INDIANAPOLIS (October 3, 2025) – The NCAA has announced the appointment of University of North Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. Looney will represent the United Athletic Conference on the national committee, which oversees the selection, seeding and administration of the 24-team FCS Playoff.
 
Since joining UNA in 2021, Looney has led transformational growth across Lion Athletics—advancing facilities, expanding sport offerings and delivering the university's first Division I championships. His appointment underscores UNA's rising profile in Division I and its leadership engagement at both the conference and national levels.
 
Looney's term on the committee starts this season and will run through August 2028. He previously served on the NCAA Football Rules Committee from 2018 to 2021 and currently serves as vice chair of the Atlantic Sun Conference Athletics Administrators Committee.
 
He joins a distinguished group of athletics directors from across the FCS landscape, including Montana State's Leon Costello (Big Sky), UAlbany's Mark Benson (CAA), Princeton's John Mack (Ivy), North Dakota's Bill Chaves (MVFC), LIU's Elliott Charles (NEC), Tennessee State's Mikki Allen (OVC–Big South), Holy Cross's Kit Hughes (Patriot), St. Thomas's Phil Esten (Pioneer) and UIW's Richard Duran (Southland). The committee is chaired by UT-Chattanooga Director of Athletics Mark Wharton, representing the Southern Conference.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.