In January 2025, the NCAA amended its reclassification process, allowing schools to complete the process a year early. Four FCS members took advantage of the change and will be full Division I members for the 2025-26 academic year. As a result, East Texas A&M, Lindenwood, St. Thomas, and Stonehill are now eligible for the 2025 FCS Playoffs.
St. Thomas was the first of the quartet to move to NCAA Division I, beginning with the 2021-22 academic year. The Tommies were kicked out of the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in the spring of 2021, which led the school to apply for Division I membership. The NCAA granted the rare double-division reclassification request and provided UST with a five-year timeline. St. Thomas joined the Summit League as a full member, with football in the Pioneer Football League. Since joining the PFL, the Tommies have gone 31-13 overall, 26-6 in conference games, and won the 2022 PFL title.
East Texas A&M announced its move from the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference to the Southland in September 2021, and joined the SLC in 2022-23. The Lions were named Texas A&M-Commerce at the time of the move and later changed to the current East Texas A&M name in November 2024. East Texas A&M has posted an overall record of 9-24 and 7-12 in Southland Conference matchups.
Lindenwood announced its move from the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference to the Ohio Valley Conference in February 2022 and began its move with the 2022-23 academic year. Lindenwood was a member of the OVC for the 2022 season before it merged with the Big South Conference in football to create the Big South-OVC Football Association. That partnership continued for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and will be known as the OVC-Big South Football Association starting with the 2025 season. Lindenwood has gone 15-17 overall and 6-12 in conference games in its first three FCS seasons.
Stonehill announced its move from the D-II Northeast 10 Conference to the Northeast Conference in April 2022 and also began their FCS journey in the 2022-23 academic year. The Skyhawks went 10-20 overall and 6-14 in the Northeast Conference in their first three FCS seasons.
Three additional FCS schools are in the process of reclassifying and could become full NCAA Division I members a year sooner. Mercyhurst (NEC) and West Georgia (UAC) both joined the FCS in the 2024-25 academic year. Under the new rules, those two teams could become eligible for the FCS Playoffs starting with the 2027 season. New Haven (NEC) will play its first FCS season in 2025 and could be eligible as soon as the 2028 season.
East Texas A&M, Lindenwood, St. Thomas, and Stonehill will join the eight Ivy League schools as possible new FCS playoff teams in 2025. The Ivy League changed its postseason policy, which allows the winner of the regular season title to compete in the FCS Playoffs as an automatic qualifier.
Photo Credit to the University of St. Thomas Athletics
