10 Best Football Colleges in South Carolina in 2024

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Football Colleges in South Carolina combine academics and sporting activities, creating a fine balance between sporting and intellectual learning.

With so many higher education options accessible to student-athletes today, deciding which path to go on might be difficult. You can use our list of the best football colleges in South Carolina as one resource to help you decide.

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However, after carefully reviewing the educational opportunities provided by each, we compiled a list of the top ten finest football Colleges in South Carolina. To generate this ranking, we take into account several criteria that are all scientific measurements.

These factors include the institution’s overall excellence, as determined by our Best Colleges ranking, as well as its level of athletic competition. To rank well, the school must have a quality education and a strong athletic team.

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Does South Carolina Have Football Colleges?

There are many football Colleges in South Carolina, each with its football team. They include:

  • North Greenville University
  • Winthrop University
  • Allen University
  • Coastal Carolina University
  • Erskine College
  • Charleston Southern University
  • Furman University
  • Limestone University
  • Presbyterian College
  • South Carolina State University
  • The Citadel
  • Western South Carolina College
  • Wofford College

Also read, 10 Best Football Colleges in Illinois

How Many College Football Teams are in South Carolina?

Surprisingly, Illinois has a large number of football teams. Illinois currently has 1636 football teams.

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These football teams have varied names and insignia in several institutions throughout the state.

For Further Reading, check: 10 Best Football Colleges in North Carolina

Does South Carolina have Ivy League Schools?

The Ivy League is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States comprising eight private academic universities in the Northeastern United States. 

The term Ivy League is commonly used outside of athletics to refer to the eight schools as a consortium of elite colleges with implications of academic brilliance, admissions selectivity, and social elitism.

However, there are no Ivy League schools in South Carolina.

You would also find these helpful: 10 Best Football Colleges in Ohio

What Are The Best Football Colleges in South Carolina? 

In this section, we will be listing the 10 best football colleges in South Carolina with some information about each of them.

1. North Greenville University

The first on our list is North Greenville University.

North Greenville University is n Tigerville, South Carolina. It is a private Baptist university. 

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredits it. it also affiliates with the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. The university grants doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate degrees.

Also, North Greenville University’s international football team is known as the Crusaders, situated in the U.S. state of South Carolina. 

The football team represents the Gulf South Conference in NCAA Division II competition. In 1994, North Greenville fielded its first football squad. The team’s home games are held in Tigerville, South Carolina’s 5,000-seat Younts Stadium. Jeff Farrington is the Crusaders’ head coach.

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2. The Citadel

The football team from The Citadel, the Citadel Bulldogs, competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Since 1936, the Bulldogs have competed in the Southern Conference. 

However, Brent Thompson, appointed on January 19, 2016, to replace Mike Houston, who took over as James Madison University’s head football coach on January 18, 2016, is the Bulldogs coach.

College Park, situated in the northeastern part of Hampton Park in Charleston, South Carolina, served as the Bulldogs’ first known stadium. This field was located at the same location as the current College Park, which serves as a baseball practice area for The Citadel Bulldogs. 

Consequently, the Bulldogs moved to the original Johnson Hagood Stadium in 1927 due to growing crowds and bad stadium conditions. The new Johnson Hagood Stadium, located in downtown Charleston immediately south of The Citadel’s entrance, took the place of the earlier one in 1948.

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3. Charleston Southern University

The intercollegiate American football team for Charleston Southern University, which is situated in the U.S. state of South Carolina, is known as the Buccaneers. The team represents the Big South Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

In 1991, Charleston Southern fielded its inaugural football squad. The squad is now coached by Autry Denson and plays its home games at the 4,000-seat Buccaneer Field in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The Charleston Southern football team started as a club football team in 1989 and then transitioned to NCAA Category 3, a non-scholarship division, in 1991. 

Consequently, the Buccaneers went from Division 3 to Division 1 in 1993, practically overnight, as the other campus programs were Division 1, due to NCAA regulation changes that mandated all sports be in the same division. 

Due to competition from more established and well-funded organizations presented some difficulties for the new initiative.

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4. Wofford College

The intercollegiate American football team for Wofford College, which is situated in South Carolina, is known as the Wofford Terriers. The team represents the Southern Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

The first football team at Wofford was organized in 1889. The team’s home games are held in Spartanburg, South Carolina’s 13,000-seat Gibbs Stadium. The Terriers’ current head coach is Josh Conklin.

Also, in the 96-97 season, Wofford transitioned from Division II to the Division I-AA Southern Conference. Since then, Wofford has claimed seven Southern Conference titles and ten FCS Playoff bids, with the most recent coming in 2019. 

Every year, Wofford is regarded as one of the top teams in the Southern Conference. The National Semi-Finals appearance at Delaware in 2003, where Wofford lost 24-9, was the team’s finest result since leaving Division II.

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5. Furman University

The intercollegiate American football team for Furman University, which is situated in South Carolina, is called the Furman Paladins. The team represents the Southern Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

However, the first football squad for the school was organized in 1889. The 16,000-seat Paladin Stadium is where the squad plays its home games. They have Clay Hendrix as their coach.

The Paladins have a 19-17 record and have made an appearance in the I-AA/FCS playoffs 18 times. They were national runners-up in 1985 and 2001 and national champions in 1988.

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6. Presbyterian College

The intercollegiate American football team for Presbyterian College, situated in the U.S. state of South Carolina, is known as the Presbyterian Blue Hose football program. The squad plays in the Pioneer Football League even though Presbyterian is a full member of the Big South Conference and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). 

