2026-27 rosters, read September 29, 2026
Colleges With Football in North Carolina
NextCommit's coach data lists 33 college football programs in North Carolina: 7 D1 FBS, 7 D1 FCS, 13 D2, 5 D3 and 1 JUCO. We read the 2026-27 rosters of 31 of them on September 29, 2026. The median North Carolina program has 18 players in their final season, the spots its coaches will refill for the class of 2027. Appalachian State has the most, 44.
NextCommit roster data, class of 2027/Last updated October 18, 2026
- Programs with roster data
- 31of 33
- Median final-season players
- 18
- Most final-season players
- DB (4)
- Roster data read
- September 29, 2026
What a typical program loses, by position
Median final-season players per program on this list, by position group.
QB
1
RB
1
WR
2
TE
1
OL
3
DL
3
LB
2
DB
4
K/P/LS
1
Most final-season players
The 10 programs on this list with the most players in their final season on the 2026-27 roster. The gold number is each program's largest position group.
| School | Location | Division | Final-season players | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P/LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Boone, NC | D1 FBS | 44 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
| North Carolina Central | Durham, NC | D1 FCS | 41 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | D1 FBS | 39 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| NC State | Raleigh, NC | D1 FBS | 38 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| UNC Pembroke | Pembroke, NC | D2 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Campbell | Buies Creek, NC | D1 FCS | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Louisburg CC | Louisburg, NC | JUCO | 28 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Gardner-Webb | Boiling Springs, NC | D1 FCS | 27 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Western Carolina | Cullowhee, NC | D1 FCS | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Catawba | Salisbury, NC | D2 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
Every program, by position group
Final-season players on each program's 2026-27 roster, by position group. The gold number is the program's largest group. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
D1 FBS (6 programs)
| School | Location | Final-season players | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P/LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | Boone, NC | 44 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
| Charlotte | Charlotte, NC | 39 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Duke | Durham, NC | 20 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| NC State | Raleigh, NC | 38 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| North Carolina | Chapel Hill, NC | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Wake Forest | Winston-Salem, NC | 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
D1 FCS (7 programs)
| School | Location | Final-season players | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P/LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell | Buies Creek, NC | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Davidson | Davidson, NC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Elon | Elon, NC | 13 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Gardner-Webb | Boiling Springs, NC | 27 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| North Carolina A&T | Greensboro, NC | 15 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| North Carolina Central | Durham, NC | 41 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| Western Carolina | Cullowhee, NC | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
D2 (13 programs)
| School | Location | Final-season players | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P/LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton | Wilson, NC | 17 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Catawba | Salisbury, NC | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| Chowan | Murfreesboro, NC | 24 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Elizabeth City State | Elizabeth City, NC | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Fayetteville State | Fayetteville, NC | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Johnson C. Smith | Charlotte, NC | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Lenoir-Rhyne | Hickory, NC | 18 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| Livingstone | Salisbury, NC | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Mars Hill | Mars Hill, NC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Shaw | Raleigh, NC | 11 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| UNC Pembroke | Pembroke, NC | 33 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Wingate | Wingate, NC | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Winston-Salem State | Winston-Salem, NC | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
D3 (4 programs)
| School | Location | Final-season players | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P/LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard | Brevard, NC | 19 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Greensboro | Greensboro, NC | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Guilford | Greensboro, NC | 18 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| N.C. Wesleyan | Rocky Mount, NC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
JUCO (1 programs)
| School | Location | Final-season players | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | K/P/LS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisburg CC | Louisburg, NC | 28 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Not in the table yet: 2 programs+
These programs are in our coach data, but their roster did not pass the completeness check on our September 29, 2026 read. They come back into the table when a later read passes.
- East Carolina (NC, D1 FBS): roster page not readable on our last read
- Methodist (NC, D3): positions missing for some final-season players
How to use this list
- 1Check which level fits your numbers first. The free Football Recruit Score rates your size, speed and stats against FBS, FCS, D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO.
