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Jacksonville University, a private university in Jacksonville, Fla., is discontinuing its Division I football team to invest more in its other athletic and academic programs, according to a statement issued by the university yesterday.
President Tim Cost and Athletic Director Alex Ricker-Gilbert said cutting the program was a “difficult decision” and largely budgetary, citing the costs associated exclusively with the football team that do not benefit other athletic programs. Jacksonville hired outside consultants to perform data analytics and determined it would be the “best path forward” to eliminate football, Ricker-Gilbert said.
“We took a comprehensive approach, examining how we invest across the entire department,” Ricker-Gilbert said. “When you consider all that we commit to coaching, recruiting, advising, facilities, conditioning, nutrition and academic counseling, it’s clear the resources required to support our football program outweigh the benefits to the overall athletics department and the university.”
With the additional resources, Jacksonville will invest in its lacrosse center, upgrade its baseball stadium and build a new basketball training facility, the university said. It will also invest in new academic programming and facilities for science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
Jacksonville competed in the Pioneer Football League for 22 years, The Florida Times-Union reported. Current football players will receive full tuition scholarships to finish their degrees, and the university will honor its employment contracts with coaches, according to the statement.
