FCS Football: Highest-Graded Teams For 2024 Season

Zachary McKinnell | Feb 2, 2025

South Dakota running back Keyondray Jones-Logan (7) rushes with the football during the third quarter against Wisconsin / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

We utilized the Pro Football Focus (PFF) database and grading system to examine the highest-graded FCS teams for the 2024 season.

It is important to note that Pro Football Focus is only one tool for analyzing teams. Plenty of other factors should be considered when adding context to each team's performance throughout the season.

Below are the highest-graded FCS teams for the 2024 college football season.

*Note: These rankings are based on the PFF grading system and do not represent FCS Football Central's unit rankings.

Offense

1. South Dakota (95.5)
2. Montana State (93.2)
3. North Dakota State (92.2)
4. Tarleton State (88.8)
5. Monmouth (88.0)
6. Butler (87.4)
7. Columbia (86.8)
8. Harvard (84.2)
9. UC Davis (84.1)
10. Abilene Christian (83.8)

Passing

1. South Dakota (91.1)
2. Monmouth (91.0)
3. North Dakota State (90.9)
4. Missouri State (90.2)
T5. Montana State (90.1)
T5. Abilene Christian (90.1)
7. UC Davis (86.2)
8. San Diego (86.1)
9. SEMO (85.0)
10. Tarleton State (84.3)

Pass-Blocking

1. North Dakota State (89.2)
2. Delaware (88.4)
3. Eastern Washington (88.3)
4. Long Island (87.3)
5. Yale (86.7)
6. South Carolina State (86.4)
7. ETSU (85.0)
8. Illinois State (84.9)
9. Butler (84.1)
10. Youngstown State (83.8)

Receiving

1. Monmouth (86.2)
2. UC Davis (86.0)
3. South Dakota (84.5)
4. North Dakota State (84.4)
5. Tarleton State (81.0)
6. Western Illinois (80.9)
7. Butler (80.6)
8. Idaho (79.6)
9. Chattanooga (79.3)
10. Duquesne (78.6)

Rushing

1. South Dakota (97.5)
2. Montana State (96.7)
3. Montana (94.3)
4. South Dakota State (92.9)
5. Southern Utah (91.8)
6. North Carolina Central (91.5)
7. Villanova (91.1)
8. Eastern Washington (90.4)
T9. Northern Arizona (90.3)
T9. Central Arkansas (90.3)

Run-Blocking

1. South Dakota (84.5)
2. Montana State (78.4)
3. Columbia (78.2)
4. San Diego (75.5)
T5. Harvard (75.4)
T5. Dartmouth (75.4)
7. William & Mary (74.3)
8. North Dakota State (70.2)
9. Tarleton State (68.4)
10. Penn (67.9)

Defense

T1. South Dakota State (93.7)
T1. Stephen F. Austin (93.7)
3. Dayton (93.4)
4. Jackson State (93.2)
5. Delaware (93.1)
6. ETSU (92.7)
7. Samford (92.6)
T8. UT Martin (92.5)
T8. SEMO (92.5)
10. Central Arkansas (92.4)

Run Defense

1. Stephen F. Austin (96.6)
2. SEMO (95.8)
3. Central Arkansas (95.5)
4. Rhode Island (95.2)
T5. South Dakota State (94.9)
T5. Delaware (94.9)
7. Mercer (94.8)
T8. UT Martin (94.5)
T8. Samford (94.5)
T8. ETSU (94.5)

Tackling

1. South Dakota (91.1)
2. Penn (90.3)
3. Stephen F. Austin (89.7)
4. ETSU (88.8)
5. Columbia (88.7)
6. Central Arkansas (88.5)
7. Samford (87.8)
8. Richmond (85.8)
9. Dayton (85.1)
10. Rhode Island (84.6)

Pass-Rush

1. Merrimack (90.3)
2. South Carolina State (90.0)
3. North Dakota State (88.6)
4. Central Arkansas (88.2)
5. Grambling State (86.2)
T6. Idaho (82.4)
T6. Davidson (82.4)
8. Alcorn State (82.2)
9. Mercer (81.6)
10. Montana State (81.5)

Coverage

1. Columbia (93.6)
2. South Dakota State (92.8)
3. San Diego (92.6)
4. Dayton (92.5)
T5. Sacred Heart (92.1)
T5. North Carolina Central (92.1)
7. Wofford (91.9)
T8. Morehead State (91.8)
T8. McNeese (91.8)
T10. Northern Arizona (91.6)
T10. Harvard (91.6)

Special Teams

1. Dayton (90.7)
T2. Rhode Island (90.0)
T2. The Citadel (90.0)
4. UC Davis (89.8)
5. South Dakota (88.1)
T6. Alabama State (87.7)
T6. Stephen F. Austin (87.7)
8. Abilene Christian (87.4)
T9. Drake (87.3)
T9. Butler (87.3)

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