Report: Delaware 1st School to Pay $5M Fee to Move to FBS; WIll Join Conference USA

Delaware will reportedly become the first school to pay the $5 million application fee to move from the FCS to FBS and will join Conference USA in the 2025-26 season, per Brett McMurphy of the Action Network.

The application fee to move up to the top level of college football was previously $5,000.

Pete Thamel of ESPN added that Delaware and Conference USA have "been in talks and a decision is expected to be formalized in the upcoming days."

The Blue Hens will be joining FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, UTEP and Western Kentucky in the conference. Kennesaw State is set to join Conference USA in the 2024-25 season.

Conference USA has seen major upheaval in the last two years, with nine schools departing for the American and Sun Belt conferences in that time.

Delaware's ascension to the FBS was inevitable. The Blue Hens won the I-AA (now FCS) national championship in 2003, reached the national championship game four times and have reached the FCS playoffs 19 times dating back to 1980.

Prior to that, the school competed at the Division II level and won a national championship there in 1979.

Legendary head coach Tubby Raymond, who led the football program between the 1966-01 seasons, won 300 games at the school and was one of the pioneers of the Wing-T offense.

As for famous alumni, quarterbacks Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco top the list. So there is a rich football history at the school.

The Blue Hens are currently in the second round of the FCS playoffs after defeating Lafayette on Saturday, 36–34, in first-round action.