Overview
- James Madison's Board of Visitors voted unanimously and the American formally accepted the application on Oct. 12, 2026, with the school to become a full member no later than July 1, 2028.
- Seventeen of JMU's 18 varsity sports will move to the American while women's field hockey will remain in the Mid-American Conference.
- American commissioner Tim Pernetti said JMU made a significant commercial commitment that expands the league's media inventory and is structured to protect current members' distributions.
- Reports from ESPN's Pete Thamel say JMU agreed to a $23 million entry fee and a $5 million Sun Belt exit fee, and JMU says those costs will be covered by private funding and corporate partners.
- Adding JMU changes the American's football roster count and creates scheduling questions for the conference, a dynamic tied to JMU's rapid rise from FCS to an FBS program that made the 2025 College Football Playoff.