The college football offseason has been a whirlwind. From one of the most unpredictable recruiting cycles in recent memory with the 2026 class, to the House v. NCAA settlement poised to reshape the NIL landscape, it’s been a lot to keep up with.
One story this offseason that has kind of flown under the radar is Sacramento State’s attempt to move up from the FCS level to the FBS level. Out of nowhere, they have built up some of the best NIL funding in the country. The NCAA recently denied the program’s waiver to join the FBS, but according to one analyst, the Hornets are not giving up.
After NCAA Setback, Sacramento State Doubles Down on FBS Ambitions
Sacramento State is not historically a good football program. Last season, the Hornets went 3-9 at the FCS level in the Big Sky Conference.
Despite their struggles on the field, the program is committed to moving up to the FBS level and, in October, raised $35 million in NIL funding to help their case. They hope to join the Pac-12 conference by 2026.
In a recent interview with 365Sports, the Athletic’s Stewart Mandel explained how the University is going all-in on trying to become an FBS school.
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“About a year ago, there was this community effort, a bunch of people deciding ‘hey we’re going to go all in on this,’ raising a lot of money and most importantly, the president of the University has just decided that this is his No. 1 priority,” Mandel said. “Getting Sacramento State athletics into the FBS, into the big-time.”
Despite Sacramento State’s NIL fundraising, the NCAA denied the program’s waiver. The Hornets are having difficulty joining the FBS because they have not received an invite from a conference, meaning that if they were to move up, they would be an independent team.
Despite the recent denial, Mandel believes that the Hornets will not quit until they are an FBS school for the 2026 season.
“They are not giving up,” Mandel said. “As you saw this week, they got their application, or they needed a waiver to move up to FBS because they don’t have a conference invite, that waiver was denied.”
Sacramento State’s president, Luke Wood, spoke out against the NCAA’s decision to deny the Horents waiver on X.
Sacramento State has met every meaningful benchmark for FBS membership, and we believe our university, our students, and the entire Sacramento region deserve major college football. We’re full steam ahead and we still plan to be playing FBS football in 2026. pic.twitter.com/NoEcQ7EmyG
— Dr. Luke Wood (@DrLukeWood) June 25, 2025
“Sacramento State has met every meaningful benchmark for FBS membership, and we believe our university, our students, and the entire Sacramento region deserve major college football,” Wood wrote. “We’re full steam ahead and we still plan to be playing FBS football in 2026.”
Regardless of the NCAA’s denial, the NIL funding the Hornets have built up has allowed them to impact the recruiting trail. In April, former five-star quarterback Jaden Rashada transferred to Sacramento State, showing the college football world that they can compete with most programs’ NIL.
Time will tell if Sacramento State joins the FBS in 2026, but it’s clear that the University is determined to do so and has the funding to compete.
