The Bryant University Bulldogs join the Coastal Athletic Association in 2024, expanding the league's footprint in New England. The Smithfield, Rhode Island-based school makes 16 teams in the Coastal for the coming season. 

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Joining the CAA marks a major milestone in the fast growth of Bryant football. The program is among the youngest in the CAA, but it has ambitions to establish an impressive history in short order.  

Bryant Football Launched in 1999 

Although the university opened in the 19th Century (1863), Bryant did not sponsor football until just before the turn of the 21st Century. In 1999, Bulldogs football debuted under coach Jim Miceli. 

Bryant spent two years in the NCAA Div. II Eastern Football Conference before moving to the Northeast 10 in 2001. Marty Fine took over in 2004, and Bryant closed out its time in Div. II going 23-9 over its final three seasons with back-to-back NE-10 championships. 

The Bulldogs Began Div. I Transition in 2008 

Bryant's growth as an institution and improved athletics prompted university leadership to make the move to NCAA Div. I began in 2008. The Bulldogs completed their probational period in football after the 2011 season, going 7-4 in 3-of-4 seasons during the transitional phase. 

Initially a member of the Northeast Conference, Bryant finished .500 or better in league play every season until 2018. The 2021 Bulldogs finished 5-2 in the NEC and 7-4 overall under current coach Chris Merritt, then moved on to the Big South in 2022. 

Last year, with the Big South and OVC merging members, Bryant finished 4-2 in the conference and was in the hunt for the league's FCS Playoffs bid. 

Chris Merritt Has Coaching Credentials That Span The Globe 

Upon his hire in 2019 at Bryant, coach Chris Merritt made the unusual jump from heading up a high school program to leading an NCAA Div. I member. His teams at Columbus High School in Miami were consistently among the very best in South Florida and produced NFL players including Deon Bush and C.J. Henderson. 

Merritt's successful transition from preps to Div. I may be unusual, but unusual is nothing new for him. Before landing at Columbus in 2001, he spent four seasons coaching in Europe — two of which were spent in a player-coach capacity with the Hamburg Blue Devils in Germany. 

Hamburg won the German Bowl during Merritt's time with the Blue Devils in 1996. 

Bryant's First Alum In The NFL Played Two Sports Professionally 

Wide receiver Tom Kennedy made his Detroit Lions in 2019, becoming the first Bulldog to appear in a regular-season NFL game. He spent three seasons with the Lions, catching 14 combined passes in the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. 

Kennedy's NFL debut had double historical significance. A year prior, he played for the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse, making him only the second athlete ever to appear in both NFL and MLL regular-season contests. 

Bryant and Rhode Island Established An In-State Series In 2021 

Rhode Island has long had regional counterparts throughout its time in the CAA and while a member of the Coastal's previous incarnations. With Bryant joining, however, the Rams have an in-state counterpart for the first time. 

What's more, the first meeting scheduled between Bryant and Rhode Island in conference competition falls on Rivalry Week, adding additional significance to a series heading into its fourth straight year of engagement. 

The Bulldogs and Rams first played in 2002 when Bryant football was still in its infancy. The Ocean State neighbors went almost 20 years before meeting again, but have played each season since 2021. 

Bryant is seeking its first win in the series heading into 2024. 

Bryant Has Six Wins All-Time vs. Current CAA Members 

Against the rest of the Coastal excluding Rhode Island, Bryant is 6-19 all-time against current CAA programs. Here's the breakdown: 

• UAlbany: 2-3
• Campbell: 1-0
• Maine: 1-4 
• Monmouth: 1-6
• New Hampshire: 0-1
• North Carolina A&T: 0-1  
• Stony Brook: 1-4

Most of these matchups were when Bryant shared other leagues with these programs — the NEC with UAlbany and Monmouth, the Big South with Campbell, and North Carolina A&T, for example. However, the Bulldogs knocked off Maine and Stony Brook in the same season, 2014, when both were CAA members. 

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