The Sacred Heart Pioneers will join the Coastal Athletic Association as a football-only member beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. Sacred Heart spent the 2024 season as an FCS independent and will do so again for the 2025 campaign.
The addition of Sacred Heart will put the CAA at 13 football teams and underscores a tumultuous period of realignment for the conference. The CAA has lost James Madison (2022), Delaware (2025), and Richmond (2025), while Villanova and William & Mary will depart in 2026. The CAA has added Hampton (2022), Monmouth (2022), Campbell (2023), North Carolina A&T (2023), and Bryant (2024).
The 2026 CAA lineup will feature Albany, Bryant, Campbell, Elon, Hampton, Maine, Monmouth, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T, Rhode Island, Sacred Heart, Stony Brook, and Towson.
Sacred Heart first joined the FCS in 1999 when the subdivision was known as Division I-AA. The Pioneers were a member of the Northeast Conference for nearly 25 years from 1999 through 2023. SHU left the Northeast Conference and joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in 2024-25, leading to a two-year stint as an independent. Merrimack is also an FCS independent and has not announced any future conference affiliation.
Sacred Heart won at least a partial share of 6 NEC titles in 2001, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2021. The Pioneers made FCS Playoff appearances in 2013, 2014, 2020, and 2021, losing in the first round each time. The Pioneers will begin the 2025 season against Stonehill (NEC) on Saturday, August 30, and wrap up against Villanova (CAA) on Saturday, November 22.
Photo Credit to Sacred Heart University Athletics
