STORRS – UConn’s days in the American Athletic Conference are numbered.
The University of Connecticut will pay an exit fee of $17 million and will leave the American Athletic Conference next summer to return to the Big East Conference. The conference voted to terminate UConn’s membership, effective July 1st, 2020.
Big East and university officials announced in June UConn would be rejoining their former conference after leaving to join the AAC in 2013.
The university’s board of trustees voted unanimously in June on the invitation to join the Big East Conference.
There is uncertainty surrounding the UConn football program, as the Big East Conference does not offer NCAA Division I FBS football.
At the AAC Football Media Day event held in Newport, Rhode Island, Mike Aresco, the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, said there were no plans at the time to add another team to replace UConn football. Aresco had previously said there was “no chance” the conference would keep UConn as a football-only member.
UConn men’s and women’s ice hockey will not be a part of the Big East Conference. The two ice hockey programs are currently a part of the Hockey East Association.
