University of Texas Rio Grande Valley officials have informed the Western Athletic Conference that the school will move to the Southland Conference, sources told ESPN.
The move is expected for the 2024-25 season, sources told ESPN, and the WAC exit fee for UTRGV is expected to be $2 million.
In a statement Wednesday evening, the UT Rio Grande Valley athletics department said there is “nothing final to announce today,” adding: “As you know, this is a dynamic time in college athletics with exciting opportunities for our university. We are always evaluating ways we can enhance the competitive experience of our student-athletes and improve their overall well-being.”
UTRGV has been tied to the WAC since 2013, when the school joined the league when it was known as the University of Texas-Panamericana. (UTRGV opened under that name in 2015, after UT Pan-American merged with UT-Brownsville.)
Southland offers some geographic sensitivities, as it includes schools like A&M Corpus Christi, Lamar and Texas A&M Commerce. UTRGV leaves a league that included Grand Canyon, Seattle University and Utah Valley.
UTRGV recently struggled for competitiveness, as both the men's and women's basketball programs finished last in the WAC in 2023-24. The men's basketball team went 6-25 this season under coach Matt Figger.
There is a strong history dating back to the program's Pan American days, as former coaches include Lon Kruger and Abe Lemons. In more than half a century of Division I seasons, the school has never reached the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
UTRGV has formed a football program that is scheduled to begin formal play in 2025.
