College football is a national passion. But it means more in some states than others. For example, some of the best college football teams are in Texas, and there are plenty of job opportunities for people interested in joining the sports industry in The Lone Star State. If you are one of those people, here are the top football colleges in Texas to get your job search underway.
D1 Football Schools in Texas
The best Texas college football teams play in Division 1 – D1 for short. These schools compete with the other top programs from around the country.
Any of these schools can play in the overall College Football National Championship if they perform well throughout the season.
Abilene Christian University (FCS) – Abilene, TX
Team: Abilene Christian Wildcats
Conference: WAC
Baylor University (FBS) – Waco, TX
Team: Baylor Bears
Conference: Big 12
Houston Baptist University (FCS) – Houston, TX
Team: Houston Baptist Huskies
Conference: Southland
Lamar University (FCS) – Beaumont, TX
Team: Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals
Conference: Southland
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Prairie View A&M University (FCS) – Prairie View, TX
Team: Prairie View A&M Panthers and Lady Panthers
Conference: SWAC
Rice University (FBS) – Houston, TX
Team: Rice Owls
Conference: C-USA
Sam Houston State University (FBS) – Huntsville, TX
Team: Sam Houston State Bearkats
Conference: WAC
Southern Methodist University (FBS) – Dallas, TX
Team: SMU Mustangs
Conference: The American
Stephen F. Austin State University (FCS) – Nacogdoches, TX
Team: Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks
Conference: WAC
Tarleton State University (FCS) – Stephenville, TX
Team: Tarleton Texans
Conference: WAC
Texas A&M University (FBS) – College Station-Bryan, TX
Team: Texas A&M Aggies
Conference: SEC
Texas A&M University-Commerce – Commerce, TX
Team: Texas A&M–Commerce Lions
Conference: Southland
Texas Christian University (FBS) – Fort Worth, TX
Team: TCU Horned Frogs and Lady Frogs
Conference: Big 12
Texas Southern University (FCS) – Houston, TX
Team: Texas Southern Tigers and Lady Tigers
Conference: SWAC | FCS
Texas State University (FBS) – San Marcos, TX
Team: Texas State Bobcats
Conference: Sun Belt | FBS
Texas Tech University (FBS) – Lubbock, TX
Team: Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders
Conference: Big 12
University of Houston (FBS) – Houston, TX
Team: Houston Cougars
Conference: The American
University of North Texas (FBS) – Denton, TX
Team: North Texas Mean Green
Conference: C-USA
University of Texas at Austin (FBS) – Austin, TX
Team: Texas Longhorns
Conference: Big 12
University of Texas at El Paso (FBS) – El Paso, TX
Team: UTEP Miners
Conference: C-USA
University of Texas at San Antonio (FBS) – San Antonio, TX
Team: UTSA Roadrunners
Conference: C-USA
University of the Incarnate Word (FCS) – San Antonio, TX
Team: Incarnate Word Cardinals
Conference: Southland
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Types of D1 Football Jobs in Texas
If you’re passionate about football, you may want to start looking into the opportunities you have for college football jobs in Texas. Here are the main ones to consider.
Assistant Coach
Salary: $32,000 – $75,000
To become a D1 assistant coach, you need to be highly knowledgeable about the game of football. You also need to have proven that in previous roles, such as head and assistant coaching jobs at lower levels.
Assistant coaches may be assigned to work with the team as a whole or manage a specific position group, such as wide receivers or linebackers.
Athletic Trainer
Salary: $43,000 – $62,000
If you’re more interested in the field of health and medicine, then becoming an athletic trainer could be right for you. Your job in this role would be to keep athletes healthy by providing them with treatment before and after practices and games.
You typically need at least a bachelor’s degree, possibly even a master’s, to get this job. Previous athletic training experience can also be beneficial.
Graduate Assistant
Salary: $25,000 – $54,500
If you’re still a graduate student, then you might qualify to become a graduate assistant. This position is akin to a low-level assistant coach, and you’ll likely help higher-level assistant coaches with their responsibilities.
