CIAA football coaches do their best to stretch scholarship dollars for their programs

ROANOKE, Virginia — As all the head football coaches gathered for CIAA media day earlier this week there was a similar look to all 12 of them.

All of them sported coats and ties and were at their most optimistic as they talked about the 2018 season that is fast approaching. After all, it was July and every team was undefeated.

The reality, however, is the makeup of their teams is vastly different due in large part to scholarship numbers. It’s hard for Division II programs without the maximum number of scholarships allowed (36) to build depth over a long season where injuries and attrition are a way of life.

Unlike in Division I, where one scholarship is used for one athlete, the scholarship money in Division II can be spread around to the team members. The only problem with that is the scholarship money isn’t a large amount, especially in the CIAA.

“Recruiting is your No. 1 lifeline,” said Coach Kienus Boulware of Winston-Salem State, whose program has 25 scholarships to use for a team that will have around 80 to 90 players. “If you can bring the right people in and minimize the coaching turnover, that is a big key. And when you think about earlier years here and our run we had, the coaching staff stayed pretty much the same.”

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