The Chicago State Cougars are set to become the only NCAA Division I football program in Chicago, a distinction the city hasn't held since the University of Chicago's team disbanded in 1939. The team will launch in the 2026 season as an FCS independent before joining the Northeast Conference in 2027. The program's creation was spearheaded by an exploratory committee featuring NFL veterans like Howard Griffith and Tom Thayer, and the team hired Bobby Rome II as its first head coach in April 2025. While home games will initially be played off-campus at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, the university plans to build an on-campus practice field and eventually a stadium. On National Signing Day (February 4, 2026), the Cougars announced their inaugural signing class of 55 athletes, marking a major step toward their first game.