Last Updated on July 5, 2026 2:57 pm
NEW ORLEANS — Fifty years after its founding in 1976, the Sun Belt Conference officially welcomed Louisiana Tech as its 14th member on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
“We are excited to officially welcome Louisiana Tech as a member of the Sun Belt Conference,” said Commissioner Keith Gill. “With a tradition of athletic success, a passionate fanbase and a geographic location situated within the current Sun Belt footprint, the addition of Louisiana Tech reunites a number of long-standing regional rivalries under the conference banner. As the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country, the Sun Belt Conference is RISING and our best days are ahead.”
The move is a homecoming for the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech previously competed in the Sun Belt from 1991 to 2001, winning nine-straight women's basketball regular-season titles from 1993 to 2001 and seven conference tournament championships before departing for Conference USA.
The 14-member conference now includes Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, ULM, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Troy.
Louisiana Tech, founded in 1894 and located in Ruston, La., is an R2 Research Institution with more than 12,000 students. The program has won seven national championships and made 15 bowl appearances with a 9-5-1 record. The football program will appear at Sun Belt Football Media Days on July 15-16 in New Orleans under head coach Sonny Cumbie.
The Sun Belt has sponsored football since 2001 and currently sponsors 19 NCAA sports. The conference leads all non-autonomy conferences with a .548 bowl winning percentage in the College Football Playoff era.
