D-II football will soon have official presence in Chicago

Division II football is coming to Chicago.

The NCAA has formally approved the provisional membership of Roosevelt University beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. 

The program had been operating as a member of the NAIA, and will play one more season of NAIA ball, and then start their first year of the transition process to Division II heading into the 2023-24 season.

As for a league home, Roosevelt will compete in the ultra competitive GLIAC and be eligible for conference championships and tournaments once full membership into Division II is granted.

They're set to join the toughest Division II league in college football, which is home to back-to-back defending champions Ferris State and perennial national power Grand Valley, with teams like Davenport (GV, Ferris and Davenport all punched D-II playoff tickets this past fall) and Saginaw Valley on the rise in the league as well.

Before becoming Roosevelt University, the school operated under the Robert Morris University name (a name it shared with an FCS program in Pennsylvania), but underwent a major rebranding a few years ago when they merged with the pre-existing Roosevelt University prior to the 2020-21 seasons.

Their provisional approval brings Division II football to the Windy City, while Quincy and McKendree are the only other D-II programs in the state, with each one of those programs located at least four hours away from the state's flagship city. 

The Lakers finished last season's NAIA schedule 7-3.

Below is a video that the school and head coach Jared Williamson released on the move.