The 2025 FCS season is only weeks away and the current realignment cycle is still producing numerous changes that will impact the upcoming season. As we have done with the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons, below is a list of all the changes for the 2025 season and beyond. There’s a summarized list at the end of the article if you prefer not to get knee-deep in the weeds. Let’s begin by looking at which schools are moving in, out, or within the FCS for the 2025 season. Please note that this article is subject to change given the current realignment cycle and the NCAA’s ongoing legal battles.
2025 Team and Conference Changes
Two teams are leaving the FCS and heading to Conference USA. Delaware (CAA) and Missouri State (MVFC) will follow in the footsteps of Jacksonville State (2023), Sam Houston State (2023), and Kennesaw State (2024) to join the FBS.
New Haven is joining NCAA Division I and the Northeast Conference beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. The football team will not play a full complement of NEC games this season due to scheduling complications from the late move into the FCS.
Richmond is leaving the CAA and joining the Patriot League as a football-only member. The Spiders will keep their other sports in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which is the school’s primary conference.
UT Rio Grande Valley will make its football debut in 2025 as the Vaqueros will compete in the Southland Conference. UTRGV announced the formation of the football program in November 2022 and moved from the WAC to the Southland for its other sports in 2024.
The Big South-OVC Football Association switched its name to the “OVC-Big South Football Association” after the conclusion of the 2024 season. A new logo appeared when the OVC-Big South announced its 2025 conference schedule, which features the OVC logo more prominently, along with the words “in association with the Big South”.
As with the 2024 season, FCS teams will be allowed to play a 12-game schedule in 2025 thanks to a calendar quirk. Typically, FCS schools are limited to 11 games, but there are 14 Saturdays on the 2025 calendar, which makes it permissible to have 12 regular season games according to the NCAA’s 17.11.6.1 bylaw. The 12-game schedule will become permanent beginning with the 2026 season after the NCAA voted to allow FCS teams to play up to 12 regular season games.
The Ivy League will send its conference champion to the 2025 FCS Playoffs as an automatic qualifier for the first time after ending its longstanding abstention policy for football postseason competition. As a result, there will be 11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large bids for the 2025 FCS Playoffs, which will culminate in the National Championship game to be held in Nashville, Tennessee. The NCAA chose Nashville out of the five bids to host the FCS title games following the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, was originally slated to host those title games, but scheduled renovations began after the National Championship in January 2025 led to the NCAA opening the bidding process for a new host.
Coaching Changes
The 2024 offseason was not nearly as busy as the 2023 offseason in terms of coaching changes. There will be 24 new head coaches on the sidelines to start the 2025 season, down from the 31 in 2024. A full listing of those changes can be seen below, along with accompanying articles for each departure and hire. Included in the list are Hampton retaining interim head coach Trent Boykin permanently and New Haven making a surprise change after announcing its move to the NEC.
| Team | Conference | Previous Coach | Years Coached (Seasons) | Depature Date | New Coach | Hire Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama A&M | SWAC | Connell Maynor | 2018 – 2024 (7 Seasons) | 12/2/2024 | Sam Shade | 12/29/2024 | Maynor Fired |
| Albany | CAA | Greg Gattuso | 2014 – 2024 (11 Seasons) | 2/5/2025 | Jared Ambrose (Interim) | 3/4/2025 | Gattuso Resigned |
| Butler | Pioneer | Mike Uremovich | 2022 – 2024 (3 Seasons) | 12/4/2024 | Kevin Lynch | 12/12/2024 | Uremovich Left for Ball State |
| Colgate | Patriot League | Stan Dakosty | 2021 – 2024 (4 Seasons) | 12/2/2024 | Curt Fitzpatrick | 12/21/2024 | Dakosty Fired |
