The Jacksonville State University Athletics Department has announced that JSU teams will be switching to the ASUN Conference for athletic competitions beginning in the fall of 2021.
For the last 18 years, the Gamecocks have been members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). The university cited bringing its conference affiliation closer to home as a factor in moving to the ASUN.
Formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, ASUN Conference was home to JSU athletics from 1998 until 2003, making the recent move a conference-school reunion after 18 years apart.
“This is an exciting day for Jacksonville State University, for our student-athletes, for our alumni and for our fans,” said Jacksonville State President Dr. Don Killingsworth in a statement.
JSU is one of three schools that have recently announced they will play in the ASUN Conference. The other two are the University of Central Arkansas and Eastern Kentucky University.
ASUN also announced in recent days that they will begin sponsoring Division I FCS scholarship football. The conference had for many years prioritized basketball as its primary sport.
“The Gamecocks moved to the OVC from the ASUN in 2003 because its football team was having to compete in the Southland Football League. The ASUN’s decision to sponsor FCS Football opened the door for JSU to return to the league,” the university explained in a release.
The Florence-based University of North Alabama, a longtime Jacksonville State rival, joined ASUN in 2018. However, the Lions’ football team plays in the Big South Conference. It is not yet clear if UNA will move its football team to ASUN now that doing so is an option.
Jacksonville State will go from being the southernmost member of the Ohio Valley Conference — 209 miles to the nearest school — to being right in the middle, geographically, of the ASUN school locations.
“Giving Jacksonville State a regional presence in the heart of our alumni and fan base, along with the ASUN’s plan to create a new football league were very important factors in us engaging in discussions with the league,” stated Killingsworth.
ASUN Conference Commissioner Ted Gumbart commented, “The fact that we can re-establish a conference bond today, and bring JSU back into the ASUN membership is an extremely satisfying step. We hold President Killingsworth and Athletics Director Greg Seitz in the highest regard and stand immensely proud to have built an ASUN that has attracted the Gamecocks back where they belong. Long live the ASUN-JSU partnership!”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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