UNT will officially enter the American Athletic Conference as a member on July 1, 2023, as announced by commissioner Mike Aresco on Wednesday.
"UNT has gained tremendous momentum the last two years and this forthcoming transition to The American is another stellar example highlighting our progress," UNT President Neal Smatresk said. "Our university community is looking forward to working with our new colleagues in The American and to all the great things still to come for our athletics department and our university."
As the Mean Green prepare for the final year in Conference USA, the department does so on the heels of tremendous accomplishments both in competition and in the classroom. UNT posted its best academic semester in department history in spring 2022 with a 3.206 GPA and its sixth-consecutive semester with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
Additionally, UNT's winning percentage during the 2021-22 school year was the best in the athletic department's modern era. North Texas won three Conference USA championships during the year including the third straight title for both men's basketball and softball along with a second consecutive for women's golf. Nine different programs reached postseason competition.
"This is an exciting time at North Texas, and we look forward to the upcoming challenge of entering The American next fall," UNT Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. "Our student-athletes and coaches have made significant accomplishments during our time in Conference USA, but we look forward to what is next with great optimism."
The Mean Green were previously accepted as a member in The American on October 21, 2021, but with an undetermined start date. The establishment of the entry date comes after the conference reached agreement with its three exiting schools – UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston – to terminate their conference membership as of June 30, 2023.
UNT, established in 1890, has more than 42,000 students and is a Carnegie-ranked Tier One public research university. Athletically, the Mean Green have won 139 conference championships all-time across 16 different sports.
"We are extremely pleased and excited to welcome our new members to the conference in 2023, as we begin our second decade," Aresco said. "Our incoming schools comprise a distinguished group with attributes that will enhance our conference's Power 6 goals. We have already seen the investment and commitment that these institutions have made as they prepare to compete in The American, and, together with our accomplished incumbent institutions, the conference is assured of many years of championship-level competition as part of a bright future that will build on the extraordinary legacy of the past decade."
Five other new members will transition at the same time at UNT, those include UAB, UTSA, Rice, Charlotte, and FAU. The six universities will join East Carolina, Memphis, Navy (football only), South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, and Wichita State (basketball and Olympic Sports only) – to bring The American's membership to 15 schools, beginning with the 2023-24 academic year. The American will compete as a 14-team league in football and in men's and women's basketball among other sports.
The American will have a presence in four of the top 10, seven of the top 25 and 12 of the top 51 Nielsen media markets. The league will have four teams in the state of Texas, two each in Florida and North Carolina and one each in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
UNT has competed as a member of Conference USA since 2013. North Texas was a member of the Sun Belt Conference beginning in 2001.
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