2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season

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The 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The regular season began on August 26 and ended in November. The postseason began in November and ended on January 7, 2024, with the 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. South Dakota State repeated as champions, defeating Montana, 23–3.

2023 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams128
DurationAugust 26 – December 2
Payton AwardMark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State
Buchanan AwardTerrell Allen, DE, Tennessee State
Playoff
DurationNovember 25 – December 16
Championship dateJanuary 7, 2024
Championship siteToyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
ChampionSouth Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
«2022
Patriot League: Georgetown Hoyas vs. Holy Cross Crusaders

Conference changes and new programs

  • The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) and Western Athletic Conference, which had created the WAC-ASUN Challenge in 2021, merged their football leagues effective in 2023. The partnership was formally rebranded as the United Athletic Conference (UAC), a football-only league separate from the two conferences. The NCAA denied the UAC's request to be classified as a single-sport FCS football conference, but continued to recognize the organization as an extension of the WAC-ASUN Challenge.
  • The Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference also merged their football leagues effective in 2023, but without attempting to create a new independent league, instead adopting the name Big South–OVC Football Association. Like the ASUN and WAC, both conferences were in danger of falling below the minimum six members required to remain an automatic qualifier (AQ) for the FCS postseason.
  • The Colonial Athletic Association, along with its (technically-separate) FCS football league, adopted the name Coastal Athletic Association, a change that did not affect the CAA branding.
School 2022 conference 2023 conference
Abilene Christian WAC-ASUN Challenge (WAC) United
Austin Peay WAC-ASUN Challenge (ASUN)
Bryant Big South Big South–OVC
Campbell CAA
Central Arkansas WAC-ASUN Challenge (ASUN) United
Charleston Southern Big South Big South–OVC
Eastern Illinois Ohio Valley
Eastern Kentucky WAC-ASUN Challenge (ASUN) United
Gardner–Webb Big South Big South–OVC
Jacksonville State ASUN (FCS) C-USA (FBS)
Kennesaw State WAC-ASUN Challenge (ASUN) FCS Independent
Lindenwood Ohio Valley Big South–OVC
Murray State MVFC
North Alabama WAC-ASUN Challenge (ASUN) United
North Carolina A&T Big South CAA
Robert Morris Big South–OVC
Sam Houston State WAC (FCS) C-USA (FBS)
Southeast Missouri State Ohio Valley Big South–OVC
Southern Utah WAC-ASUN Challenge (WAC) United
Stephen F. Austin WAC-ASUN Challenge (WAC)
Tarleton State WAC
Tennessee State Ohio Valley Big South–OVC
Tennessee Tech
Utah Tech WAC United
UT Martin Ohio Valley Big South–OVC

Notable headlines

  • October 4 – The NCAA announced several major changes to Division I football recruiting and governance rules:
    • The window for athletes to enter the transfer portal was reduced. For FCS players, the portal now opens on the Monday after the selection of the playoff field, and stays open for 30 days. For players participating in the FCS playoffs or the Celebration Bowl, there will be an additional 5-day window after the players' final game.
    • The limit on "initial counters"—i.e., players who are receiving athletically-related financial aid for the first time—was permanently eliminated. The previous FCS limit of 30 had been suspended due to COVID-19 impacts.
    • The application fee for transitioning from FCS to FBS increased from $5,000 to $5 million, effective immediately.
  • October 12 – Northwestern State junior safety Ronnie Caldwell died after being shot multiple times near the school's Natchitoches, Louisiana campus. Two weeks after the shooting, Northwestern State canceled the remainder of its season, and head coach Brad Laird resigned.

