ALPINE Sul Ross State has officially joined the Lone Star Conference, bringing with it a new set of challenges that head football coach Barry Derickson is looking forward to.
The school officially joined the Lone Star Conference on July 1 but is still in the three-year transition process of moving from NCAA Division III to Division II.
Sul Ross is projected to complete the transition to Division II with the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
Because of that, the 12 athletic teams at SRSU are eligible for regular season league championships and awards in the LSC, but are ineligible for NCAA postseason until earning full Division II member status.
Still, Derickson and the Lobos are eager to get started in the Lone Star Conference.
“We’re very excited,” Derickson said. “We’re very humbled that the Lone Star took us and our guys are ready to step up to the challenge. They’ve been preparing all winter for the Lone Star Conference. They know how tough this league is. It’s one of the toughest in division II. We’re excited to go and play at another level.”
With the process of moving up a division still in the works, joining the Lone Star Conference has already helped with the Lobos’ recruiting in West Texas.
“It’s helped, not only with the caliber of athletes but also with academics,” Derickson said. “We’re seeing more talent come our way and people are doing their due diligence on guys and making sure they fit the mold and be able to compete in the Lone Star.”
He’s hopeful that the transition will help with recruiting in areas such as Odessa and El Paso.
“My focus when I first took over was to build our heart and soul out in West Texas,” Derickson said. “We signed multiple different athletes out of Odessa, including OHS and Permian. We put a focus on West Texas including El Paso. When we made the transition, we kept our focus on those areas. Yes, it has helped make sure we go out and get the best and we’ve already established a team out here in West Texas because our heart and soul is West Texas.”
One major challenge will be patience as the Lobos know what they have in front of them with this year’s schedule.
The team is coming off a 4-6 showing in 2023 which included losses to future Lone Star Conference opponents Western New Mexico and Eastern New Mexico by a combined score of 93-40.
Sul Ross makes its Lone Star Conference debut against West Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 at home and promises not to get much easier.
“Our guys have the belief that they cross north, but at the end of the day, we have an 11-game schedule,” Derickson said. “We might be able to go against them for one or two games but now the test is to go through an entire conference schedule. It’s like playing against the SEC. you’re going into the toughest conference in division two and now you get to play every single game like that.”
The season ends with a less-than merciful encounter against reigning Lone Star Conference champs UTPB on Nov. 16 at home.
“UTPB is really darn good,” Derickson said. “They’re going to be really good this year. They won the conference last year and I know they’ve reloaded with a bunch of a Division I transfers. We have them on the last game of the schedule. It’ll be nice to have a closer game that’s right down the road from us but they’re still going to be really good.”
Derickson knows there’s going to have to be time to adjust to the new conference.
“I think you’re recruiting at a higher level,” Derickson said. “You have to put more time into it. There’s going to be an adjustment period in the Lone Star. It’s not going to be easy. At the end of the day, you’re playing tougher talent and you’re recruiting against tougher teams and you have to make sure you do your due diligence that the people you sign are going to be able to compete in the Lone Star. It’s a new venue and something we have to go out and make the best with.”
Sul Ross State does return some weapons on both sides of the ball.
The Lobos return eight starters on offense and seven on defense. The top players returning include wide receiver Luevano and defensive back Quincy Blair.
“I think our top two guys are Luevano and Quincy Blair,” Derickson said. “Both are fifth-year guys. They were all-conference last year. Blair is our starting DB. He’s going to be one of the best leading this defense. Luevano is trying to break the school record for TD receptions and total career for wide receivers. I also want to give a shout out to Brendan Martin and Aron Olague on defense. Both are part of my first recruiting class and are high-talented guys. We’re excited for them to go out and do their best.”
The transition of moving to the NCAA Division II has been in the works for a while and still has a few years to go but Derickson is eager for the team’s move to a new level.
“Our AD (Amanda Workman) has been doing a good job of making sure all our paperwork and the process has been clean and that we’re doing things correctly, that way there’s no hiccups in the transition,” Derickson said. “Our AD has done an amazing job of making sure we’re taking the right steps in going to division two. We’re excited with what all it brings.”
“Lastly, Carlos Arreola, all-conference kicker has ice in his veins. He’s one of the best athletes on our team. We can’t wait to see what he brings to the table. … Xavier Garcia at offensive line, he’s a stud and we’re excited for him to be here as well. He’s a fourth year player and one of the best players I’ve had the opportunity to coach.”
