James Madison Plans Sun Belt Exit for the American, Second Departure in Months

MOBILE, Ala. — The Sun Belt Conference, home to the South Alabama Jaguars, is losing another member. James Madison University (JMU), which joined the Sun Belt in 2022 after moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), has announced plans to leave for the American Athletic Conference.

JMU intends to join the American by July 1, 2028, at the latest. School officials are believed to prefer an earlier move, at the end of the current athletic calendar on July 1, 2027, which would likely require JMU to pay the Sun Belt an early exit fee.

JMU is the second school to announce its departure from the Sun Belt in recent months.

Following Texas State out the door

Texas State left the Sun Belt on July 1 of this year to join the Pac-12 Conference and paid a $5 million exit fee to the Sun Belt. The fee for JMU is expected to be at least that amount and possibly more. When JMU made its announcement, the league was rumored to be considering a vote to raise its exit fee.

The Sun Belt replaced Texas State with Louisiana Tech, a former Conference USA member. That move has a direct local tie: South Alabama hosts Louisiana Tech, a Sun Belt newcomer this season, on Oct. 31 at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

It remains to be seen which schools will emerge as candidates to fill the opening JMU’s departure will create. When Texas State left, Western Kentucky, East Carolina, Liberty, Ohio University and Middle Tennessee were reportedly considered for membership before the league chose Louisiana Tech.

Commissioner: Sun Belt will “examine and evaluate all opportunities”

Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill issued a statement following JMU’s announcement, emphasizing the league’s regional identity and its plans to respond.

“In an era of collegiate athletics marked by nationwide conference expansion, the Sun Belt has distinguished itself in its commitment to a geographic footprint and a divisional model that fosters regional rivalries, engages passionate fan bases and supports its member institutions’ pursuit of excellence in all sports at a reasonable cost. It just makes sense,” Gill said.

“With James Madison’s recent announcement of its planned departure, the conference leadership will examine and evaluate all opportunities as it continues its work to ensure the sustained rise of the Sun Belt Conference — the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country.”

What JMU brought to the Sun Belt

JMU’s stay in the Sun Belt has been brief but successful. The Dukes joined in 2022 as part of the same expansion wave that brought Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss into the league. Last season, JMU was one of two Group of 6 teams, along with Tulane, to reach the College Football Playoff.

The Dukes remain a strong program on the court as well. In the Sun Belt’s preseason men’s basketball poll released this week, JMU was picked second and received the most first-place votes of any team.

Losing a program with that kind of recent success is a blow to a conference that has worked to raise its national profile, and it adds to the pressure on the league to land a strong replacement.

What it means for South Alabama

For South Alabama, the immediate impact is limited. JMU will remain in the Sun Belt through at least the end of the current athletic year, and possibly through the 2027-28 season if it does not leave early.

Over the longer term, the Jaguars’ conference could look quite different. In the span of about a year, the Sun Belt will have lost Texas State and JMU and added Louisiana Tech, with at least one more opening to fill. The league’s emphasis on a regional footprint and divisional play, as described by Gill, suggests it will look for schools that fit geographically, which could mean more familiar opponents for Gulf Coast fans.

Conference membership also affects postseason opportunities. The Sun Belt is the primary conference tie-in for Mobile’s 68 Ventures Bowl, played each December at Hancock Whitney Stadium, so the league’s makeup matters to local fans beyond the Jaguars’ schedule.

Key points

• Who: James Madison University, a Sun Belt member since 2022
• Where it’s going: The American Athletic Conference
• When: By July 1, 2028, at the latest; JMU reportedly prefers July 1, 2027
• Cost: An early exit would likely require an exit fee, expected to be at least the $5 million Texas State paid
• Previous departure: Texas State left for the Pac-12 on July 1 and was replaced by Louisiana Tech
• Next step: The Sun Belt says it will evaluate all options to fill the vacancy