— By Bill Cornwell
A school plenty familiar to Marshall will again share a conference with the Thundering Herd in the near future.
The Sun Belt Conference announced Tuesday that Louisiana Tech had accepted an invitation to join the league, replacing Texas State, which announced last week that it would move to the reconstructed PAC-12 Conference in 2026.
“We are thrilled to welcome Louisiana Tech University to the Sun Belt. Geographically situated within the current Sun Belt footprint, the addition of Louisiana Tech reunites a number of long-standing regional rivalries under the conference banner,” Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill said. “I am grateful to President Dr. Jim Henderson and Athletic Director Ryan Ivey for their leadership during this process. I’d also like to thank the CEOs and athletic directors of our Sun Belt member institutions for their continued commitment to the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country. The Sun Belt Conference is RISING and our best days are ahead.”
The addition of the Bulldogs means the Sun Belt continues to move forward with 14 teams.
Located in Ruston, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech is currently a member of Conference USA and will move to the Sun Belt no later than July 1st, 2027.
A more concrete date on when Louisiana Tech will join should be released in the near future, while the Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech President Dr. Jim Henderson says that his school has found a welcoming new home.
“The storied legacy of our Bulldogs and Lady Techsters, long an integral part of the Louisiana Tech experience, will be advanced with this move,” Henderson said. “The invitation from the Sun Belt Conference affirms the quality of our athletics programs. Joining the conference will guarantee regular competition with regional rivals, new and old, creating a more logistically sound experience for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”
The Bulldogs were also Sun Belt Conference members from 1991-2001, and over that time, won multiple league titles in women’s and men’s basketball as well as track and field.
Louisiana Tech, which left the Sun Belt previously to join the Western Athletic Conference, sponsors 16 varsity sports. The Sun Belt offers championships in all but one of those sports — women’s bowling.
The Bulldogs’ move to the Sun Belt means the league will have three Louisiana-based members, along with UL Monroe and Louisiana.
Marshall and Louisiana Tech were both Conference USA members from 2013-22 before MU left C-USA to join the Sun Belt.
More recently, the Bulldogs replaced the Herd to face Army in last year’s Independence Bowl after Marshall backed out of the game as a result of player safety concerns due to an abundance of transfers in the immediate aftermath of a coaching change.