Bryant Football Accepts Invitation To Join CAA In 2024

Bryant University Press Release

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University has accepted an invitation to join the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference (CAA Football) effective July 1, 2024. The 2023 season will be Bryant’s final as a member of the Big South-OVC Football Association.

Bryant football’s move to one of the premier FCS football conferences in the country underscores the university’s commitment to growing their Division I sports teams and raises the profile of its exceptional students who excel on the fields and courts as well as in the classroom.

The Bulldogs will remain a member of the America East in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s cross country and track and field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, field hockey, baseball, softball and volleyball. Men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf will remain in the Southland Conference, while women’s bowling stays in the ECC.

CAA Football membership will increase to 16 when Bryant joins fellow America East members Maine, New Hampshire and UAlbany, and in-state rival University of Rhode Island in the conference.

The footprint of CAA Football encompasses many of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, stretching from Maine to North Carolina.

“We are excited to welcome Bryant University as the newest member of the CAA Football Conference,” CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said. “Bryant is an outstanding academic institution that features a successful and competitive football program. Both of those attributes fit perfectly into the Conference’s vision that calls for our membership to work together to advance nationally competitive athletic programs – coupled with outstanding academic programs – that empower student-athletes as whole persons to strive at the highest level in every aspect of their lives. The CAA continues to be focused on making decisions that ensures its membership a competitive and sustainable model.”

CAA Football has established itself as one of the nation’s premier FCS power conferences for more than a decade due to its on-field success, national exposure and the achievements of its student-athletes in the classroom, in the community and at the next level. Twelve of the CAA’s current 15 members have made the playoffs since 2015. The league has had multiple teams in the playoffs for the past 31 years, three or more squads in the field for 15 of the past 17 seasons and at least one team in the semifinals nine times in the last decade. A CAA team has competed in the FCS national championship game in nine of the past 18 seasons.

“Football’s new membership in the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference is a testament to Bryant’s commitment to excellence both in academics and athletics,” said Bryant University President Ross Gittell, Ph.D. “We are proud to be associated with the other outstanding members of the CAA and to be recognized for our strong athletic program and unwavering commitment to the academic success and personal growth of all our students. This move aligns with our Vision 2030 focus of elevating our DI athletic program and enhancing our students’ overall college experience and our university’s national reputation.”

Vice President of Athletics & Recreation Bill Smith called the move “transformative for our university and our student-athletes.”

“I would like to thank Commissioner Joe D’Antonio and the board of directors in the CAA for extending this invitation and giving our football student-athletes this incredible opportunity,” Smith said. “This move aligns with Bryant University’s bold vision for the future and will provide our student-athletes the opportunity to compete in what has proven to be one of the best FCS football conferences in the country.

“I’d also like to thank former Big South commissioner Kyle Kallander, current commissioners Sherika Montgomery and Beth DeBauche, and the rest of the Big South-OVC staff for giving us the opportunity to compete in such an incredible conference. We are grateful for our time as an associate member.”

The fall of 2023 will mark Bryant’s 25th season of football. Bryant has posted an all-time record of 130-120 (.520 winning percentage), while going 82-78 (.513) at the Division I level. The Black and Gold have won seven or more games five times at the Division I level and reached as high as No. 21 in the national rankings during the 2014 season. That season, Bryant earned non-conference wins over CAA members Stony Brook and Maine.

“This move gives Bryant Football the opportunity to compete in one of the premier conferences in FCS football, while also renewing regional rivalries,” said head coach Chris Merritt. “This aligns with the university’s Vision 2030 and will allow us to recruit high-character student-athletes from across the country, spreading the Bryant University brand from coast-to-coast. We are preparing to compete for a Big South-OVC title this fall, but as the 2024 offseason approaches the excitement will build for the enormous opportunity and challenge we now have.”

Bryant has featured four AP All-Americans, seven STATS FCS All-Americans and five STATS FCS major award finalists since making the jump to Division I in the Fall of 2008. That list includes the Northeast Conference all-time leader in receptions Jordan Harris, the 2011 FCS leader in rushing yards Jordan Brown and two-time All-American Jean Constant.

The Bulldogs have featured a finalist for a major FCS award in each of the last four full seasons. That list includes Buck Buchanan Award finalists Thomas Costigan, Tomas Wright and Joe Andreessen, and Jerry Rice Award finalist Zevi Eckhaus.