UWF sports teams are heading to Division I

The Argos are going to Division I.

The University of West Florida confirmed their teams are leaving Division II, with the football team playing this upcoming season in the United Athletic Conference (UAC) and all other sports moving into the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference.

“What a historic day,” said UWF President Manny Diaz Jr. at a news conference after university Trustees unanimously approved the change. “Today marks an important milestone for the University of West Florida and Argonaut Athletics.”

That means the Pensacola university of about 15,000 students will soon compete against Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida, Jacksonville and Stetson in the ASUN, in addition to West Georgia, North Alabama and others in the UAC.

“We’re really looking forward to the future of competing with institutions that look like us and where our students know people that are at those schools,” UWF Athletic Director Dave Scott said.

Beginning in Fall 2026, UWF will enter the NCAA’s reclassification process, with UWF athletics competing in Division I and becoming eligible for conference championships. But the school cannot participate in revenue sharing to pay student athletes during that period, officials said.

Full NCAA postseason eligibility is expected to begin in Fall 2029 after UWF completes transition requirements.

Former UWF President Judy Bense and school supporter “Flash” Gordon Sprague were named as the co-chairs of the school’s transition committee.

Meanwhile, UWF is “working feverishly” to find new donors and corporate partnerships to help support the school financially for Division I, Diaz said.

The only upfront cost is a $2 million application fee to the NCAA, with UWF “well on our way to have that finalized and ready to submit that application” by the June 1 deadline, Diaz said.

Scott acknowledged that the school’s new football stadium under construction helps the school head to Division I.

“We’re going to continue to look at our facilities and try to look at what’s in the new league we’re getting ready to move to,” Scott said. “And part of the new stadium’s about generating revenue for the institution and creating an opportunity for a space in Pensacola that we don’t have.”

UWF is leaving Division II, where it’s been since 1994. In DII, UWF won 11 national championships, 10 individual national titles and 136 conference championships.

“In NCAA Division II, UWF has built one of the most successful athletic programs in the country,” Scott said. “Our football program is a perfect example. We built it from the ground up and won a national championship within four seasons. That level of success doesn’t happen by accident.”

But school leaders said they were ready for a new challenge and to join Division I to give the school more momentum and more visibility on the national stage. For instance, Florida Gulf Coast’s surprise NCAA tournament run in 2013 helped the school get a huge jump in applications.

“Our history in Division II will always be an important part of UWF athletics, and now we’re ready and built for the next level,” Scott said.

UWF will be joining a unique situation in college sports where a consortium will operate the ASUN and UCON, previously known as the Western Athletic Conference, starting in July.

“We currently have a geographic footprint that spans the entire Southeast. We represent states such as Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas. We’re everywhere,” said Consortium Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bacon as he welcomed “powerhouse” UWF at the press conference.

“We have institutions located in major metroplexes such as the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Nashville, Charlotte, Louisville, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Little Rock to name a few. And together, we reach nearly 40 million people across the Southeastern United States.”