Is there a best class structure to utilize? It seems that upper classmen dominate this game so are you better off bunching your classes together or spreading them evenly? Like 6-6-0-0 vs. 3-3-3-3 or something different? 6-6-0-0 seems like you'd contend for 2 years and then be super young and average for the other two.

Personal choice

For FB/press teams at the D3 level, I think there’s a noticeable competitive advantage to the 6-6-0-0 structure. In every other D3 and D2 situation and scheme, I generally prefer 4-4-4-0 or balanced; with my lone remaining D2 team, I’ve been going balanced with a redshirt (+sometimes DNQ) every year. At D1, with the volatility of elite talent battles and early entries, high quality 6 person classes are hard to rely on, making that strategy much less reliable. Even at D2, where you’re more likely to be pulling from a pool that is going to get raided by D1 teams from time to time, it’s a bit higher risk, and the reward is a bit lower when your competitors are generally stronger.

If you are willing to run 10 deep (ergo not a press D), I like a redshirt and walk-on every year. The redshirts must be high potential but will transition to content back-ups for two years and then solid starters their last year or two. The walk-on gives you more resources in recruiting which can really help bring in high-end talent. This makes the set-up kind of malleable, but something like 4-2-4-2 can maintain competitiveness year in and year out.