Recruiting guide
D2 linebacker recruiting requirements
Benchmarks verified September 15, 2026. Every number names its source. Free, no account, nothing gated.
There is no single published cutoff for a D2 linebacker. There are guidelines, and they are public. Here they are, with their sources.
Measurables
Go Big Recruiting publishes position boards by division tier. For linebackers:
| Tier | Height | Weight | Forty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low FCS / high D2 / high NAIA | 6'0" | 200 lbs | 4.70 |
| Low D2 / NAIA / all D3 | 5'10" | 190 lbs | 4.75 |
Source: gobigrecruiting.com linebacker guidelines. Guidelines, not requirements — programs sign players outside these numbers every February.
Honors and varsity level
NCSA's recruiting guidelines, built from five years of college rosters, put a D2 linebacker at two-year varsity starter with multiple years competing at the All-Conference level. All-State tends to be the D1 marker, not the D2 one.
Source: ncsasports.org football recruiting guidelines.
Academics: the NCAA line
D2 eligibility is a 2.20 core-course GPA across 16 core courses, from NCAA.org's Division II requirements. There is no SAT/ACT sliding scale at D2; proof of graduation does that work. 2.30 is the Division I number — it gets quoted for D2 constantly and it is wrong for D2.
What this means for a real player
A 6'0", 200-pound linebacker who runs 4.70, started two varsity years and made All-Conference is on the D2 board. Short in one measurable doesn't end it: the same sources' D3/NAIA board is 5'10", 190, 4.75. The honest question isn't "am I D1" — it's which board your five numbers actually sit on.