The University of West Florida is moving up from the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference to join NCAA Division I. The Argonauts will join the Atlantic Sun Conference in all sports except football, which will compete in the United Athletic Conference.
West Florida’s football program played its first season in 2016. The Argonauts posted an overall record of 5-6, the program’s only losing season to date. UWF reached the NCAA D-II Championship game in its second season, but lost to Texas A&M-Commerce 37-27. Commerce joined the FCS in the 2022-23 academic year and is now known as East Texas A&M. UWF would finish 6-5 overall in 2018 and miss the playoffs.
The Argonauts would return to the playoffs in 2019 and go on to win the title. UWF dropped the season opener to Carson-Newman and the penultimate regular season contest at Valdosta State. As an at-large selection, the Argonauts had to win four straight games to reach the championship game. They dispatched Wingate (38-17), along with traditional D-II powers Valdosta State (38-35), Lenoir-Rhyne (43-38), and Ferris State (28-14). In the championship, UWF won a 48-40 shootout against Minnesota State to claim the program’s only D-II football title.
In 2021, UWF was stunned at home by Newberry in the first round of the playoffs. The team reached the semifinals in 2022, but lost in the semifinals on the road to Ferris State, 38-17. UWF reached the playoffs again in 2023 and 2025, but didn’t make it beyond the second round. In 9 seasons, UWF made the D-II playoffs six times.
West Florida will join the UAC as the 8th member and a conference that is undergoing a restructuring. The UAC will move from a football-only conference to a multi-sport conference beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, as the remaining members of the Western Athletic Conference will join the multi-sport UAC. At the same time, the current Atlantic Sun Conference members that offer football will compete in the UAC in that sport. With UWF, the 8 UAC members are Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Tarleton State, West Florida, and West Georgia.
The UAC has seen eight schools depart the conference since 2022: Jacksonville State (2022), Lamar (2022), Sam Houston State (2022), Kennesaw State (2023), Stephen F. Austin (2024), and UTRGV (2024). Both Southern Utah and Utah Tech are leaving the UAC for the Big Sky in 2026. UTRGV plays its first season in 2025, but the school was originally slated to compete in the UAC. Incarnate Word also planned to join the UAC, but returned to the Southland without playing a game in 2022.
The Argonauts will not be eligible for the FCS playoffs in their first three seasons, but can win the UAC championship. UWF will become eligible for the FCS playoffs beginning with the 2029 season. The school expects its new Darrell Gooden Stadium to be ready for the 2027 season.
Photo Credit to University of West Florida Athletics
