Texas A&M- Texarkana transitioning to D2 for 2027

[Mavchamp]

https://www.texarkanagazette.com/new...ll%20of%202027.

Pretty significant news coming out of Texarkana. It has been rumored well over a decade....looks like it's official now.

They are currently in the NAIA competing in the Red River Conference.

Obviously the biggest question is WHAT CONFERENCE will they join?

Great American Conference?
Lone Star Conference?

Geographically it's a no-brainer that they would go to the GAC with almost all of the schools in the conference within 2-3 hours of Texarkana.

Would be some serious travel for them to go to the LSC.

Which leads to other questions.....

If they join the GAC.... that puts them at an odd numbers of schools...... which makes rumors of either Mary Hardin Baylor or ETBU from D3's collapsing ASC joining seem more real.

A&M- Texarkana and ETBU in Marshall are only about an hour and a half apart from one another.

Could be interesting!

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

If they had football the LSC would definitely be interested.

[Mavchamp]

If they had football the LSC would definitely be interested.

They have the plans for an on campus football stadium. I have no idea what year they are targeting the first season. I'm guessing 2026 as non-varsity. They are targeting 2027 for full transition from what I understand.

GAC geographically makes a LOT more sense than the LSC. Travel-wise all of the GAC schools are SIGNIFICANTLY closer to Texarkana than the LSC schools are.

[the Northeasterner]

It they add football i could see northeastern state pairing up and joining GAC with a division set up

[OldBison]

I could see AM-Texarkana, Northeastern, Delta State and possibly East Texas Baptist or MHBU being part of a GAC expansion if all schools could qualify by adding the core sports currently required by the GAC (I.e., football, women’s volleyball). Don’t see it happening by 2027.

[cwfenn]

Maybe I’m wrong here but don’t they need to have an agreement with a conference to apply for D2 membership?

To me they look like a GAC school for the geography and especially since they have incentives for students in the GAC footprint to enroll.

[OldBison]

I’m not a school official. I have no idea what order things need to proceed to apply to D2 or a conference for membership. I see lots of advantages in expansion for the GAC (I.e., better SOS for football with the addition of Delta State and two non-conference games each year, minimal addition of travel expenses with the addition of the aforementioned schools, etc.). I also see a few disadvantages (I.e., more work for ADs and coaches, additional travel for 2-4 new schools, etc.). I think adding four new schools to make an East-West Division, 16-team conference would be best.

[Finchwidget]

I have no reason to doubt that TAMUT is going to move to D2, but we still don't have any information beyond the Texarkana Gazette articles that got heavily redacted. Wish they'd put out a press release or something, even if it's just to say they're still exploring their options

[OldBison]

I would imagine AM- Texarkana adds football in the 4-6 years but starts playing D2 independent or D3/NAIA before they’d try the GAC. They’d need to have all core sports before the GAC would let them in and then only if 3 other qualified schools were ready to make the move to the GAC.

[OldBison]

Here’s how a 2-division could work.

GAC East
Harding
Ouachita Baptist
Henderson State
SAU
UAM
Delta State - currently no Women’s VB
AM-Tex - currently no Football
ETBU or UMHB

GAC West
SWOSU
NWOSU
SNU
ECU
SEOSU
OkBaptist
Northeastern - currently no Women’s VB
Arkansas Tech

DSU, AM-Tex, ETBU, UMHB could be missing other GAC core sports, like Cross Country. I haven’t taken the time to research.

[Mavchamp]

I would imagine AM- Texarkana adds football in the 4-6 years but starts playing D2 independent or D3/NAIA before they’d try the GAC. They’d need to have all core sports before the GAC would let them in and then only if 3 other qualified schools were ready to make the move to the GAC.

ETBU already has all the core GAC sport along with several others that compete at the club level.

Men: Baseball, Basketball, Bass fishing, cross country, football, golf, Lacrosse, soccer, Tennis, track & Field, and 2 hockey teams D1 and D2 in the ACHA.

Women: Acrobatics and tumbling, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Cheer leading, cross country, golf, pom, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball

----------------------

With their conference folding after the 2025-26 season.... they will land SOMEWHERE. I think they prefer to remain D3.....but geographically there's nowhere for them to go unless they join conferences either on the Atlantic Coast or the Pacific coast.

Obviously the NAIA is an option....but most see that as a step down from D3.

D2 has to be on the table..... and geographically the GAC makes a lot more sense than the Lone Star. ETBU has top notch facilities in all sports, but the football stadium would need some work and expansion. But there would be a lot of work to be done financially to reach competitive D2 numbers.

Going to be interesting the next couple of month as this all unfolds. I think the vibe is to remain D3.....but the reality of the situation is that it doesn't seem feasible. So the choice between NAIA and D2 will be on.

NAIA makes the most sense to me money wise AND competitive wise..... UNLESS the alum can commit to closing the gap to D2.

And I'm not 100% sure if Texarkana going D2 and possibly joining the GAC makes the prospect for ETBU to follow suit more attractive or less attractive. They are awfully close to one another..... not to mention UT- Tyler is only an hour away in the Lone Star Conference too.

[Mavchamp]

Here’s how a 2-division could work.

GAC East
Harding
Ouachita Baptist
Henderson State
SAU
UAM
Delta State - currently no Women’s VB
AM-Tex - currently no Football
ETBU or UMHB

GAC West
SWOSU
NWOSU
SNU
ECU
SEOSU
OkBaptist
Northeastern - currently no Women’s VB
Arkansas Tech

DSU, AM-Tex, ETBU, UMHB could be missing other GAC core sports, like Cross Country. I haven’t taken the time to research.

That looks great....but UMHB in the East is a REACH geographically IMHO. ETBU makes more sense geographically.

BUT..... UMHB is better prepared to make the jump to D2 than ETBU is right now.

UMHB already has FCS level facilities in place. and one of the top football programs in D3. All sports are generally competitive.

[OldBison]

I agree. The furtherest UMHB would travel in GAC East (as I currently have them) would be Searcy, AR (500 miles, 7.5 hours). The furtherest they would have to travel in GAC West would be 475 miles to NWOSU (Alva, OK). It’s really a toss up. It probably makes more sense to put them in the GAC West with the Oklahoma schools and put ATU in the GAC East where they already compete with the other Arkansas schools. I agree UMHB could be ready to compete sooner than ETBU. Heck, UMHB could probably beat half the Oklahoma GAC schools right now.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

If we are being real here. Put all the D2 Oklahoma Schools in one Oklahoma conference (I think there is some sort of bill floating around the OK legislature to do that), dissolve the GSC and put those remaining schools as well as Texarkana and possibly put ETBU in the GAC, UMHB in the lone star.

This also would end GAC silo scheduling and they could still schedule "close by" D2 teams for non conference games.

Central Washington and Western Oregon are always going to be the outliers.

In theory problem solved that you end up with 16 conferences for the even number of automatic qualifiers.

[OldBison]

I agree. UMHB is a better fit for the LSC. I just see them more ready to make the jump to D2 than any of the D3 schools mentioned. Don’t know how prepared financially UMHB is to making the jump to LSC.