Qualifying for this job requires football experience and graduate attendance at the university you want to work for.
Announcer/Broadcaster
Salary: ~$75,000
Becoming an announcer or a broadcaster is another path you can follow to get into the college football industry. These professionals bring games to life with live calls that provide context to the action occurring on the field.
Previous experience in this field will likely be necessary if you want to work at the D1 level.
Journalist
Salary: ~$44,000
Finally, you could also become a college football journalist. You’ll get to analyze the game and provide coverage of breaking news stories in this career. Being a great writer and having experience writing about sports in the past are often necessary to get hired into this position.
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How to Find a D1 Football Job in Texas
There are plenty of colleges in Texas that employ people to help with their football programs. But there are many more applicants than positions available. Following these tips will help you qualify for one of these coveted positions.
Gain Experience
Experience is typically the first thing employers look at when hiring for college football jobs, and the more of it you have, the better. So you’ll likely want to focus on lower-level jobs in football before you start looking for positions at the D1 level.
Network
Experience is important, but networking can be an even more significant factor in determining whether or not you get hired for a position.
People want to hire workers they know will do an excellent job for them. If someone in that power position already knows you and what you bring to the table, they may hire you over someone with a better resume on paper.
That’s why spending as much time in the D1 college football scene in Texas is essential. You never know which connection will give you your breakthrough opportunity, so go out and make as many as possible.
Use JobsInSports.com
Finally, being the first to apply for new college football jobs carries many advantages. It means your resume will be one of the first that the hiring employee reads, which could make it easier for you to get scheduled for an interview.
JobsInSports.com provides an up-to-date list of all the best college football jobs in Texas and across the country. You can sign up and set a notification alert for the jobs you want so that you can find them and apply for them right after they become available.
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D2 Football Schools in Texas
Division 2 football is underneath Division 1. It’s still a highly competitive league with plenty of great job opportunities. So with that in mind, here are Texas’s top D2 football schools.
Angelo State University – San Angelo, TX
Team: Angelo State Rams
Conference: Lone Star
Midwestern State University – Wichita, Falls
Team: Midwestern State Mustangs
Conference: Lone Star
Texas A&M University – Kingsville, TX
Team: Texas A&M- Kingsville Javelinas
Conference: Lone Star
University of Texas Permian Basin – Odessa, TX
Team: UTPB Falcons
Conference: Lone Star
West Texas A&M University – Canyon, TX
Team: Texas West Texas A&M Buffaloes
Conference: Lone Star
Types of D2 Football Jobs in Texas
There’s no reason to base your job hunt on NCAA football rankings. There are many great jobs available in D2 college football in Texas, just as in D1.
The positions are essentially the same. For example, you can find all of these jobs at the D2 level:
- Assistant coach
- Graduate assistant
- Athletic trainer
- Announcer/broadcaster
- Journalist
- And more
The key difference is that D2 colleges in Texas football tend to pay less because they have fewer resources to run their football programs. D2 programs don’t tend to have as valuable TV deals as D1 programs.
But if you can’t get a job at the D1 level right away, D2 can be a great place to gain experience and improve your resume. Doing a great job at this level is the best way to show potential employers that you can also excel at the D1 level.
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How to Find a D2 Football Job in Texas
The process for finding a football in D2 is the same as it is for finding a job at the D1 level. The main factors that matter are:
- Your experience and resume
- The connections that you have
- How quickly you apply for new positions
If you can optimize for each of these factors, you’ll give yourself the best chance of getting hired for a D2 football job that you can eventually leverage into an offer for a D1 position.
Start Your Texas Football Career with JobsInSports.com
From junior colleges in Texas with football to the top D1 programs in the country, you can find all of the latest job opportunities in college football with JobsInSports.com.
We maintain a curated list of the best jobs in sports and can alert you when new jobs get posted in an area of interest. So why wait? Create an account with us today to put your resume at the front of the line.