COMMERCE – The East Texas A&M University athletics department has been ranked as the top Division I FCS college athletics program in the state of Texas, and fourth-best overall, in the 2027 edition of Niche's Best Colleges in America rankings.
 
East Texas A&M claimed the top spot across all 12 Southland Conference schools and is ranked behind only Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M among all Texas colleges and universities. The Lions came in seventh among all 128 Division I FCS schools.
 
"Being recognized as one of the top athletics programs the country is a tremendous honor and a reflection of the work being done every day by our student-athletes, coaches and staff," said Director of Athletics Jim Curry. 
 
"To be ranked alongside some of the most recognizable athletics programs in the country speaks to the momentum we have built at East Texas A&M. We are proud of what we have accomplished, but we also know there is much more ahead for Lion Athletics. Our mission remains the same as we seek to provide an outstanding experience for our student-athletes, develop career-ready graduates, compete for championships, and continue building an athletics department that all of Lion Nation can be proud of."
 
East Texas A&M received an "A" grade for athletics from Niche and is ranked No. 61 overall out of 1,332 schools nationally in the "Best College Athletics in America" rankings, placing the Lions in the top five percent of all schools nationally.
 
Niche produces in-depth profiles of every U.S. school and college annually using data from the U.S. Department of Education and more than 100 million reviews and ratings from students and alumni. The Niche Best College Athletics rankings are specifically based on student surveys and a variety of statistical measures, including athletic department revenue, conference revenue, division revenue, national championships, average head coach salary and athletic participation rates.
 
The Niche student survey also highlights the impact of athletics on the East Texas A&M campus community, with 55% of students surveyed saying varsity sports are a big part of campus life. An additional 7% said almost everything on campus revolves around varsity sports, while 64% of students surveyed highly rated East Texas A&M's athletics and recreation facilities.
 
Other Texas schools ranked in the top 10 include Sam Houston, TCU, Texas Tech, Houston and SMU. The only Division I FCS programs ranked higher than East Texas A&M are Villanova, South Dakota State, North Dakota, St. Thomas (MN), Montana, and Montana State.