Robert Morris adds D1 men's wrestling for 2027-28
The Pittsburgh area private school is the first Division I school to start or reinstate wrestling since Morgan State, per Jason Bryant.
Robert Morris University announced Friday that it will add NCAA Division I men's wrestling, with the team expected to begin competition in the 2027-28 academic year. RMU Athletics posted the news welcoming men's wrestling to Moon Township, and FloWrestling reported the private school just outside Pittsburgh will launch the program in the fall of 2027. Additional details are coming soon, per the announcement.
Justin Basch was first with it Friday, calling it "always an awesome Friday when an announcement is made of a new NCAA D1 program being added."
Always an awesome Friday when an announcement is made of a new NCAA D1 program being added!
First D1 add since Morgan State
Jason Bryant put the number on it. Robert Morris is the first Division I school to start or reinstate a wrestling program since Morgan State brought the sport back, which was first announced in 2021. That is a five year gap at the Division I level, which is why this one lands differently than another NAIA or Division III launch.
Bryant also counted the broader wave. With Robert Morris included, the total of announced new programs across men and women in 2026 is now 35.
What is not known yet
The announcement did not include a head coach, a conference affiliation, a roster timeline or a facility plan. Nobody has said what the program's scholarship situation will look like either. RMU Athletics said more is coming.
Our take: the location is the part worth sitting with. Moon Township sits in the middle of one of the densest high school wrestling corridors in the country, and a Division I program there starts with a recruiting base most new programs have to build from scratch.
Watch for
A head coaching hire, which is the next real piece of information about how seriously Robert Morris intends to compete when the Colonials take the mat in 2027-28.
Whether the 35 announced new programs in 2026 holds as a ceiling or keeps climbing before the calendar turns.
RMU is the first D1 school to start/reinstate a wrestling program since Morgan State brought the sport back, which was first announced in 2021.
that brings the total of announced new programs (men and women) in 2026 to 35
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