Lackawanna College makes jump from JUCO to D2
From JUCO power to NCAA contender—Lackawanna becomes the first football program to leap from junior college to Division II.
JUCO to D2: Lackawanna Makes History with PSAC Move
In the quiet, blue-collar city of Scranton, Pennsylvania—better known for its old coal mines and a certain fictional paper company—history just got made.
No, not a buzzer beater. Not a last-second Hail Mary. We're talking about a seismic shift in college football.
For the first time ever, a JUCO football program is making the jump to NCAA Division II. That program? Lackawanna College.
Yes, a junior college. Moving up to compete with full four-year schools. In football.
This isn’t a program with flashy facilities or five-star recruits. But don’t get it twisted—Lackawanna has been respected for a long time. In fact, ask anyone familiar with the JUCO scene and they'll tell you: the Falcons have long been a problem. They went 7–3 in 2024, with their only losses coming to top-ranked JUCO powerhouses like Snow College and Georgia Military.
But now? They're entering a whole new battlefield: the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
The First of Its Kind
The move is unprecedented. While a few schools have made the jump from JUCO to NAIA over the years, no football program has ever gone directly from NJCAA to NCAA Division II. Lackawanna becomes the trailblazer—turning a page not just for themselves, but potentially for every high-level JUCO program dreaming of more.
To make room for the new addition, PSAC scheduling will also shift: Lock Haven University will move to the PSAC West Division starting in 2026, creating balance between the two sides of the conference. That means old rivalries will be reshuffled, and new ones—like Lackawanna vs. Kutztown or Shepherd—are waiting to be born.
They're not walking into a soft landing either. The PSAC is no joke—home to gritty, tradition-rich programs like Slippery Rock, Kutztown, and IUP. But the Falcons aren't strangers to a fight. They’ve built their name on being the underdog, the overlooked, the backup plan that became Plan A.
And now? They're betting on themselves on the biggest stage they've ever touched.
Built Different
What makes this move even more remarkable is that Lackawanna, until recently, wasn’t even a full four-year college. The school started offering bachelor's degrees in just eight programs—enough to meet NCAA standards. They made it work. Just like they always have.
This is the same program that has been sending talent up to four-year schools for years—guys who were passed over, who needed a second chance, or who just needed someone to believe in them.
And while Lackawanna doesn’t have a Heisman alum or a laundry list of NFL draftees, they’ve built a culture. One that doesn’t rely on stars—it relies on grit.
What’s Next?
The move won’t be easy. The competition is bigger. The travel is longer. The rules are different. But the Falcons have already made the hard part look easy—getting here.
Now they’ve got a new goal: proving they belong.
And if history tells us anything? Don’t bet against a team that’s made a living off being doubted.