On Thursday, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that the WAC, which is returning to the FCS this fall, is “…finalizing a plan to add 3 schools (Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State) as associate members for football only in 2021.” Liberty competes as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Independent and would not drop down to the FCS, while Stetson competes in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League.Īs for where Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State will play football during the fall 2021 season, no official announcement was made today. Two ASUN members that play football, Liberty and Stetson, will not be a part of the new FCS league. Austin Peay and Chattanooga are two schools that have been mentioned as possibilities. The conference hopes to add a sixth member, a number that is required in order to receive an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. The ASUN will begin play in the FCS in the fall of 2022. They will join Kennesaw State and North Alabama, members of the ASUN that both play football in the Big South Conference. The plan has worked and we are thankful for the visionary leadership of our Council to prioritize the student-athlete experience and the institutional value of being a member of the ASUN.”Ĭentral Arkansas is leaving the Southland Conference, while both Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State will depart the Ohio Valley Conference. The ASUN Presidents’ Council set this process in place years ago when the Council members challenged the conference to be a great destination, and that would attract new member interest. To know that these three institutions have evaluated their options, and knowing each had multiple choices for conference affiliation and that they chose the ASUN is a great achievement. The ASUN works extremely hard to build options.

Each institution owes it to the student body, the athletic department and the university community as a whole to do what is best for the university. Every institution will select the best option for conference affiliation from the available options. “The ASUN spent two years examining and defining its advantages and then presenting interested candidates with the option to join. “When a conference embarks on a mission to strengthen itself through expansion, it has to present a case for why membership with one conference would be more beneficial to the institution than membership in its current conference,” ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart said. The Birmingham, Alabama product broke a 94-yard kick return in the second quarter for his first-ever kickoff return touchdown.The ASUN Conference has added three new members and will also sponsor Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) scholarship football, the conference officially announced on Friday.įollowing a unanimous vote by the ASUN Presidents’ Council, the University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, and Jacksonville State University will each join the conference for the 2021-22 season. Thomas, who was the ASUN Special Teams Player of the Week seven days ago and was the Freshman of the Week after Week Zero, earned his second freshman of the week honors. Williams is also tied for third in the ASUN with 7.5 tackles for loss this season. Williams ten tackles also mark his second double-digit tackle game this season and he now ranks second in the ASUN with 56 total tackles. Williams’ four tackles for loss are tied for the second-best single-game total in program history and are the most since Joe Bell racked up four tackles for loss against Centre in 2002. Williams and the Governors’ defense limited Murray State to just 34 rushing yards and 1.3 yards per carry while shutting out the Racers entirely in the second half of the game.

Williams, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, led the Austin Peay defense with 10 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a sack.

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