The FCS transfer window will open following the selection show on Sunday. But the portal is far from the biggest news of the week, with UTRGV releasing a plan to launch its football program and Midwestern State being pushed towards a possible move to Division I by the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, the Texas State University System is voting on allowing Sul Ross State to execute a contract to move to the NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference.

Southland Conference

• UIW landed a commitment from 2023 LB Scott Koumado. The Shadow Creek product also held offers from Sam Houston, Tulane, UTEP, UTSA, Prairie View A&M, Houston Christian, and Abilene Christian.

• Former Boise State DE Casey Kline announced he received an offer from Lamar. Kline was a four-star prospect according to ESPN, Rivals, and 247Sports and was ranked as one of the top 20 outside linebackers in high school. He appeared in 14 games during his two seasons with the Broncos.

Southwestern Athletic Conference

• Prairie View A&M picked up a commitment from DB Freddie Byrd III, who has recorded 13 tackles and an interception in eight games for Pearl River Community College this season.

Western Athletic Conference

• UTRGV announced a plan to launch a football program that will begin play in 2026. The school plans to spend approximately $1.5 million on salaries for the coaching staff. The Vaqueros first recruiting class will be in 2024, and the university will spend an estimated $30 million to build Division I quality facilities for the football program. Those facilities include a 48,000 square foot performance center with a weight room, two practice fields (one covered), team meeting rooms, office space, and a sports medicine facility.

Lone Star Conference

• The Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce released a long-range plan for the city. The plan included two “moonshot” ideas of building an on-campus football stadium and having the school transition to NCAA Division I and FCS. However, it’s worth noting the MSU administration has been less than enthusiastic about the prospects of leaving Division II, and this plan did not add any excitement to the leadership.

• Texas A&M-Kingsville accepted an invitation to the Fun Town RV Heritage Bowl. The Javelinas will meet East Central at noon on Dec. 3 inside the Community National Bank & Trust Stadium at Tiger Field in Corsicana. The extra practice time will serve the Javelinas well in preparing for next season.

American Southwest Conference

• On Thursday, the Texas State University System will vote to allow Sul Ross State to execute a move to NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference. The Lobos are charter members of the ASC but own two Lone Star Conference titles (1959, 1965) when the conference was NAIA. SRSU was a member of the LSC from 1960-1976.

Southern Athletic Association

• Trinity received a favorable draw when the bracket was announced last Sunday. The competition will be fierce, but the Tigers are likely the top seed in their portion of the bracket and will host the first three rounds if they continue to win.

Sooner Athletic Conference

• Texas Wesleyan finished the season with a share of the program’s first SAC title. However, the joy turned to anger and sadness when the Rams were left out of the NAIA playoffs. The conference used a system that involved a team’s position in the coaches' poll, with Arizona Christian receiving the automatic bid over TXWES and Ottawa (Ariz.). While that method is lacking, it appears the conference made the proper selection when I slotted the statistics into another conference’s method for solving a three-way tie.

Southwestern Junior College Football Conference

Kilgore forced eight turnovers to defeat Trinity Valley in the SWJCFC semifinals last week and travels to play the reigning national champions, New Mexico Military Institute, in the conference title game Saturday night.