Texas Wesleyan to Division II: A Lone Star Conference Jolt — and a New Direction for This Substack

The Rams’ NCAA D-II push looks like a win for travel, football, and the LSC’s competitive future—plus what’s next for my writing, coverage, and platform.

News broke on Tuesday that the Texas Wesleyan Board of Trustees authorized the university to apply to the NCAA Division II formally. If accepted, the Rams will continue to compete as an NAIA member through the 2027-28 academic year, and begin playing as a DII institution in 2028-29.

This move has been in the rumor mill over the past year, and some sources indicated they expected this decision to be approved earlier. Multiple sources have indicated the Rams will be invited to join the Lone Star Conference, which is not a surprise. However, reading that joining DII will save the university in travel costs was a surprise, but it soon made sense when I read a bit further.

The real cost savings will be with the football program. Texas Wesleyan competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference, which has only three members that sponsor football in Texas. The SAC has schools in Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas. It seems odd that traveling within the LSC would save costs, given that the conference currently has two members in the Pacific Northwest.

However, sources indicate that Central Washington and Western Oregon will not be offered an extension to their current agreement with the LSC. Meanwhile, every LSC school will receive relief from not having to travel to the Pacific Northwest every season. Still, the LSC has members in Western New Mexico, which is closer to Phoenix than the Greyhounds in Eastern New Mexico – travel won’t be a cakewalk. The release also noted that there are more than a dozen DII schools in Texas when you add in the members that sponsor all sports except football.

In my opinion, this is a slam dunk for Texas Wesleyan and will provide a needed jolt to the Lone Star Conference. The LSC hasn’t been the same since Tarleton and East Texas A&M departed for FCS. Even the programs many considered top-tier in the conference are no longer providing the level of funding needed to compete nationally.

The Rams will be well-funded and compete to win LSC titles in multiple sports within a few years. Few things can spur the old guard into finding the funding necessary to compete with the Rams and Eagles like watching the new kids on the block enter your house and staking a claim to the living room. The current members will have a choice to make when these programs, with brand-new stadiums, take their place in the playoffs. Either they find the funding to compete, or they continue on a path to mediocrity or worse.

What’s Next for This Substack

I’ve been radio silent since the season ended, and I desperately need this break. I have spent this time working on myself as I battle depression and PTSD. This work will continue until my last day on earth, and I’m going to keep making time for this very personal work. Some of this has been questioning how much I want to continue covering Non-FBS football. The words above are proof that my love will always remain with Non-FBS teams.

However, that won’t be the only thing I will write about on this Substack moving forward. I’m going to use this Substack to write about other topics that I find intriguing, from sports psychology to any sports news that dominates the headlines. For example, I wrote a piece on Mike Tirico being the Bob Costas of our time, but it remains unpublished and unlikely to be published. It’s even in my drafts page on the site. I want to write about what interests me the most – what it takes to win.

You might see a post or two about the Burkburnett Space Cowboys, which is the recreation league team I coach alongside my brother-in-law. We’ve been coaching kids’ baseball since his oldest son played t-ball, and he’s now a junior in high school. I want to put into words what I’ve learned from national champion coaches that I relate to the 3rd and 4th graders on my team, because there is no secret to winning, but winning is one of the hardest things to do, only surpassed by consistently winning.

Many of these pillars of our baseball program relate to everyone in life. It’s the same thing I use to win every day, and a win for me is waking up each morning. So, you might see writings related to mental health and whatever work I’m doing inside my brain. I hope you continue to support this Substack, and I appreciate every one of you reading these words.

One last thing, you may have noticed that my X/Twitter was hacked. That happened right before Christmas, and I’m done trying to get it back. Please find and follow my new account, and tell your followers to find me at CoryHogueSport. It looks almost exactly like my hacked account. Two things everyone needs are to keep learning and support from others. I’ll take all the help I can get.