Richmond has accepted an invitation to join the Patriot League as an associate member for football beginning in 2025.
Conference affiliations for its other sports will not be affected. Richmond was a football-only member of the CAA.
CAA Football has lost two bluebloods in the last few years — James Madison joined the Sun Belt in 2022, and Delaware is joining CUSA in 2025. Now it loses a Richmond program that has reached five playoffs since 2014 with 2022 and 2023 appearances.
Since JMU departed, the CAA has added Campbell, Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T, and Bryant.
Bryant joins the conference this summer. Last fall, Campbell finished 4-4 in the CAA standings, Hampton and Monmouth went 3-5, and NC A&T finished 0-8.
CAA Football has 16 members this fall before the departures of Delaware and Richmond in 2025.
In a press release, Richmond said, “The decision comes following a comprehensive University review of the football team’s conference affiliation initiated after the 2023 season in response to continued changes in the national FCS landscape.”
The Patriot League will grow to eight football members. The Spiders join Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Lehigh, and they are the first school to enter or exit the Patriot League football conference since 2004.
The Patriot League introduced athletic scholarships in football in 2013 and now allows its schools to award the FCS maximum of 63 equivalencies in athletics scholarship support.
Richmond has won 13 football conference championships, made 13 FCS playoff appearances, and won the 2008 national championship.
Statements From Richmond, The Patriot League, And The CAA
Richmond President Kevin F. Hallock — “The institutions of the Patriot League are outstanding, both athletically and academically, and we are excited to join them for the 2025 football season. The University of Richmond is firmly committed to not only meeting, but advancing the competitive goals of our student-athletes, and the upward trajectory of the Patriot League provides a great environment for the future success of Spider Football.”
Richmond Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hardt — “The Patriot League provides our football student-athletes and staff with the opportunity to experience championship-level competition at the highest levels of the FCS in a conference that is rich in tradition, scholarship, and stability. Joining the Patriot League puts our football program in a great position to continue to compete for championships and achieve the type of postseason success that is so important to our players, our university, and Spiders everywhere.”
Richmond Head Coach Russ Huesman — “I’m excited for what joining the Patriot League means for the future of our program. This is a big change for Spider Football, but our goals will stay the same: win conference championships, advance in the FCS Playoffs, and compete for national championships. The Patriot League is full of great football programs and great schools, and I think it will be a great fit for Richmond.”
Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel — “We are elated to welcome the University of Richmond as our eighth football member. Richmond’s consistent success on the field has made them a premier program in the FCS and their addition positions the League for continued competitive success at the national level. Beyond their on-field excellence, our shared commitment to prioritizing highly competitive academic and athletic experiences makes them an ideal institutional partner for the Patriot League.”
CAA Football Commissioner Joe D’Antonio — “This morning, I was informed of the University of Richmond’s decision to depart the CAA Football conference at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The CAA has long been regarded as one of the premier conferences in FCS football, having sent at least three teams to the playoffs in 16 of the past 18 years. A CAA team has advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs 10 times in the last 11 seasons, and even more impressively, seven different conference schools have reached the semifinals over that 11-year period. CAA Football is committed to competing at the highest level and continuing that success. CAA Football will continue to make decisions that move the conference forward by creating both a competitive and sustainable model.”