FCS team wins over FBS teams

September 9: Southern Illinois 14, Northern Illinois 11
September 9: Fordham 40, Buffalo 37
September 9: Idaho 33, Nevada 6
September 16: Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23

Conference standings

2023 Big Sky Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Montana $^   7 – 1     13 – 2  
No. 8 Idaho ^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
No. 9 Montana State ^   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Northern Arizona   5 – 3     5 – 6  
No. 24 UC Davis   5 – 3     7 – 4  
No. 13 Sacramento State ^   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Portland State   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Weber State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Eastern Washington   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Idaho State   3 – 5     3 – 8  
Cal Poly   1 – 7     3 – 8  
Northern Colorado   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Big South–OVC football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Gardner–Webb +^   5 – 1     7 – 5  
No. 25 UT Martin +   5 – 1     8 – 3  
Eastern Illinois   4 – 2     8 – 3  
Bryant   4 – 2     6 – 5  
Southeast Missouri State   3 – 3     4 – 7  
Tennessee Tech   2 – 4     4 – 7  
Robert Morris   2 – 4     4 – 7  
Charleston Southern   2 – 4     4 – 7  
Tennessee State   2 – 4     6 – 5  
Lindenwood *   1 – 5     3 – 7  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Note: Lindenwood ineligible for Big South–OVC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 Albany +^   7 – 1     11 – 4  
No. 6 Villanova +^   7 – 1     10 – 3  
No. 15 Richmond +^   7 – 1     9 – 4  
No. 10 Delaware ^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
Elon   6 – 2     6 – 5  
New Hampshire   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Rhode Island   4 – 4     6 – 5  
William & Mary   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Campbell   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Towson   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Hampton   3 – 5     5 – 6  
Monmouth   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Maine   1 – 7     2 – 9  
North Carolina A&T   0 – 8     1 – 10  
Stony Brook   0 – 8     0 – 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Ivy League football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Harvard +   5 – 2     8 – 2  
Yale +   5 – 2     7 – 3  
Dartmouth +   5 – 2     6 – 4  
Princeton   4 – 3     5 – 5  
Brown   3 – 4     5 – 5  
Penn   3 – 4     6 – 4  
Cornell   2 – 5     3 – 7  
Columbia   1 – 6     3 – 7  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Howard +   4 – 1     6 – 6  
No. 20 North Carolina Central +^   4 – 1     9 – 3  
South Carolina State   3 – 2     5 – 6  
Morgan State   3 – 2     4 – 6  
Norfolk State   1 – 4     3 – 8  
Delaware State   0 – 5     1 – 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 South Dakota State $^   8 – 0     15 – 0  
No. 4 South Dakota ^   7 – 1     10 – 3  
No. 3 North Dakota State ^   5 – 3     11 – 4  
No. 19 Youngstown State ^   5 – 3     8 – 5  
No. 16 North Dakota ^   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Northern Iowa   5 – 3     6 – 5  
No. 12 Southern Illinois ^   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Illinois State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Missouri State   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Murray State   1 – 7     2 – 9  
Indiana State   1 – 7     1 – 10  
Western Illinois   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Northeast Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Duquesne $^   6 – 1     7 – 5  
Saint Francis (PA)   4 – 3     4 – 6  
Merrimack   4 – 3     5 – 6  
Stonehill *   4 – 3     5 – 5  
LIU   4 – 3     4 – 7  
Wagner   3 – 4     4 – 7  
Sacred Heart   2 – 5     2 – 9  
Central Connecticut   1 – 6     3 – 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • Note: Stonehill ineligible for NEC title and FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Patriot League football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 21 Lafayette +^   5 – 1     9 – 3  
Holy Cross +   5 – 1     7 – 4  
Colgate   4 – 2     6 – 5  
Georgetown   3 – 3     5 – 6  
Fordham   2 – 4     6 – 5  
Lehigh   1 – 5     2 – 9  
Bucknell   1 – 5     4 – 7  
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Pioneer Football League standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Drake $^   8 – 0     8 – 4  
St. Thomas (MN) *   7 – 1     8 – 3  
Davidson   6 – 2     7 – 4  
Butler   5 – 3     7 – 4  
Marist   4 – 4     4 – 7  
San Diego   4 – 4     4 – 7  
Morehead State   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Presbyterian   2 – 6     4 – 7  
Valparaiso   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Dayton   2 – 6     4 – 7  
Stetson   1 – 7     3 – 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – St. Thomas (MN) ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division III
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Southern Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 7 Furman $^   7 – 1     10 – 3  
No. 14 Chattanooga ^   6 – 2     8 – 5  
No. 17 Mercer ^   6 – 2     9 – 4  
No. 23 Western Carolina   5 – 3     7 – 4  
Samford   4 – 4     6 – 5  
VMI   4 – 4     5 – 6  
East Tennessee State   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Wofford   2 – 6     2 – 9  
The Citadel   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Southland Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Nicholls $^   7 – 0     6 – 5  
No. 22 Incarnate Word   6 – 1     8 – 2  
Lamar   5 – 2     6 – 5  
Houston Christian   4 – 3     5 – 5  
Southeastern Louisiana   3 – 4     3 – 8  
Texas A&M–Commerce *   2 – 5     1 – 9  
McNeese   1 – 6     0 – 10  
Northwestern State **   0 – 2     0 – 6  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
  • * – Texas A&M–Commerce ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II.
    ** – Northwestern State canceled its season on October 26.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 11 Florida A&M xy$   8 – 0     12 – 1  
Alabama State   5 – 3     7 – 4  
Jackson State   5 – 3     7 – 4  
Alabama A&M   3 – 5     5 – 6  
Bethune–Cookman   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Mississippi Valley State   1 – 7     1 – 10  
West Division
Prairie View A&M xy   6 – 2     6 – 6  
Alcorn State x   6 – 2     7 – 4  
Southern   5 – 3     6 – 5  
Grambling State   4 – 4     5 – 6  
Texas Southern   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   1 – 7     2 – 9  
Championship: Florida A&M 35, Prairie View A&M 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 United Athletic Conference standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 18 Austin Peay $^   6 – 0     9 – 3  
Central Arkansas   4 – 2     7 – 4  
Southern Utah   4 – 2     6 – 5  
Eastern Kentucky   4 – 2     5 – 6  
Tarleton State*   4 – 2     8 – 3  
Abilene Christian   3 – 3     5 – 6  
North Alabama   1 – 5     3 – 8  
Utah Tech*   1 – 5     2 – 9  
Stephen F. Austin   0 – 6     3 – 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Note: Tarleton State and Utah Tech are ineligible for the UAC title and FCS postseason play due to transitions from NCAA Division II.
Rankings from STATS Poll
2023 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Kennesaw State*   –     3 – 6  
  • * Note: Kennesaw State ineligible for FCS postseason play due to start of transition to FBS.
Rankings from AP Poll

