Data study · 2026–27 season
How much do college basketball players weigh? Average weight by position and division
D1 guards average 190 lb, forwards 220 lb, centers 242 lb. The step down by level is smaller than the step across positions, and the middle half of every group spans roughly twenty pounds — which is why "too light" is a much softer judgement than families expect.
Computed from 6,426 player-seasons · 2026–27 · updated Oct 15, 2026
Position separates players more than level does.
A D1 center outweighs a D1 guard by about 52 pounds. A D1 guard outweighs a D3 guard by about 10.
The middle half spans about twenty pounds.
Half of all D1 guards are listed between 180 lb and 200 lb — a 20-pound band. Sitting under the average is ordinary.
Weight is the measurable you can actually change.
Unlike height, this one moves with time in a weight room — which is why a coach reads it as a projection rather than a verdict. A 225 lb D3 center and a 242 lb D1 center are often the same player two years apart.
Average listed weight by position, by division
Guards
n = 1,830 · 1,173 · 1,062
Forwards
n = 1,079 · 542 · 477
Centers
n = 191 · 42 · 30
Bars are scaled to the heaviest group in each position so the step between levels is visible; the full table is below.
Mean, median, and the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of listed weight · 2026–27 rosters
| Division · position | Players | Average | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 · Guards | 1,830 | 190 lb | 190 lb | 180 lb – 200 lb |
| D1 · Forwards | 1,079 | 220 lb | 220 lb | 210 lb – 230 lb |
| D1 · Centers | 191 | 242 lb | 240 lb | 230 lb – 255 lb |
| D2 · Guards | 1,173 | 184 lb | 185 lb | 175 lb – 195 lb |
| D2 · Forwards | 542 | 210 lb | 210 lb | 200 lb – 220 lb |
| D2 · Centers | 42 | 237 lb | 235 lb | 220 lb – 245 lb |
| D3 · Guards | 1,062 | 180 lb | 180 lb | 170 lb – 190 lb |
| D3 · Forwards | 477 | 205 lb | 205 lb | 195 lb – 215 lb |
| D3 · Centers | 30 | 225 lb | 230 lb | 210 lb – 235 lb |
What this means if you're being recruited
Families read a weight the way they read a height — as a gate. It is not one. Half of every group on this table sits inside a twenty-pound band, so being ten pounds under the average for your position and level puts you squarely among the players already there. Where weight does matter is in the position a coach evaluates you for: the 52-pound gap between D1 guards and D1 centers is the real line on this page, and it is about role, not about level.
The other honest reading is that this is the one measurable that answers to work. Height is fixed by the time anyone is watching; listed weight moves. A coach looking at a young player is estimating where this number lands in two years, which is why the same frame shows up at different levels at different ages.
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Methodology
Source · sample · scope6,426 player-seasons · 1,060 programs · 2026–27
Definitions and scope
- Source
- Official 2026–27 rosters published by the athletics sites of 1,060 NCAA D1, D2 and D3 men's programs, collected by Depth Chart.
- Sample
- 6,426 player-seasons carrying both a listed position and a plausible listed weight (120–350 lb). Rosters publish a weight less often than a height, so this sample is smaller than the height study's.
- Suppression
- Any division × position cell with fewer than 30 players is not shown.
- Positions
- Listed positions are grouped into guards, forwards and centers; combo listings are assigned to their primary family.
- Computed
- Oct 15, 2026 · methodology 2026-08-28.1
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