Six schools kick off inaugural seasons this fall.
IRVING, Texas (Aug. 20, 2024) – The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) reported today that football continues to expand, with 774 colleges and universities nationwide now offering football programs. This impressive total includes institutions across all NCAA divisions, the NAIA, and independent schools with six new programs launching this fall and six more on the way.
“Football is a catalyst for student engagement and campus vitality,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “With over a million high school players, the demand for college football continues to grow, encouraging students to pursue higher education by leveraging their passion for the game.”
The expansion of college football is not a recent phenomenon but a continuation of a long-standing trend. Since 1978, when the NCAA began tracking attendance figures, the number of schools playing NCAA football has increased by 187, growing from 484 to 671 institutions by 2024. Including NAIA and independent schools, and accounting for upcoming programs, the total now stands at 774 colleges and universities offering football.
“Football is unmatched in its ability to enhance the vibrancy of college campuses,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “It fosters community, boosts enrollment, and strengthens alumni connections.”
New Programs on the Horizon
This year, six institutions—Anderson University (SC), Calvin University (MI), Centenary College of Louisiana, New England College (NH), Simpson University (CA), and William Woods University (MO)—are launching new football programs (or relaunching). These new programs are poised to energize their respective campuses, offering students new opportunities for engagement and building stronger connections with alumni and local communities.
William Woods, a 154-year-old institution that started as an all-women’s college and located halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City in the heart of central Missouri, saw rapid growth in the 1990s after enrolling men and adding graduate degrees. William Woods President Dr. Jeremy L. Moreland, who had been the provost at St. Thomas University (Miami Gardens, FL) when it added football in 2019, knew firsthand the positive impact of adding football, and he embraced the opportunity to add not only men’s tackle football but women’s flag football too.
“Engaging students on the field and in the stands are two really important parts of life here on campus,” said Moreland. “Over the last three years, we’ve had a remarkable resurgence of enrollment at the university, and we’re welcoming the largest incoming class in our history.
“Football is an important part of where we’re headed as a university. So, while football players will represent about one out of four of our new students this fall… I say we are adding football because we are growing… We know how important football is… in terms of culture and growing young adults who are leaders and who are real champions of character.”
- Anderson University (Anderson, SC): NCAA Division II, South Atlantic Conference (2024) – President Evans P. Whitaker, Vice President for Athletics Bert Epting, Head Coach Bobby Lamb.
- Calvin University (Grand Rapids, MI): NCAA Division III, Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (2024) – Interim President Gregory Elzinga, Athletics Director Dr. Jim Timmer, Head Coach Trent Figg.
- Centenary College of Louisiana (Shreveport, LA): NCAA Division III, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (2024) – President Dr. Christopher L. Holoman, Athletics Director David Orr, Head Coach Byron Dawson.
- New England College (Henniker, NH): NCAA Division III, Great Northeast Athletic Conference (2024) – President Dr. Wayne F. Lesperance Jr., Athletics Director Dave DeCew, Head Coach Kevin Kelly.
- Simpson University (Redding, CA): NAIA, California Pacific Conference (2024) – President Norman D. Hall, Athletics Director Rob Harley, Head Coach Shawn Daniel.
- William Woods University (Fulton, MO): NAIA, Heart of America Athletic Conference (2024) – President Dr. Jeremy L. Moreland, Athletics Director Steve Wilson, Head Coach Julian Mendez.
- Maine Maritime Academy (Castine, ME): NCAA Division III, Commonwealth Coast Conference (2025) – Interim President Craig Johnson , Athletics Director Steve Peed, Head Coach Calvin Powell.
- University of Rio Grande (Rio Grande, OH): NAIA, Appalachian Athletic Conference (2025) – President Ryan Smith; Athletics Director Jeff Lanham; Head Coach Quincy Wilson.
- Roanoke College (Salem, VA): NCAA Division III, Old Dominion Athletic Conference (2024 Club, 2025 Varsity) – President Frank Shushok, Athletics Director Curtis Campbell, Head Coach Bryan Stinespring.
- Schreiner University (Kerrville, TX): NCAA Division III, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (2025) – President Dr. Charlie McCormick, Athletics Director Bill Raleigh, Head Coach Kenneth Treschitta.
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (Rio Grande Valley, TX): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southland Conference (2025) – President Dr. Guy Bailey, Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque, Head Coach Travis Bush.
- West Virginia University Institute of Technology (Beckley, WV): NAIA, Conference TBD (Date TBD) – President T. Ramon Stuart, Athletics Director Kenneth Howell, Head Coach TBD.
