Alabama governor Kay Ivey has signed legislation that will formally study bringing junior college football back to the state.
House Joint Resolution 17 unanimously passed through the Alabama legislation, authorizing Ivey to form the Alabama Community College Football Study Commission, which will study the issue. The commission is slated to gather for the first time later this spring, with a full report and recommendation due back to the Alabama government by Nov. 1 of this year.
The draw of reviving football on Alabama's community college campuses is the same as it its nationwide: people love football, and having a football team gives campus stakeholders a reason to spend time on campus on fall Saturdays.
"Lawmakers who championed the resolution say community college football programs could serve as a critical pipeline for student-athletes who might otherwise lack access to competitive play after high school, while also deepening campus engagement and providing a measurable economic boost to local communities through ticket sales, tourism and increased enrollment," the Edu Ledger wrote.
The drawback is the same reason that Alabama junior college football was shuttled in the first place: cost. (If anyone knows precisely went Alabama junior college football first went extinct, please let me know.)
Alabama has 23 community colleges, ranging in size from 14,000 to the 500 range, with most in the neighborhood of 5,000 students. Westward neighbor Mississippi has a robust junior college football system, forming its own conference of 14 schools. According to the National Football Foundation's 2025 data, 777 four-year colleges and universities offer or plan to offer football, with 123 junior college football programs offered nationwide. Fifty-two schools have added the sport within the last decade.
The value of junior college football has risen with the advent of NIL and the transfer portal, and could skyrocket upward in the near future. Former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia earned an extra year of eligibility by successfully arguing his year at an NJCAA school should not count toward his NCAA eligibility. Should the "Pavia Rule" be applied nationwide, soon only the most physically advanced prospects would sign with FBS schools straight out of high school, and the rest could use another year or two of development before starting their NCAA eligibility clock.
And if that comes to pass, it would benefit Alabama's 15 four-year football-playing universities to have a healthy junior college system within state borders.