In July 2023, KSU started a transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision[3] in advance of its move to Conference USA, which happened in 2024.

Five of their alumni have reached the Major Leagues, including Jason Jones of the Texas Rangers, Chad Jenkins of the Toronto Blue Jays, Brett Campbell of the Washington Nationals, and Willie Harris, who earned a World Series ring with the Chicago White Sox in 2005, of the Cincinnati Reds.

Jace Whitmer (Oakland Athletics), Kenny Faulk (Detroit Tigers), Tyler Stubblefield (Atlanta Braves), and Justin Edwards (Cincinnati Reds) were also selected by MLB teams.

Steve Givens was the next Owls head coach in 1991, and in his only season the team went 35–25 and made yet another appearance in the NAIA District 25 Tournament.

They then proceeded to go undefeated throughout the entire postseason (12–0), beating Southeastern Oklahoma State University in the NAIA World Series final.

From 1997 to 1999, the Owls made three straight appearances in the Division II World Series, losing each time in the finals or semi-finals.

During the 2000–2005 seasons, Kennesaw State racked up 238–112 record, and made the postseason five more times, with an appearance in the Division II World Series in 2003.

The teams previously played in the Spec Landrum Center, which served as the home floor when the men won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2004.

On April 20, 2011, Kennesaw State University officials named Lewis Preston as the Owls' new men's basketball Head Coach.

[8] After going 10–22 in his only season in charge of the program, Lallathin was reassigned within the athletics department and eventually removed as head coach as the result of an internal investigation.

[11] [12] The Kennesaw State Owls women's basketball team is led by second-year head coach and former Miami Hurricane Octavia Blue.

In the 2010 season, the team made it, for the second straight year since being eligible for postseason competition, to the NCAA South Regional where they finished ninth.

[14] The Kennesaw State men's golf team opened its fall season in 2011 with the first round of the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic to finish in 12th place.

After winning their second straight A-Sun title in 2007, the Owls made their first appearance in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships, falling to Florida State, 3–0, in the first round.

In the finals, Jade Dempster found the net with a penalty-kick goal in the 87th minute lifting Kennesaw State to its second Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Championship in three seasons with a 2–1 victory against Belmont.

In their first year of competition at the Division II level, the Owls posted a 53–5 record, en route to winning the National Championship.

With all of their success in Division II, the Owls moved up to the NCAA's highest classification starting with the 2006 season and began competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

In the 2010 season, the volleyball team won nine out of ten Atlantic Sun Conference matches, finished in second in the A-Sun, and had four student-athletes receive All-Conference Honors.

The Kennesaw State Owls women's lacrosse program will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which will be sponsoring the sport for the first time beginning in 2013.

The Owls have been members of the conference since the fall of 2005, with all 16 of Kennesaw State's existing varsity sports competing for A-Sun championships.

On November 9, 2007, a survey was administered by Student Government with 77.6 percent of respondents voting in favor of starting a football program.

[20] Kennesaw State convened a football committee in late 2009, consisting of students, faculty, staff, alumni, business and community leaders, as well as friends and benefactors of KSU.

The group, led by former University of Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley,[21] provided a final report of its recommendations to KSU President Daniel Papp in September 2010.

[22] The results of the report were released in a September 15, 2010 press conference, featuring Papp and Dooley, at the KSU Convocation Center.

[23] It was announced that the school would plan to launch a football program at the FCS level in 2014, with the team playing home games at KSU Soccer Stadium.

The ASUN–Big South partnership ended when the ASUN launched its own football league in the 2022 season, with KSU as one of its six charter members.

The partnership with the WAC remains in place, with playoff-eligible members of both conferences competing for a single automatic berth in the FCS playoffs.

Kennesaw lost its third straight season opener, a tough road loss to nearby Georgia State.

After a 56–17 road win against Gardner-Webb, Kennesaw was voted to the Number 2 spot in both the FCS STATS and Coach's Polls, behind only North Dakota State.

Holding a 10–1 regular season record, Kennesaw received a first round bye as the fourth seed in the FCS playoffs.