of seven football-playing members of the Liberty League. All teams are also in New York but are further spread throughout the Empire State than the Empire 8. The conference gained notoriety in 2015 when Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Ali Marpet was drafted in the second round from Hobart and Williams Smith College, becoming the highest D3 draftee.
St. Lawrence, meanwhile, is smaller, with only 2,247 students. Their stadium, Weeks Field at Leckonby Stadium, is also smaller, with 1,500 seats. The Saints have won three conference championships, all of which are after 2010, but have never made the D3 playoffs. On the field, they went 4-6 last season, and 5-5 in 2021, but only have an 18-32 record over the past five seasons.
UAB, heading into its first season with new coach Trent Dilfer, has been one of the most consistent Group of 5 programs over the past half-decade. Since the program’s revival in 2017, they have gone 50-26 with two CUSA titles. In 2023, the Blazers enter the American Athletic Conference and are considered one of the biggest wildcards in the league.
Life in Division 3
Division 3 schools cannot give out athletic scholarships. There are still scholarships and financial aid, but they cannot be related to athletic performance. The lower budget and involvement in the sport also carry onto games. D3 teams can only play ten regular season games, and the travel distance is much smaller. Combined, St. Lawrence and Brockport only have two scheduled games outside of New York.
There are more facilities to be shared as well. You won’t find a football-only stadium, weight room, or even a training table. In addition, there are very few televised games at the D3 level, so schools aren’t catering their athletic department to the pigskin and the dollar. In some D1 schools, football IS the athletic department. So while football is more popular than, say, soccer at most schools, the difference is nothing remarkable.
Recruiting D1 and D3
Despite the differences in division, many recruiting factors were the same for the three athletes. First off, building the right connection with the coaches was paramount. In my interviews, all of the players mentioned a strong bond with the coaches being a reason for committing. Thompson mentioned the importance of involving the parents during the visit, saying:
“One thing that I kinda liked is how some of them would interact with the people you were with… (by) getting them involved in stuff, then I would like them more.”
The location of the school was also an important factor. After decommitting from South Florida, Connor Knight chose to stay home and play for UAB, which is only fifteen minutes away. Meanwhile, Herrera made note of Brockport’s surrounding area, which is just under two hours away from his hometown.
Lastly, all three players emphasized the importance of their families in the recruiting process. In addition to what Thompson said earlier, Herrera had his family go to visits and camps, plus decide between the pros and cons of the colleges. For Knight, his family wouldn’t let him go “to a place where they didn’t have a relationship with the staff.”
Despite that, there are many differences in the recruitment process. One of the most notable dissimilarities the athletes expressed was when during the process they thought they could play at the collegiate level and when they started talking to coaches.
Knight went to Hewitt-Trussville HS, a football factory that gave him a real thought to play in college after sophomore year. Seeing guys like Malachi Moore (Alabama), Eric Taylor (Mississippi State), Justice Finkley (Texas), and Armoni Goodwin (LSU) really pushed Knight to play college ball himself.
Liverpool HS, the alma mater of Herrera and Thompson, did not give the same opportunity as Knight. Going D1 from that program is rare. And while alums consistently go D3, it’s not the same as seeing your teammate play for the Crimson Tide.
The two being late bloomers also didn’t help. Neither athlete played varsity until their junior year, and Herrera even had a position shift from playing quarterback as a sophomore. That factor caused Thompson to not think he could play college ball until after his junior season, while Herrera didn’t think he could make the next level before his senior season.
Liverpool with the fumble recovery and score by #32 Ian Herrera! ??
They now lead 35 to 8! pic.twitter.com/e5rDg8oBwu
— CNY Gridiron Talk 315 (@CnyGridironTalk) September 9, 2022
The later start also led to a later commitment for the duo. They both committed in March, a time after national signing day for D1 players when coaches are more worried about the transfer portal. For reference, Knight committed on December 12th and signed his NLI on December 21st on early signing day, officially locking him in with the Blazers.
There is another part of comparing colleges that a D3 would have, but one that is out of the equation for a D1 athlete. Tuition. As I mentioned earlier, D3 athletes do not get athletic scholarships, while most FBS football players get a full ride.
Sometimes, the decision isn’t just about football – it’s about getting a good education. Thompson experienced this during his college decision. His preferred school was Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). However, St. Lawerence offered a significantly better financial aid package that essentially made the decision for him.
Herrera had a different reason for choosing Brockport. Being an in-state school helped lower tuition and gave him an opportunity to play on a very good team. Jason Mangone has coached at the school since 1999 and has been head coach since 2023.
“I really liked the coaches, it felt more personal, they have a good program, (and) they’ve also had a good program, I felt like it was a good fit.”
The Takeaway
So, what can we take away from these differences? For many athletes, unglamorous D3 football with lesser facilities and smaller crowds doesn’t distract from the biggest thing: the love of the game.
Just having the ability to play the sport they love for four more years is worth the time and sacrifice. As a graduate of Liverpool HS with Herrera and Thompson, I wish I had taken football more seriously so I could have another opportunity to play like them.
Stay tuned for the second part of the series, which would be comparing their first weeks of fall camp.
