LAKE CHARLES - The McNeese State University football team is ineligible for postseason competition in 2020 as a result of its Academic Progress Rate not meeting the 930 threshold.
 
"We received the official notification from the NCAA yesterday," Bruce Hemphill, McNeese athletics director, said.
 
"The NCAA added the APR to postseason competition requirements in 2012," Hemphill explained. "Teams lose access to postseason competition the first time they earn a multiyear APR below 930."
 
McNeese football posted APRs of 942, 948, 892 and 892 over the past four years, 2015-2016 through 2018-2019, the period that the multiyear APR includes.
 
The trend has been reversed under head coach Sterlin Gilbert and his staff, Hemphill said.
 
"When Coach Gilbert came on board last December, he immediately began developing an academic performance improvement plan for the football team. That plan is working and the academic performance of the team has improved considerably. We are making strides toward meeting or exceeding the 930 threshold for 2019-2020." Hemphill said.
 
Gilbert acknowledged that he was aware of the possibility of APR issues when he accepted the head-coaching job.
 
"We have changed the culture of the program, instilled discipline and raised expectations," he said. "Our players have responded and we are building a solid foundation for the McNeese football program."
 
This is the first time since the NCAA made the multiyear APR a requirement for postseason competition that any of the 16 McNeese
athletic teams have fallen under the 930 benchmark.
 
"This is not a reflection on our athletics program," Hemphill added.

"Coach Gilbert has turned our football program around and all of our current head coaches are committed to the academic success of our student-athletes and to ensuring that our student-athletes earn their degrees."