Original post by jammy4041eh..it depends really. Which university were you hoping to go to? I would say the competition is about as fair as it can be for the pool of players in the UK. Some, are really good, but it's nothing like what it is in France, or Spain...yet alone Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland etc. That said, the quality can surprise. I know Bristol had a former walk-on QB for Wisconsin, and they also had a D-II WR in 2014-15. They also had a defensive end from Canada, on exchange. We also had a corner and a linebacker from a school in North Carolina on exchange, so yeah....I would say the quality is getting better though. In the premier division, there's Stirling and Birmingham....and then everyone else. A team like Durham tends to field a lot of American talent.
I know Bristol UWE cut their squad because they have so many players, and on any given gameday they can typically have 50-70 players on the sideline. They're a D-1 team.
We're lucky to have had four or five all-DC-calibre players on our team, a great HC with a great play book, and a DC who's really good. We used to have one of Britain's finest WRs as our WR coach in our first year, too.
As for experience, I guarantee you 95% of players haven't even played before. Maybe even only 30% have watched an NFL game. If you like rugby, you'll love American Football...but I got into it having never played rugby either. To enjoy it, just put 110% in, and you'll get out much more than you put in. Obviously, if you have experience, it'll help things and you'll be better rooted in offensive and defensive concepts and fundamentals like tackling, blocking, catching the ball or whatever.
As a word of warning though, if you are a rookie, you'd have basically have about 5 weeks tops from freshers week to your first game, and it is intense. A lot of people get down if "they don't start" and while it's competitive, everyone has a role. Whether you're big or small, if you can play, the coaches will find a way to fit you in. Also even if you don't start, you can still come on, make a special teams tackle, or do something and earn that extra game time. Every season, no job is safe, and rookies can start sometimes. Coaches themselves take a lot of pride in developing people, and getting them enthused with this great sport.
Mind you, since I was banged up, this was it really as a season. My coaches think I'll be a good referee or maybe a coach or something, and I do want to keep my interest and involvement going. American football has been my best decision at uni, and I've made a lot of friends.