Azusa Pacific University and Whittier College are among 10 four-year colleges that restarted football programs this season, recording the highest single-year addition since 2013.
Administrators introduced or reinstated football teams as marketing anchors to attract students and combat shrinking enrollment numbers driven by falling birth rates.
Azusa Pacific reported an on-campus freshman and transfer increase of 19% this fall following funding and structural changes to bring back the sport.