Hike! Cost to climb from FCS to FBS for Delaware, football peers may become much higher

When it comes to rising costs and inflation, it’s difficult to beat the price increase that’ll potentially be instituted by the NCAA.

It certainly could impact the University of Delaware.

The cost to move from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, in which Delaware dwells, to the Football Bowl Subdivision will likely climb from $5,000 to $5 million.

Talk about hikes in football. That’s a nearly 100,000% increase.

The NCAA Division I Council recently introduced that legislation. If approved by the council, which would likely be early in 2024, it would go into effect immediately.

As a traditional power at the FCS level with one of its biggest fan followings and strongest financial foundations, Delaware has long been viewed as a prime candidate for a climb to the FBS. In fact, some UD fans have watched former rivals and FCS peers James Madison, Old Dominion, Georgia State, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Marshall make the move up and wonder why Delaware hasn’t followed.

The climb to FBS is already costly, as it would require an increase from 63 to 85 scholarships and other expenditures.

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Last year, Delaware began fundraising efforts aimed at constructing an $80 million athletic facility that would feature an indoor practice field, which it actually does now have in the Field House. It would be located and likely attached at the north end of Delaware Stadium, which would also receive a fancy refurbishment in that section possibly resembling what Navy has at the scoreboard end of its Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

The university has not officially announced the potential undertaking. But, considering the cost, it is widely viewed as something that may be done in conjunction with a move up to FBS as some potential donors have been told.

While not disregarding the effect of a huge price increase required for an ascent to FBS, Delaware athletic director Chrissi Rawak termed such a decision “a comprehensive choice not just about one thing and I think that's still the case.”

“It would be a factor, like many other things would factor in, if we were to do this,” she added. “ … It would be short-sighted for us to just say ‘It’s all about the money,’ though I’m not at all dismissing that because it’s obviously a very important factor in any types of decisions that we make at the university.”

The Colonial Athletic Association (recently renamed the Coastal Athletic Association), of which Delaware is a member, was one of the conferences that voted in favor of the price increase.

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Rawak, however, was among nearly half the league’s athletic directors who opposed it. She just completed a term on the NCAA Division I Council.

“An institution’s ability to make the jump from FCS to FBS shouldn’t be solely based on the dollar amount it can afford to pay for entry,” Rawak said, ”but rather the institution’s investments over time and its infrastructure to support the success of its student-athletes at that level. An institution could make such a greater impact on its student-athletes by investing money into sport performance or academic success to be ready to reclassify rather than it just being an entry fee.”

Delaware has won six national championships in football, the last in 2003, and been in competition many other times. Delaware reached the FCS Tournament semifinals in the spring 2021 season and was a postseason participant again last year under new coach Ryan Carty, who was backup quarterback on the 2003 team.

“We’ve got to be great where we are,” Rawak added. “We've got to continue to stay focused on doing the things that we're doing.”

FBS membership increases to 133 programs this fall. Moving up are Sam Houston State, which former Delaware coach K.C. Keeler guided to the 2021 spring FCS title with Carty as offensive coordinator, and Jacksonville State, which Delaware downed in the 2021 spring FCS quarterfinals.

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Kennesaw State, a frequent FCS playoff team, plans to move up in 2024. Austin Peay is investigating the possibility of a 2025 shift. There were 123 FCS programs nationally in 2022.

Delaware had a $48 million budget for athletics that is greater than many schools in the FBS’ Mid-American, Sun Belt and Mountain West conferences and Conference USA, according to USA Today’s 2022 college finances report.

UD elected not to submit information this year for the Knight-Newhouse college athletic database, from which USA Today gathers that information, because no state appropriations support the athletic department's operating budget. Delaware Online/The News Journal submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain that information. It was denied by the university.

The recent NCAA Division I Council proposal will also require FBS schools to award 90% of the number of allowed scholarships in a minimum of 16 sports, including football, and have at least 210 athletic scholarships annually. Delaware already meets those requirements, Rawak said.

As for the proposed new UD facility, Rawak would say only that Delaware is “actively fundraising” but not yet in a position to publicly reveal its plans despite being, she said, “incredibly committed to making this happen.”

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Proposed NCAA cost increase for move to FBS impacts FCS Delaware