EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
Ten small four-year colleges and universities started or restarted football programs this season. The National Football Foundation says that’s the most in a single year since 2013. Seven schools have announced plans to start programs in 2027 or later.
Administrators say adding football is a way to increase lagging enrollment and create a more vibrant campus life.
A 2024 University of Georgia study found schools that add football generally haven’t had sustained enrollment growth compared to non-football schools. Researcher Welch Suggs says adding football is a last-ditch effort to keep a school’s doors open.
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READ AP'S STORY
Small colleges are starting football programs, hoping to boost enrollment as student shortage looms
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NEW OR RE-STARTED FOOTBALL PROGRAMS IN 2026
Here are the 10 new or re-started football programs in 2026 at the four-year college level:
CALIFORNIA
Azusa Pacific University — Re-started program after dropping it in 2020 and now plays in NCAA Division III.
Whittier College — Re-started program after dropping it in 2022 and continues to play in NCAA Division III.
FLORIDA
Trinity College of Florida — New program playing a short independent schedule this year and plans to apply to join NAIA.
GEORGIA
Andrew College — Went from National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
ILLINOIS
Chicago State — Started new program in NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision.
INDIANA
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College — Moved from sprint football to traditional football. (Sprint football mandates weight limits; one league sets limit at 178, another at 190).
IOWA
Mount Mercy University — New program in NAIA.
NEW YORK
Monroe University -- Went from NJCAA to NCAA Division II.
PENNSYLVANIA
Lackawanna College — Went from NJCAA to NCAA Division II.
TEXAS
Schreiner University — New program in NCAA Division III.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— Have any colleges in your area dropped football or other sports in recent years for financial or other reasons? Have there been discussions about bringing them back? What has been the impact of lost sports programs? If there's plans or discussions for bringing back sports, what is the aim? What is the cost? Are schools pursuing donations specifically in hopes of reinstating sports teams? If there's an expected uptick in revenue from starting or reinstating sports teams, what is it and what is it coming from?
— If there's discussion about reinstating or adding new sports, talk to current students and alumni about how they feel.
— If local high school football teams or other teams used to look to these schools for college sport opportunities, what has replaced those? Are they looking elsewhere in the state? Out of state?
— Check out this study from the University of Georgia: Institutional Effects of Adding Football
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