After Villanova’s exit, is the CAA still worth it for HBCUs?

With Villanova — the third founding CAA soccer program in two years — saying it’s going to depart after the 2025 season to affix the Patriot League as a soccer?solely affiliate member in 2026, the Coastal Athletic Affiliation faces one other vital shake-up. The league’s soccer membership will shrink from 16 to simply 12 groups, following the current exits of Richmond, William & Mary, and Delaware (shifting as much as FBS). Amidst this convention upheaval, HBCU establishments Hampton and North Carolina A&T now face mounting uncertainty about their athletic competitiveness and educational positioning within the quickly shifting CAA convention panorama.

When Hampton College and North Carolina A&T left the MEAC for the Coastal Athletic Affiliation (CAA), it was introduced as a big realignment alternative for HBCU athletics. The transfer promised extra publicity, stronger competitors, and educational alignment. However with a number of CAA colleges departing, the query HBCU followers are asking: Did the transfer ship?

CAA Exodus: Who’s Gone and Why It Issues

Since 2020, 5 key CAA soccer packages have left or introduced plans to depart:

That leaves a restructured and arguably weakened CAA, particularly for soccer. For HBCU additions like Hampton and NC A&T, the aggressive panorama and cultural relevance of the convention at the moment are in query greater than ever.

HBCU Tradition Meets Predominantly White Establishment Convention

When the Aggies and Pirates joined the CAA, they carried with them the center of HBCU soccer—the drumlines, community-centered tailgates, vibrant pupil sections, and deeply rooted rivalries. These components are core to the HBCU sport day expertise, the place cultural celebration meets athletic competitors. The CAA, a convention consisting of predominantly white establishments (PWIs), supplied little by way of that distinctive ambiance. In consequence, many followers have struggled to attach with the brand new convention setting.

For instance, Hampton has seen a decline in residence sport attendance, averaging simply over 4,000 followers. In the meantime, NC A&T drew 23,016 followers for its 2024 Homecoming sport towards Hampton—a powerful turnout that underscores how deeply HBCU traditions nonetheless resonate. Nevertheless, with out conventional rivals and acquainted pageantry week after week, the expertise feels much less electrical. As one NC A&T alum advised HBCU Gameday in 2023, “I really feel just like the tradition has slipped away…in terms of the soccer household.”

This cultural disconnect has fueled ongoing debates about whether or not the advantages of CAA membership outweigh the intangibles misplaced.

Dominance within the MEAC

Earlier than becoming a member of the Coastal Athletic Affiliation, each Hampton and North Carolina A&T have been dominant HBCU packages within the MEAC:

These packages helped outline HBCU athletics on and off the sphere. Their departures left a serious hole in not solely MEAC competitors however the total panorama of HBCU soccer, particularly within the Celebration Bowl, the official HBCU Nationwide Championship Sport.

Teachers

North Carolina A&T’s transfer aligned with its objective of changing into an R1 analysis establishment. In an announcement to HBCU Gameday in 2022, Athletic Director Earl Hilton stated, “The CAA is in line with our educational and athletic aspirations. The (then-maned) Colonial already has 4 establishments of R1 standing, and we’re shifting in that route.”

Hampton’s then-president, Dr. William R. Harvey, echoed this in January 2022 to 13News Now: “I’ve at all times been very within the idea of the student-athlete, which suggests a deal with lecturers and prime athletics… It is a threat, however it’s not a big gamble.”

Nevertheless, with Delaware and James Madison exiting the CAA, solely Stony Brook and Albany stay as R1 establishments, undercutting the educational synergy that helped justify the transfer.

Combined Outcomes

Hampton ended the 2024 season 5-7, together with a dominant Homecoming win over NC A&T.

The Aggies struggled by a rebuilding yr in soccer and are nonetheless adjusting to the stiffer competitors within the CAA basketball convention.

Off the sphere, A&T’s monitor and subject continues to excel nationally. Hampton’s Olympic sports activities, whereas aggressive, haven’t replicated previous dominance inside the CAA construction.

CAA status hasn’t produced playoff berths or nationwide rankings for both HBCU.

What’s Subsequent?

The large query buzzing across the HBCU group. May these HBCU packages return to the MEAC? Some followers and analysts are discussing a possible new HBCU superconference that might revive cultural traditions and regional rivalries. The Celebration Bowl, ESPN protection, and renewed funding in HBCU sports activities elevate this chance.

Nonetheless, any convention shift would require planning, media offers, and strategic coordination amongst establishments.

The Crossroads for HBCU Athletics

This isn’t only a dialogue about soccer. It touches on id, tradition, and group. Hampton and NC A&T took a calculated step to develop their platforms. However because the CAA’s basis shifts, the query is whether or not they’re constructing a brand new legacy or turning away from what made HBCU sports activities nice.

Ought to Hampton and NC A&T double down on the CAA, return to the MEAC, or assist create a brand new HBCU motion?

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