| Davidson | Pioneer | Scott Abell | 2018 – 2024 (7 Season) | 11/26/24 | Saj Thakkar | 12/17/2024 | Abell Left for Rice |
| Delaware State | MEAC | Lee Hull | 2023 – 2024 (2 Seasons) | 12/3/2024 | DeSean Jackson | 12/27/2024 | Hull Fired |
| Drake | Pioneer | Todd Stepsis | 2019 – 2024 (6 Seasons) | 12/3/2024 | Joe Woodley | 12/23/2024 | Stepsis Left for Northern Iowa |
| East Tennessee State | Southern | Tre Lamb | 2024 (1 Season) | 12/8/2024 | Will Healy | 12/12/2024 | Lamb Left for Tulsa |
| Hampton | CAA | Trent Boykin (Interim) | 2024 (1 Season) | N/A | Trent Boykin | 10/16/2024 | Interim tag removed from Boykin’s title |
| Idaho | Big Sky | Jason Eck | 2022 – 2024 (3 Seasons) | 12/14/2024 | Thomas Ford | 12/18/2024 | Eck Left for New Mexico |
| McNeese | Southland | Gary Goff | 2022 – 2024 (3 Seasons) | 11/25/2024 | Matt Viator | 12/2/2024 | Goff Fired |
| Mississippi Valley State | SWAC | Kendrick Wade | 2023 – 2024 (2 Seasons) | 12/4/2024 | Terrell Buckley | 1/21/2025 | Wade Fired |
| New Haven | NEC* (Joining from NE-10 in 2025) | Chris Pincince | 2014 – 2024 (10 Seasons) | 5/12/25 | Mark Powell | 5/12/25 | Pincince Removed |
| Nicholls | Southland | Tim Rebowe | 2015 – 2024 (10 Seasons) | 12/1/2024 | Tommy Rybacki | 12/1/2024 | Rebowe Retired |
| Norfolk State | MEAC | Dawson Odums | 2021 – 2024 (4 Seasons) | 11/26/24 | Michael Vick | 12/20/2024 | Odums Fired |
| North Carolina A&T | CAA | Vincent Brown | 2023 – 2024 (2 Seasons) | 12/4/2024 | Shawn Gibbs | 12/6/2024 | Brown Fired |
| North Dakota | MVFC | Bubba Schweigert | 2014 – 2024 (11 Season) | 11/30/2024 | Eric Schmidt | 12/8/2024 | Schweigert Resigned |
| Northern Iowa | MVFC | Mark Farley | 2001 – 2024 (24 Seasons) | 11/23/2024 | Todd Stepsis | 12/3/2024 | Farley Retired |
| Prairie View A&M | SWAC | Bubba McDowell | 2022 – 2024 (3 Seasons) | 11/24/2024 | Tremaine Jackson | 12/21/2024 | McDowell Fired |
| Sacramento State | Big Sky | Andy Thompson | 2023 – 2024 (2 Seasons) | 12/6/2024 | Brennan Marion | 12/21/2024 | Thompson Leaving to join Stanford staff |
| South Dakota | MVFC | Bob Nielson | 2016 – 2024 (9 Seasons) | 1/16/2025 | Travis Johansen | 1/16/2025 | Nielson Retired |
| South Dakota State | MVFC | Jimmy Rogers | 2023 – 2024 (2 Seasons) | 12/28/2024 | Dan Jackson | 12/31/2024 | Rogers Leaving for Washington State |
| Stetson | Pioneer | Brian Young | 2021 – 2024 (4 Seasons) | 12/3/2024 | Mike Jasper | 12/20/2024 | Young Resigned |
| Tennessee State | OVC-Big South | Eddie George | 2021 – 2024 (4 Seasons) | 3/9/2025 | Reggie Barlow | 3/22/2025 | George Left for Bowling Green |
| Valparaiso | Pioneer | Landon Fox | 2019 – 2024 (6 Seasons) | 11/24/2024 | Andy Waddle | 12/9/2024 | Fox’s contract not renewed |
Future Changes and Other Developments
Chicago State is adding a football program and will play its first season in 2026 as an independent, followed by a full NEC schedule in 2027. The school hired Bobby Rome as head coach in April. The Cougars set a $4 million fundraising goal as the bar to begin an FCS football program back in September 2023 and an expedited timeline of 2025 for the first season, which has been pushed back to 2026. Chicago State joined the NEC as a full member in all other sports in 2024.
Sacramento State is leaving the Big Sky Conference to join the Big West beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. The Hornets may play as an FCS independent starting in 2026 while they attempt another move to the FBS.
Saint Francis will leave NCAA Division I and the Northeast Conference to reclassify to NCAA Division III. The Red Flash will play the 2025 season in the NEC and drop to D-III beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Saint Francis will become a member of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
Southern Utah and Utah Tech will move their football teams from the United Athletic Conference and join the Big Sky Conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Both schools are members of the WAC and also join the Big Sky as full members. Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, UT Arlington, and West Georgia will join the UAC as it moves to a multi-sport conference starting in 2026-27.
UC Davis accepted a full membership invitation from the Mountain West except for football, which will remain in the Big Sky. It may only be a matter of time before the Aggies join the Mountain West in football as well.
