The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is leaving the Ohio Valley Conference effective July 1, 2026, according to the university’s press release. 

Little Rock will be joining the United Athletic Conference, a renamed version of the Western Athletic Conference. Universities in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a football program will also be joining the UAC. 

“This strategic move places Trojan athletics on an even higher level in the landscape of intercollegiate competition, signaling a powerful step forward in the department’s continued rise to national prominence,” Little Rock’s athletic department said in a statement.

This comes after Tennessee Tech announced it was leaving the OVC in August. Tennessee Tech will join the Southern Conference on July 1, 2026 as well. 

“Change is part of the landscape of college athletics, and while transitions bring both challenges and opportunities, the Ohio Valley Conference has successfully navigated change before and will continue to thrive moving forward,” OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche said in a statement. 

Little Rock joined the OVC in 2022 from the Sun Belt Conference. The university will continue to play in the OVC through the upcoming spring season. 

Little Rock joins former OVC members Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky in the UAC. 

This is a developing story, and more information will be made available as soon as it’s released.