It was one week ago that the University of West Florida's athletics announced plans to move from NCAA Division II to Division I this fall. UWF president Manny Diaz and UWF athletic director Dave Scott recently discussed the move and what it means for the university.
Diaz said the issue had been on the table for a while, spurred in part by the success of UWF football despite the lack of enough teams in the Gulf South Conference to create a viable schedule, and UWF's unsuccessful efforts to secure a spot in other Division II conferences that made sense geographically.
The Gulf South has 12 schools, but only four fielded football teams.
"The easiest thing for us would have been to say we're just going to stay pat where we are, and whatever happens happens," Diaz said. "But it became very apparent that our status in D-II conference-wise was not going to be a viable option for us going forward."
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Diaz said that realization triggered discussions with UWF stakeholders, key donors and others in the Pensacola community about possible solutions.
"And at that time we received a letter of interest from the UAC-Atlantic Sun Conference for Division I, which that letter of interest is what is allowing us to make this move now, even under a moratorium," he added.
The United Athletic Conference is an all-sport league that began as a football-only alliance of the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) and former Western Athletic Conference. As part of the Football Championship Subdivision, the UAC winner automatically qualifying for the postseason.
"It's a consortium of two conferences. One is the Atlantic Sun, which has the members of the institutions that are like us in Florida: North Florida, (Florida Gulf Coast University), Stetson, Jacksonville University, you know, plus Lipscomb, Nashville and Queens and Charlotte, which gives us a great opportunity to compete in where our students are coming from and attract students from those areas," Scott explained.
In football, the Argonauts will renew rivalries against other former Gulf South schools such as North Alabama, West Georgia and Central Arkansas, and create new ones against schools like Eastern Kentucky, Abilene Christian and Tarleton State.
Diaz pointed to the overall success of Argonauts athletics, with 136 conference championships and 11 Division II national championships, as well as the growth on campus with buildings under construction and enrollment topping 15,000.
Describing athletics as the "front porch" or "tip of the spear," Diaz expects the move to Division I to bring even more growth.
"This is going to give us a reach publicly that's going to allow the institution to raise its profile and start having those conversations in those places where we're recruiting students, not just student athletes, but students, when we're going to be able to be in that Jacksonville market, right?" Diaz continued.
"We're going to be able to be down in Southwest Florida and really across the whole state and into the Southeast and be able to compete in cities like Nashville and Charlotte and have those conversations and have folks start to investigate what's going on on your campus."
Division I is the NCAA’s top level of competition, with more scholarships, funding and visibility than Division II.
According to Diaz, UWF will take a measured approach to growth to maintain smaller class sizes and sufficient operations from facilities and maintenance to campus police. And he assures UWF has a strategy for raising the money to support the move that won't take away from academics.
"In Florida, there's very strict guidelines as what monies can be used for what things, and the dollars that are used for the operation of the university and the dollars that are used in the classroom cannot be used in athletics," he said. "Athletics are funded through revenues, through fees, through auxiliaries."
The university is looking across campus at all revenue-generating opportunities, including what athletics can bring in.
"Football is going to naturally generate more revenue with a brand new stadium and having premium seating and suite opportunities for sponsorship," he added.
PenAir Field, which can accommodate about 4,000 spectators, is undergoing a modern renovation that will include 7,500 fixed seats as Darrell Gooden Stadium. It is expected to be open in fall 2027.
"Right now, we're limited in the corporate partnerships that we have because we really don't have a space for them," Diaz said. "Our current stadium is limited. Our new stadium is going to provide us with so many more opportunities for that. And we've already had an outpouring of support and interest from corporate partners, which are new monies coming into the institution."
Additionally, UWF will be able to generate new revenue with the opportunity for so-called "money games" on the road against larger or more established programs. Already, the move is generating more buzz among alumni and donors.
UWF teams will begin in Division I this fall but won't participate in postseason during a three-year transition. Scott said it's a great opportunity for student-athletes, and he believes many of them will be ready for the increased level of competition.
"We had a national championship golf team. Our soccer teams will probably be very competitive right away," said Scott. "Our tennis teams are ranked 1 and 2 in the country. So, we have played Division I competition before, and we've done OK. So, we expect to do well in some sports, and in other sports we'll have to grow some."
Diaz said UWF's move to Division I will accelerate and improve the entire institution and the surrounding Pensacola community.
"This fits right into that giant puzzle, which is making UWF a first-choice university," he said.
UWF has established a committee that will raise money for the move to Division I. A $2 million fee for the application must be submitted by June 1.
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