Jacksonville State football is in now in the FBS: What does it mean for the program?
Jacksonville State football will be making the jump to the FBS level officially on July 1.
While it has been known since Nov. 5, 2021, that Jacksonville State will be moving to the FBS level and Conference USA, it becomes official on July 1, 2023. The Gamecocks will play their first FBS game against UTEP on Aug. 24.
Here's what to know about the move and the Gamecocks:
SCHEDULE: 2023 Jacksonville State football schedule, the first season as an FBS program
Who is Jacksonville State?
Jacksonville State, which also goes by Jax State, is a private school in Jacksonville, Alabama, about an hour west of Birmingham. The school will move all sports to Conference USA, one of the "Group of Five" conferences at the Football Bowl Subdivision. The football team is led by Rich Rodriguez, former Michigan and West Virginia coach.
Jax State fast facts
Coach: Rich Rodriguez
Stadium: JSU Stadium
2022 Conference: A-SUN
2023 Conference: CUSA
What does the move mean for football?
Outside of the increased competition level, the move to FBS means the football team will see the scholarship limit raised to 85 players, something that was implemented in 2022 to prepare for the move. It also means that the Gamecocks will once again be ineligible for any conference titles, conference championship games or bowl games during the 2023 season.
Who will join Jax State in CUSA?
Joining the Dallas-based conference with the Gamecocks will be Liberty, New Mexico State and fellow FCS-member Sam Houston. They will join Florida International, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, UTEP and Western Kentucky. Kennesaw State will be joining the conference in 2024, making the FBS jump themselves.
UAB, FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA are leaving the conference on July 1.
What does this mean for other sports?
Since football is the only NCAA sport with a split Division I level, the move won't affect other sports outside of the changing of conferences. The only sport that won't experience a change is beach volleyball, which has been a member of the CUSA since 2022.
Jacksonville State will be adding bowling as a CUSA sport and more scholarships for beach volleyball to become Title IX compliant.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Jacksonville State is officially an FBS football program, what does it mean
