Bush had previously worked in the same capacity for his alma mater, Texas State. Although plans for conference and subdivision affiliation were unclear, Lynn Hickey, UTSA's athletic director had strongly hinted at plans for UTSA to join their current conference, the Southland Conference (a member of the Division I FCS subdivision) in September 2009. However, in late January 2010, Hickey stated that the football program would attempt to join the Division I FBS subdivision by 2014 instead, citing an overall disappointment for previous plans. This entailed UTSA joining the subdivision as an independent until finding admission to a conference. On February 3, 2010, National Signing Day, UTSA officially announced their inaugural signing class. The twenty-seven students consisted mainly of incoming freshmen, including two transfer students who were currently sophomores at the university. Seven of the student athletes were considered all-state performers from their high school careers. The class was heavily recruited from the Greater San Antonio area, as fourteen players were from such area high schools. Each player for the inaugural class was redshirted during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. On March 16, 2010 UTSA announced Neal Neathery as defensive coordinator for the team. Neathery had last served in the same position for Drake. In an effort to move the program to the FBS, UTSA had discussions with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) about joining that conference after they lost Boise State to the Mountain West Conference during the summer of 2010. In July 2010, the Northside Independent School District announced a three-year agreement that allowed UTSA to use Dub Farris Athletic Complex for practice. On September 15, 2010, UTSA held its first-ever practice at the stadium. UTSA began practicing in August 2010, and began competing as an NCAA Division I FCS independent on September 3, 2011. On November 10, 2010, it was reported that the WAC had offered UTSA, along with fellow Southland conference member Texas State and Sun Belt Conference member Denver an invitation to join its conference that would take effect in 2012. Denver would join as a non-football school. Such an invitation was an effort to offset the departures of Boise State, Fresno State, and Nevada to the Mountain West Conference during the early stages of the 2010–13 NCAA conference realignment. The following day, UTSA announced it had accepted the invitation. In 2011, UTSA started its inaugural season playing its first-ever game against Northeastern State on September 3, 2011 at the Alamodome.