Texas A&M-Commerce football isn't just another program moving up the ranks; it's a case study in grit and survival. For decades, the Lions were the bullies of the Lone Star Conference, a Division II powerhouse that didn't just win games—they won a national title in 2017. But then everything changed. The decision to jump to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in 2022 was a massive gamble that fundamentally altered the DNA of the program.
Moving up is hard. It’s expensive, the recruiting is more cutthroat, and the margin for error basically disappears. People around Commerce and the larger East Texas area often ask if the move was worth it. Honestly, it depends on who you ask. If you're looking at the win-loss column from the last two seasons, it looks rough. If you're looking at the long-term branding of the university, it’s a whole different story.
The Post-Transition Struggle is Real
Let's be real for a second: the transition period hasn't been a walk in the park. After the high of the David Bailiff era, the program had to recalibrate. When Clint Dolezel took over the reigns as head coach, he stepped into a whirlwind. Transitioning to the Southland Conference meant facing teams like Southeastern Louisiana and Incarnate Word—programs that have been built for this level for years.
The 2023 season was a wake-up call. The Lions finished 1-9. That hurts. Especially for a fan base used to seeing deep playoff runs in December. But you have to look closer at those games. They weren't always getting blown out; they were losing close battles where a lack of depth—a classic symptom of a team in transition—caught up to them in the fourth quarter.
Depth is everything in the FCS. In Division II, you can often ride a few elite playmakers to a conference title. In the Southland? You need three deep at every position or you're going to get ground down by October. Texas A&M-Commerce football is currently in that "building the floor" phase where they are trying to stack enough scholarship talent to simply survive a full season of hits.
The Memorial Stadium Factor
If you've ever been to Commerce, you know Ernest Hawkins Field at Memorial Stadium has a specific vibe. It’s blue and gold through and through. The turf is bright. The sun sets over the press box in a way that feels like pure Texas high school football on steroids.
The stadium seats about 10,000 people. For a DII school, that’s a palace. For the FCS, it’s respectable but needs work. To stay competitive and actually rank in the eyes of recruits who are also being scouted by the likes of Sam Houston or Stephen F. Austin, the facilities have to keep pace. The university has been pumping money into the infrastructure, but it's a slow burn.
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Recruiting in the Shadow of Giants
How do you get a kid from Dallas or Houston to come to Commerce instead of going to a more established FCS school? You sell the future. You sell the idea of being the "first" to do something at the Division I level.
Recruiting for Texas A&M-Commerce football has shifted. They aren't just looking for the guys who fell through the cracks of the FBS anymore. They are competing for the "tweeners"—those athletes who are maybe an inch too short for the SEC but have the speed to burn. The transfer portal has made this both easier and infinitely more frustrating. You can grab a disgruntled backup from a Big 12 school, sure. But you can also lose your best sophomore to a "bigger" program the second he shows a flash of greatness.
- The Quarterback Carousel: Finding a consistent signal-caller has been the biggest hurdle since the move.
- Defensive Identity: Under the current staff, there’s been a massive push to get faster on the edges.
- The "East Texas" Brand: They lean heavily on local kids who want to stay close to home but play on a national stage.
- NIL Realities: Even at the FCS level, Name, Image, and Likeness is a thing. Commerce isn't throwing around millions, but local businesses are starting to chip in.
Why the 2017 National Championship Still Matters
You can't talk about this team without mentioning 2017. That year, under Colby Carthel, the Lions went 14-1 and took down West Florida to claim the NCAA Division II National Championship. Why does a trophy from seven years ago matter now?
Because it proved the ceiling.
It proved that Texas A&M-Commerce can be the best in the nation when the stars align. That championship ring is the ultimate recruiting tool. It tells a 17-year-old kid, "We know how to win here." Even though the division has changed, the institutional knowledge of what it takes to build a winning culture remains. The ghosts of that 2017 team still haunt the halls, but in a good way—they set the standard that the current roster is desperately trying to regain.
The jump to Division I wasn't just about football, either. It was a move by the university administration to elevate the entire profile of the school. When the football team plays on ESPN+, the university gets exposure that you just don't get at the lower levels. It’s a marketing expense that happens to wear helmets and shoulder pads.
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The Southland Conference Gauntlet
The Southland Conference is a weird, beautiful mess of Texas and Louisiana schools. It's a "bus league," meaning most of the opponents are within driving distance. This is huge for Texas A&M-Commerce football because it keeps travel costs down and allows fans to actually follow the team.
Rivalries are starting to bake. The games against Northwestern State and McNeese are starting to feel a bit more "personal." To really "arrive" in the FCS, the Lions have to start winning these regional scraps. You can't be a national player if you can't win in your own backyard.
Honestly, the defense has been the bright spot. Even in losing efforts, the Lions' defensive unit has shown a penchant for forcing turnovers. They play with a chip on their shoulder. It’s that old "Commerce Crush" mentality trying to find its footing in a more sophisticated offensive landscape.
Modernizing the Offense
Under Clint Dolezel—an Arena Football League legend—there was an expectation that the offense would just explode. It hasn't been that simple. Transitioning from a run-heavy DII approach to a modern, high-flying FCS spread takes time. You need the offensive line to hold up for more than two seconds.
The biggest misconception is that you can just "coach up" a lack of size. You can't. The Lions are currently working on getting bigger in the trenches. Until they can match the size of the offensive lines at McNeese or Nicholls, the fancy passing schemes are just going to result in a lot of sacked quarterbacks.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Transition
People think a "transition" period is just a label. It’s actually a set of rules. For the first few years of moving to Division I, a school isn't even eligible for the NCAA playoffs. That is a brutal reality for players. You are essentially playing for pride and a conference trophy, knowing the big dance is off-limits.
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That restriction finally lifting is the light at the end of the tunnel.
When the Lions become fully postseason-eligible, the stakes change. Suddenly, those November games mean everything. The "lame duck" feeling disappears, and the real evaluation of the program can begin. Judging the team too harshly before that eligibility window fully opens is a mistake.
Financial Impact and Student Support
Texas A&M-Commerce football is the engine for the athletic department. When football does well, student engagement goes up. When student engagement goes up, the university can justify the "Student Athletic Fee" that helps fund the other 13 sports on campus.
It's a ecosystem. The tailgating scene at Commerce has grown significantly since the D1 announcement. There’s a sense that the school is "playing with the big boys" now. Whether or not they are winning yet is secondary to the fact that they are in the room.
The Actionable Roadmap for Fans and Stakeholders
If you're following Texas A&M-Commerce football, don't just look at the final score for the next season. Look at the recruiting classes. Look at the "lost by 7 or less" stat. That’s where the truth lives.
- Watch the Trenches: Keep an eye on the weight of the incoming freshman offensive linemen. If that average weight is creeping up toward 300 pounds, the Lions are getting serious about the Southland.
- Support NIL Initiatives: If you want the program to win, the "Lion Up" collective and other local boosters need to be active. In 2026, you don't win on "good vibes" alone; you win with resources.
- Attend Away Games: The Southland is a regional conference. Show up in Natchitoches or Lake Charles. A traveling fan base influences officiating and momentum more than people realize.
- Manage Expectations: Understand that a .500 record in the FCS is arguably more impressive than a 9-win season in DII. The level of play is a massive step up.
The trajectory of Texas A&M-Commerce football is currently pointed toward a slow, steady climb. The days of blowout wins every Saturday are gone, replaced by a much more difficult and rewarding grind. The program is shedding its "small school" skin and finding out what it means to be a Division I entity in a state that lives and breathes football. It’s a tough road, but the Lions have a history of proving people wrong when their backs are against the wall.