- The 3,000-student college is building a program ‘from scratch’
- Chicago State would begin play as a member of the NEC in fall 2026.
The state of Illinois is one step closer to having another Division-I college football program.
Chicago State on Tuesday officially launched its search for a head coach to lead the newly created football program, expected to begin play in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 2026.
“We are excited to reach this milestone in our football planning,” Chicago State athletics director Dr. Monique Carroll said in a release. “Hiring a coach will give this program a face and bring us one step closer to D-1 football on the South Side.”
Visits, offers and NIL money:Whirlwind start to 2025 for elite Dunlap college football recruit
Chicago State athletics announced in 2023 its intention to raise $4 million to expand its offerings, including football. The school retained Renaissance Search & Consulting to lead the search with the timeline to make a hire this spring. Interested candidates can apply online.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“Our ideal candidate,” Carroll said, “is a leader who understands what it takes to build a program from scratch.”
Chicago State, founded in 1867, is a predominantly Black institution of about 3,000 students, located on the south side of Chicago. It fields 16 college teams with more than 160 athletes. Adding football will add more than 200 students and “expand the school’s reach, which furthers the university’s goal of growing its student body,” Carroll told The Athletic in 2023.
Chicago State in July 2024 officially became one of nine full members of the Northeast Conference (NEC), which as of fall 2024 had eight football-playing members: Central Connecticut, Duquense, Robert Morris, LIU, Saint Francis, Wagner, Mercyhurst and Stonehill.
It is unclear where Chicago State will play its home games. The school has 161 acres with room for locker rooms and a field for practices, Carroll told The Athletic. As of that 2023 story, Carroll said “possibilities range from Soldier Field to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview to local high schools.”
Chicago State would be the state’s eighth NCAA Division-I football program. Illinois, Northwestern and Northern Illinois compete in the NCAA D-I Football Bowl Subdivision, while Illinois State, Southern Illinois, Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois are NCAA D-I FCS programs.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
