The Kennesaw State Owls fields 16 varsity athletics teams, competing for Kennesaw State University. After spending ten years in Division II's Peach Belt Conference, the university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the beginning of the 2009–10 season. All of Kennesaw State's sports teams competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference through the 2023–24 school year, except that football competed as an FCS independent in the 2023 season only. In July 2023, KSU started a transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in advance of its move to Conference USA, which happened in 2024. Of its 18 varsity sports, only women's lacrosse is not sponsored by CUSA. The school mascot is Scrappy the Owl.
Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university in the state of Georgia with two campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined 581 acres (235 ha) of land. The school was founded in 1963 by the Georgia Board of Regents using local bonds and a federal space-grant during a time of major Georgia economic expansion after World War II. KSU also holds classes at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Dalton State College, and in Paulding County (Dallas). The total enrollment exceeds 45,000 students making KSU the third-largest university by enrollment in Georgia.
The Kennesaw State Owls football represents Kennesaw State University in college football. The Owls team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of Conference USA (CUSA). The team began play in 2015 as a member of the Big South Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. In 2022, KSU's full-time home of the Atlantic Sun Conference launched an FCS football league, with KSU as one of its initial six members. After the 2022 season, KSU started the transition to the FBS, in advance of the school's 2024 move to CUSA.
Fifth Third Stadium, known as Kennesaw State University Stadium until 2013, is a stadium near Kennesaw, Georgia, that is primarily used as the home for the Kennesaw State Owls football team as well as the KSU women's soccer and women's lacrosse teams. It was built as a soccer-specific stadium and opened May 2, 2010, with the first match played on May 9. The facility is the result of a public-private partnership between Kennesaw State University and the now-defunct Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer.
The Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represents Kennesaw State University, located in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, United States near the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw. The school's team will start competition in Conference USA (CUSA) in 2024–25 after 19 seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They are currently led by head coach Antoine Pettway and play their home games at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Kennesaw State Owls baseball team represents Kennesaw State University, which is located in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Owls are an NCAA Division I college baseball program that competes in Conference USA. They began competing in Division I in 2006, joining Conference USA in 2024.
Brian Lloyd Bohannon is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, a position he has held since the inception of the program in 2013. The Kennesaw State Owls began play in 2015.
The 2015 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. They were first year members of the Big South Conference. This was the Owls inaugural season of intercollegiate football. They finished the season 6–5, 2–4 in Big South play to finish in a tie for fifth place.
The Kennesaw State Owls women's basketball team represents Kennesaw State University in the sport of College basketball. They are a mid-major team in NCAA Division I, and will play their first season in Conference USA (CUSA) in 2024–25 after 19 seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Owls host their opponents at the KSU Convocation Center, nearby to their Kennesaw Campus. They are coached by Octavia Blue.
The 2016 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. They were second-year members of the Big South Conference. This season was the Owls second season of intercollegiate football. They finished the season 8–3, 3–2 in Big South play to finish in a tie for third place.
The 2017 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as third-year members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 12–2, 5–0 in Big South play to win the Big South conference championship. The Owls received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, their first trip to the playoffs in school history. In the first round of the playoffs, the Owls defeated Samford in a rematch of their only regular season loss and marked the school's first ever playoff win. In the second round, the Owls upset No. 3 seed Jacksonville State to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, despite a furious second half comeback, they lost to Sam Houston State.
The 2017–18 Kennesaw State Owls women's basketball team represents Kennesaw State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Owls, led by second year head coach Agnus Berenato, play their home games at the KSU Convocation Center and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 7–19, 3–11 in A-Sun play to finish in seventh place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the A-Sun Tournament to Jacksonville.
The 2018 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as fourth-year members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 11–2, 5–0 in Big South play to win the Big South conference championship for the second consecutive year. The Owls received the Big South's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. The Owls earned a No. 4 seed and a first round bye. They defeated Wofford in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to No. 5 South Dakota State.
The 2019 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as fifth-year members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 11–3, 5–1 in Big South play to finish in second place. The Owls received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs. They defeated Wofford in the first round before losing to Weber State in the second round.
The 2020 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Brian Bohannon and played their home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia as sixth-year members of the Big South Conference.
The 2021 Kennesaw State Owls football team represented the Kennesaw State University as a member of the Big South Conference during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Brian Bohannon, the Owls played their home games at the Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Nathan Isaac Burton is an American football coach who is currently the co-defensive coordinator for the Troy Trojans. He previously was the defensive backs coach for the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL). He previously was the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Kennesaw State Owls.
Darnell Holland is an American football running back for the Bay Area Panthers of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football at Kennesaw State. He played for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL) from 2022 to 2023.
The 2022–23 Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball team represented Kennesaw State University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by fourth-year head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, played their home games at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia as members of the ASUN Conference. They finished the season with 26–9, 15–3 in ASUN play to earn a share of the regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, the Owls defeated Queens, Lipscomb, and Liberty to win the tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the school's first-ever trip to the tournament. As the No. 14 seed in the Midwest region, they lost in the first round to Xavier.
The 2024 Kennesaw State Owls football team will represent Kennesaw State University in Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls are led by Brian Bohannon in his tenth year as the head coach. The Owls will play home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, located in Kennesaw, Georgia.