Villanova and William & Mary will leave the CAA and join the Patriot League as football-only members in 2026. The Wildcats and Tribe will become the 9th and 10th Patriot League teams while the CAA drops to 12, assuming no further changes.
Two schools were rumored to be possible future FCS teams, while another one ruled out starting a football team. Morehouse College was evaluating a move to Division I in September 2024, and Central Oklahoma was linked with a possible move at a later date, pending the outcome of the House vs. NCAA lawsuit. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is not planning to add football, according to athletic director Andrew Gavin. SIUE has never fielded a football team and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference and Summit League formalized their partnership, which included a new governance structure. The MVFC will remain an independent entity as part of the partnership. This is more of a behind-the-scenes change, but it could impact any future membership changes with the Summit League expected to have more input into which teams could ultimately end up in the MVFC.
The NCAA amended its reclassification policy that could shorten the transition period by one year for any schools moving from NCAA Division II or Division III into Division I and the FCS. The policy applies to teams currently reclassifying into D-I as well as any future programs. East Texas A&M, Lindenwood, St.Thomas, and Stonehill completed the process a year early and are eligible for the FCS playoffs in 2025. If Mercyhurst (Northeast) and West Georgia (United Athletic) reach the thresholds set by the NCAA, both teams could become eligible for the FCS Playoffs in 2027 instead of the original timeline of 2028. New Haven could be eligible in 2028.
The NCAA also approved some rule changes for the 2025 season. One impactful change is that FCS teams can use helmet communications that were previously used in the FBS. As a way to combat faking injuries, teams will be charged a timeout if medical personnel enter the field after the ball is spotted. If a team does not have a timeout, a five-yard delay of game penalty will be enforced. The House v. NCAA settlement was finalized and the big takeaway for FCS versus FBS games is that FCS schools must have a rolling two-year average of 56.7 grants in aid per year to qualify as a “deserving team.”
Summary
Below is a table summarizing all the moves discussed above for 2025 and beyond. We also included the teams that are ineligible for the FCS playoffs for future reference.
| Team/Conference | Previous Conference | New Conference | Effective Season(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | CAA | C-USA (FBS) | 2025 | |
| East Texas A&M | Southland | Southland | 2025 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2025 |
| FCS National Championship | N/A | N/A | 2025 and 2026 | Will be hosted by Nashville |
| Ivy League | N/A | N/A | 2025 | Will Participate in FCS Playoffs |
| Lindenwood | OVC | OVC | 2025 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2025 |
| Missouri State | MVFC | C-USA (FBS) | 2025 | |
| New Haven | NE-10 (D-II) | NEC | 2025 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2029 (or 2028) |
| OVC-Big South FA | Big South-OVC FA | OVC-Big South FA | 2025 | Conference Positions Reversed in Name |
| Richmond | CAA | Patriot League | 2025 | |
| St. Thomas (MN) | Pioneer | Pioneer | 2025 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2025 |
| Stonehill | NEC | NEC | 2025 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2025 |
| UTRGV | N/A | Southland | 2025 | Starting Football Program; Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2025 |
| Chicago State | N/A | N/A | 2026 | Adding Football Program |
| Sacramento State | Big Sky | TBD | 2026 | |
| Saint Francis (PA) | NEC | PAC (D-III) | 2026 | |
| Southern Utah | UAC | Big Sky | 2026 | |
| Utah Tech | UAC | Big Sky | 2026 | |
| Villanova | CAA | Patriot League | 2026 | |
| William & Mary | CAA | Patriot League | 2026 | |
| Mercyhurst | NEC | NEC | 2028 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2028 (or 2027) |
| West Georgia | UAC | UAC | 2028 | Eligible for FCS Playoffs starting in 2028 (or 2027) |
| Central Oklahoma | N/A | N/A | N/A | FCS Future? |
| Morehouse College | N/A | N/A | N/A | FCS Future? |
| SIU Edwardsville | N/A | N/A | N/A | Not Adding Football |
| UC Davis | Big Sky | TBD? | TBD? | Joining FBS in the future? |
Photo Credit to University of Richmond Athletics
Related posts:
FCS Changes for the 2023 Season
FCS Changes for the 2022 Season
FCS Changes for the 2024 Season
The ASUN and WAC Form Football-Only United Athletic Conference
Southern Utah and Utah Tech to Join Big Sky, ASUN Football Schools to Join Rebranded WAC
Big Sky, Pioneer Football League Not Playing Conference Schedules; FCS Playoffs in Peril