Football’s appeal goes beyond the excitement on the field. It plays a critical role in enhancing student life, boosting enrollment, and fostering community engagement. Small colleges often cite football as a strategic tool for increasing enrollment and addressing gender imbalances. Larger universities, on the other hand, emphasize the sport’s role in raising the institution’s profile, attracting research grants, and creating a vibrant campus atmosphere that appeals to both students and alumni. Moreover, football programs can serve as a powerful tool for alumni relations, driving engagement and donations, and enhancing the overall reputation of the institution.
For example, the University of Rio Grande (OH), which plans to launch its football program in 2025, along with a marching band, anticipates an enrollment increase of 150-200 students, highlighting football’s role in strengthening ties with the local community.
“Football is a cherished tradition in Ohio, and we believe the time is now to revive it here at Rio,” said President Ryan Smith. “This initiative not only enhances the vibrancy of our campus but also strengthens our bond with the southern Ohio community.”
Expanding Options to Play College Football
There are also 123 junior college football programs, 16 collegiate sprint football teams and 30 colleges and universities on tap to offer women’s flag football programs as a varsity sport.
Sprint football is a full-contact sport for players weighing 178 pounds or less with the same rules as regular college football. Since 1934, intercollegiate student-athletes on the East Coast have benefited from the opportunity to play in the Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL), which is adding Molloy University (NY) this season as its ninth member. The Midwest Sprint Football League (MSFL), which boasts seven teams, launched in 2022, expanding the sport to the middle of the country and bringing the total of sprint football teams to 16 nationwide.
The Atlantic East Conference, in partnership with the NFL and RCX Sports, along with support from the Philadelphia Eagles, became the first NCAA Conference to offer varsity female flag football, playing a club season in 2024 with its inaugural season slated for the Spring of 2025. Eight schools are currently scheduled to participate during the inaugural season: Cabrini University (PA), Centenary University (NJ), Eastern University (PA), Holy Family University (PA), Immaculata University (PA), Marymount University (VA), Neumann University (PA) and Siena Heights University (PA).
Flag football also received a major boost when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in October 2023 that flag football would be included on the LA28 Olympic sports program. Its inclusion, led by efforts of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and supported by the NFL, showcases an aspirational new pathway to play the game on a global level. Played by an estimated 20 million people in more than 100 countries across six continents, flag football has become the most inclusive and accessible format of football. The game is currently played by people of all ages and genders, with women and girls driving some of the sport’s fastest growth.
- Arkansas Baptist College (Little Rock, AR): NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference (2023)
- Eastern University (St. Davids, PA): NCAA Division III, Middle Atlantic Conference (2023)
- John Melvin University (Crowley, LA): Gulf-Atlantic Christian Athletic Alliance (2023)
- Thomas University (Thomasville, GA): NAIA, Sun Conference (2023)
- Hilbert College (Hamburg, New York): NCAA Division III, Independent
- Bluefield State College (Bluefield, West Virginia): NCAA Division II, Independent
- Judson University (Elgin, Illinois): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Keystone College (La Plume, Pennsylvania): NCAA Division III, Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
- Lincoln University (Oakland, California): Independent
- Mount Marty University (Yankton, South Dakota): NAIA, Great Plains Athletic Conference
- Post University (Waterbury, Connecticut): NCAA Division II, Independent
- University of Fort Lauderdale (Lauderhill, Florida): National Christian College Athletic Association
- Barton College (Wilson, North Carolina): NCAA Division II, South Atlantic Conference
- Erskine College (Due West, South Carolina): NCAA Division II, South Atlantic Conference
- Florida Memorial University (Miami Gardens, Florida): NAIA, Sun Conference
- Madonna University (Livonia, Michigan): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Roosevelt University (Chicago, Illinois): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Clarke University (Dubuque, Iowa): NAIA, Heart of America Athletic Conference
- Franklin Pierce University (Rindge, New Hampshire): NCAA Division II, Northeast-10 Conference
- St. Thomas University (Miami Gardens, Florida): NAIA, Sun Conference
- Wheeling University (Wheeling, West Virginia): NCAA Division II, Mountain East Conference
- Allen University (Columbia, South Carolina): NCAA Division II, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Alvernia University (Reading, Pennsylvania): NCAA Division III, Middle Atlantic Conference
- Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Indiana): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Keiser University (West Palm Beach, Florida): NAIA, Sun Conference
- Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, Michigan): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Ottawa University-Arizona (Surprise, Arizona): NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference
- University of New England (Biddeford, Maine): NCAA Division III, Commonwealth Coast Football
- Dean College (Franklin, Massachusetts): NCAA Division III, Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
- St. Andrews University (Laurinburg, North Carolina): NAIA, Mid-South Conference
- Texas Wesleyan University (Fort Worth, Texas): NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference
- University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham, Alabama): NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, American Athletic Conference
- Davenport University (Grand Rapids, Michigan): NCAA Division II, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- University of Texas Permian Basin (Odessa, Texas): NCAA Division II, Lone Star Conference
- University of West Florida (Pensacola, Florida): NCAA Division II, Gulf South Conference
- East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tennessee): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southern Conference
- Finlandia University (Hancock, Michigan): NCAA Division III, Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. (Note: Entire School Subsequently Closed in May of 2023.)
- Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, Georgia): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, ASUN Conference (Note: Joining the NCAA Division I Bowl Championship Subdivision, Conference USA, in 2024.)
- Lyon College (Batesville, Arkansas): NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference
- Arizona Christian University (Glendale, Arizona): NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference
- College of Idaho (Caldwell, Idaho): NAIA, Frontier Conference
- George Fox University (Newberg, Oregon): NCAA Division III, Northwest Conference
- Limestone University (Gaffney, South Carolina): NCAA Division II, South Atlantic Conference
- Missouri Baptist University (St. Louis, Missouri): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Southeastern University (Lakeland, Florida): NAIA, Sun Conference
- Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi, West Virginia): NCAA Division II, Mountain East Conference (Note: Entire School Subsequently Closed in 2022.)
- Berry College (Mount Berry, Georgia): NCAA Division III, Southern Athletic Association
- Hendrix College (Conway, Arkansas): NCAA Division III, Southern Athletic Association
- Houston Christian University (Houston, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southland Conference
- Mercer University (Macon, Georgia): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southern Conference
- Oklahoma Baptist University (Shawnee, Oklahoma): NCAA Division II, Great American Conference
- Reinhardt University (Waleska, Georgia): NAIA, Mid-South Conference
- Southwestern University (Georgetown, Texas): NCAA Division III, American Southwest Conference
- Stetson University (DeLand, Florida): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Pioneer Football League
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina): NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, American Athletic Conference
- Warner University (Lake Wales, Florida): NAIA, Sun Conference
- Bluefield College (Bluefield, Virginia): NAIA, Mid-South Conference
- Misericordia University (Dallas, Pennsylvania): NCAA Division III, Middle Atlantic Conference
- Point University (West Point, Georgia): NAIA, Mid-South Conference
- Wayland Baptist University (Plainview, Texas): NAIA, Sooner Athletic Conference
- Ave Maria University (Ave Maria, Florida): NAIA, Sun Conference
- Concordia University Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, Michigan): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Presentation College (Aberdeen, South Dakota): NAIA, North Star Athletic Association (Note: Entire School Subsequently Closed in 2022.)
- Siena Heights University (Adrian, Michigan): NAIA, Mid-States Football Association
- Stevenson University (Owings Mills, Maryland): NCAA Division III, Middle Atlantic Conference
- University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, American Athletic Conference
- Virginia University of Lynchburg (Lynchburg, Virginia): National Christian College Athletic Association
- Georgia State University (Atlanta, Georgia): NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Sun Belt Conference
- Lamar University (Beaumont, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southland Conference
- Lindsey Wilson College (Columbia, Kentucky): NAIA, Mid-South Conference
- Notre Dame College (South Euclid, Ohio): NCAA Division II, Mountain East Conference
- Pacific University (Forest Grove, Oregon): NCAA Division III, Northwest Conference
- University of South Alabama (Mobile, Alabama): NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Sun Belt Conference
- Anna Maria College (Paxton, Massachusetts): NCAA Division III, Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
- Castleton University (Castleton, Vermont): NCAA Division III, Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
- Old Dominion University (Norfolk, Virginia): NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Sun Belt Conference
- University of New Haven (West Haven, Connecticut): NCAA Division II, Northeast-10 Conference
- University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Southland Conference
- Campbell University (Buies Creek, North Carolina): NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, Big South Conference
- College of St. Scholastica (Duluth, Minnesota): NCAA Division III, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Colorado State University-Pueblo (Pueblo, Colorado): NCAA Division II, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
- Dordt University (Sioux Center, Iowa): NAIA, Great Plains Athletic Conference
- Grand View University (Des Moines, Iowa): NAIA, Heart of America Athletic Conference
- Kentucky Christian University (Grayson, Kentucky): NAIA, Mid-South Conference
- Lake Erie College (Painesville, Ohio): NCAA Division II, Great Midwest Athletic Conference
- Lincoln University (Lincoln University, Pennsylvania): NCAA Division II, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
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