- 2Shortlist programs at that level with final-season players at your position. Those are spots the staff has to refill for 2027.
- 3Email the position coach or recruiting coordinator with your film, measurables and GPA. Start from the quarterback email template or the wide receiver email template, and change the reason you picked each school.
- 4Follow up when you have something new: updated film, a camp result or a new measurable. The football recruiting guide covers timelines, camps and contact rules.
See exact positions and email these coaches
NextCommit Pro shows roster needs by exact position (tackle vs guard, corner vs safety) and filters the coach list to programs that need your position. The free plan includes personalized coach emails every week.
Method and data date
Source. Each program's own public athletics roster page, read by NextCommit on September 29, 2026. Programs come from NextCommit's college football coach data. Divisions are for the 2026 season, including North Dakota State and Sacramento State moving to FBS and Saint Francis (PA) moving to Division III.
Final-season players. Players whose eligibility ends in 2026-27, from the class label on the roster: seniors, graduate students and fifth-year players at four-year schools, sophomores at junior colleges. Redshirt marks do not change the count. Each player counts once, at the first position listed (a "WR/DB" is a receiver).
Position groups. QB = QB; RB = RB, FB; WR = WR; TE = TE; OL = OL, OT, OG, C; DL = DL, DE, DT; LB = LB; DB = DB, CB, S; K/P/LS = K, P, LS. A few players have no listed position, so the groups can add up to slightly less than the total.
Completeness threshold. A program appears in the tables only when its roster was read from the college's own site in the September 29, 2026 run, the page is the 2026-27 roster, at least 50 players have a readable class year, at least 90% of final-season players have a position, and it has at least one final-season player. Programs that miss any of these are listed by name only.
Complete lists. We call a list complete when it has at least 10 programs that pass the threshold and they make up at least 75% of the programs it covers. This list: 31 of 33 (94%).
What it does not tell you. A final-season player is a spot to refill, not a scholarship offer. Staffs also fill spots from the transfer portal, some players get an extra year, and a roster page can lag behind the team. Use the numbers to decide where to look, then ask the coach.
More football college lists
- All divisions
- D1 FBS football colleges
- D1 FCS football colleges
- D2 football colleges by state
- D3 football colleges by state
- NAIA football colleges
- JUCO football colleges
- Texas football colleges
- Florida football colleges
- Georgia football colleges
- Ohio football colleges
- Pennsylvania football colleges
- Colleges with QB openings
- Colleges with WR openings
Frequently Asked Questions
How many colleges in North Carolina have football?+
NextCommit's coach data lists 33 college football programs in North Carolina for 2026, from FBS to junior college. This page shows roster data for the 31 whose 2026-27 rosters we could read in full on September 29, 2026.
What is a final-season player?+
A player whose eligibility ends in 2026-27, read from the class label on the college's own roster page: seniors, graduate students and fifth-year players at four-year schools, and sophomores at junior colleges. Redshirt marks do not change the count. These players leave after the 2026 season, so their spots open for recruits who enroll in 2027.
Does a final-season player mean an open scholarship?+
No. It means a roster spot the staff has to refill, with high school recruits, transfers or walk-ons. How many spots carry aid depends on the level: Division I schools in the House settlement have a 105-player roster limit and no scholarship cap, Division II has 36 football equivalencies shared across the team, Division III gives no athletic aid, the NAIA allows 24 and the NJCAA 85. Some final-season players also get an extra year through a waiver.
How should I use this list?+
Find programs at your level with final-season players at your position, check which level fits your numbers with the free Football Recruit Score, then email the position coach or recruiting coordinator with your film, measurables and GPA. Follow up when you have something new to share.
How often is this data updated?+
NextCommit reads college roster pages twice a year, after fall and spring rosters are posted. This page shows the September 29, 2026 read of 2026-27 rosters. Programs we could not read in full are listed by name until a later read passes our completeness check.