Also, in 1913, Presbyterian fielded its first football squad. The team’s home games are held in Clinton, South Carolina’s 6,500-seat Bailey Memorial Stadium. Kevin Kelley, who was hired to oversee the program on May 6, 2021 [2], but who left after the season, coached the Blue Hose. Steve Englehart is the mentor at the moment. 

The Blue Hose, who remained a full member of the Big South, started the move to non-scholarship football in 2017 and quit the conference following the 2019 season. The Blue Hose football team competed in the 2020–21 season as an independent and then, after making a move to the Pioneer League, joined the league in July 2021.

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7. South Carolina State University

South Carolina State University is represented in college football by the South Carolina State Bulldogs. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Bulldogs compete in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) (MEAC). 

The Bulldogs have a storied football program and have won the most MEAC championships. Harry Carson, Deacon Jones, Marion Motley, and Donnie Shell are four players from the university who are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

In addition, Robert Porcher, Darius Leonard, Charlie Brown, and Orlando Brown Sr. are a few more renowned Bulldog athletes. 

Also, when legendary former SC State Coach Willie Jeffries was hired to lead the Wichita State football program in 1979, he became the first African American Head Coach of a largely white Division I-A football program. The College Football Hall of Fame inducts Jeffries.

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8. Erskine College

The American football team, the Erskine Flying Fleet, plays for Erskine College. The Flying Fleet compete in NCAA Division II as an independent team, although they became an associate member of the SAC in 2022. 

Erskine and the National Christian College Athletic Association are members (NCCAA). Head coach Shap Boyd has been in charge of the team since November 15, 2018, making him the first football head coach at Erskine since 1951.

After the 1951 season, the Erskine College football program was discontinued. Before announcing its return for 2020, the team took a break. The team will train in 2019 and use a redshirt season for its players.

Also, the fall 2020 season was moved up until spring 2021 because of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. On February 27, 2021, the team played its first game in seventy years, defeating Barton College 30-28.

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9. Coastal Carolina University

The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football team, known as the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, competes on behalf of Coastal Carolina University. Since 2017, the Chanticleers, who belong to the Sun Belt Conference, have fielded teams at the FBS level. 

The Chanticleers host their home games in Conway, South Carolina, at Brooks Stadium’s James C. Benton Field.

Jamey Chadwell, who assumed the role full-time in 2019, is their head coach.

The creation of a football team by CCU in the upcoming years was announced in the late 1990s. In 2003, Brooks Stadium on campus hosted the inaugural season of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team. 

In addition, David Bennett served as the team’s initial coach from when it was founded until December 9, 2011. On December 20, 2011, the university announced Joe Moglia, a former CEO of TD Ameritrade, as its new head coach.

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10. Winthrop University

The college sporting teams representing Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, are known as the Winthrop Eagles. As a part of the Big South Conference, Winthrop fields 17 men’s and women’s teams that play at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Although Winthrop University was established in 1886, it wasn’t until 1987 that it was admitted to the NCAA Division I. In 1983, the year the Big South Conference was founded, it became a member.

After their collegiate days, many student-athletes from WU went on to play professionally in the US or abroad. Marco Reda (soccer), Kevin Slowey (baseball), Pam Barnett (golf), Xavier Cooks (basketball), and Michael Jenkins are a few of these athletes (basketball).

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What are the Best Junior Colleges in South Carolina for Football?

There are many Junior Colleges for football in South Carolina. They include: 

  • Florence-Darlington Technical College
  • Sandhills Community College
  • Denmark Technical College

What Division (d1) Football Colleges are in South Carolina?

Eight public institutions in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association are available in South Carolina (NCAA). From huge universities like the University of South Carolina and Clemson University to smaller colleges like South Carolina State University and Furman University, South Carolina has a wide variety of Division 1 colleges.

They are:

  • Charleston Southern University
  • Furman University
  • Presbyterian College
  • South Carolina State University
  • The Citadel
  • Wofford College
  • University of South Carolina
  • Clemson University

Also Read: 10 Best Football Colleges in California

What are the Division 2 (d2) Football Colleges in South Carolina?  

There are also D-2 football Colleges in South Carolina, and they include:

  • Anderson University
  • Benedict College
  • Claflin University

This will also interest you: 10 Best Football Colleges in Texas

What are the Division 3 (d3) Football Colleges in South Carolina?

There is only one D-3 football College in South Carolina, which is 

  • Bob Jones University

How to Join Football Clubs in South Carolina

To join football clubs in South Carolina, all players must register online before attending an evaluation session.

All players who did not play on a SCUFU team in the 2021-2022 season MUST bring a copy of their birth certificate to the Evaluations or Email a readable copy of their birth certificate to Elaine Simpson, SCUFC Registrar.

All players will be evaluated in their correct age group on the first day.  

However, to join the football clubs in South Carolina, Click Here

Conclusion

The football teams in South Carolina are well known, just as their football Colleges are also well known.

Therefore, if you are planning to enroll in one of the colleges in South Carolina, you might also check out their football teams.

This article will be a guide to you. 

Also Read: 10 Best Football Colleges in the UK

Frequently Asked Questions

What GPA do you need for JUCO football?

Student-athletes must pass at least 36 quarter hours with a 2.00 GPA or higher.

Do JUCO schools give athletic scholarships?

Yes. Like the NCAA, the NJCAA has three divisions, of which DI and DII can award athletic scholarships.

How many D2 football schools are there?

In the 2022 season, there are a total of 164 Division II football programs

Do D2 schools give full athletic scholarships?

Very few of the thousands of student-athletes competing in Division II will receive a full athletics grant that covers all of their expenses

References

  • fieldlevel.com– Programs in the Network 106,000+ teams building relationships and achieving their goals
  • niche.com– Best College Athletics in South Carolina
  • fieldlevel.com– NCAA D1 Football Teams in South Carolina
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