The move, accepted by the American, will happen no later than July 1, 2028.
James Madison is on its way out of the Sun Belt and into the American Conference, with both the school and the conference confirming the move on Oct. 12. The transition is set to happen no later than July 1, 2028.
JMU's board voted to terminate its Sun Belt membership and apply to the American, a formality given how these things tend to go once the paperwork starts moving. The Dukes have been in the Sun Belt since 2022, when the program jumped up to the Football Bowl Subdivision from the Football Championship Subdivision, and have since been regarded as the most successful Group of Six football program over the past four years.
American commissioner Tim Pernetti framed the addition as a financial win for everyone already in the league, saying JMU's membership "reflects a meaningful investment in the American and has been structured to protect and enhance the value of the conference's current membership." He added that the additional media inventory from JMU expands the conference's platform while boosting distributions for current members, and that JMU has made a significant financial and commercial commitment to the move.
Realignment keeps grinding on, and JMU just became the latest program to cash in on it.