Playoff qualifiers

Automatic berths for conference champions

Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Montana 27th 2022 Second round - (L - North Dakota State)
Big South–OVC Gardner–Webb 2nd 2022 Second round - (L - William & Mary)
CAA Football Villanova 15th 2021 Quarterfinal - (L - South Dakota State)
Missouri Valley Football Conference South Dakota State 13th 2022 National Champions (W - North Dakota State)
Northeast Conference Duquesne 3rd 2018 Second round - (L - South Dakota State)
Patriot League Lafayette 5th 2013 First round - (L - New Hampshire)
Pioneer Football League Drake 1st None None
Southern Conference Furman 20th 2022 Second round - (L - Incarnate Word)
Southland Conference Nicholls 7th 2019 Second round - (L - North Dakota State)
United Athletic Conference Austin Peay 2nd 2019 Quarterfinals - (L - Montana State)

At large qualifiers

Conference Team Appearance Last bid Result of last appearance
Big Sky Conference Idaho 13th 2022 First round (L - Southeastern Louisiana)
Montana State 13th 2022 Semifinal (L - South Dakota State)
Sacramento State 4th 2022 Quarterfinal (L - Incarnate Word)
CAA Football Albany 3rd 2019 Second round (L - Montana State)
Delaware 19th 2022 Second round (L - South Dakota State)
Richmond 13th 2022 Second round (L - Sacramento State)
Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota 5th 2022 First round (L - Weber State)
North Dakota State 14th 2022 National Runner-up (L - South Dakota State)
South Dakota 3rd 2021 First round (L - Southern Illinois)
Southern Illinois 11th 2021 Second round (L - North Dakota State)
Youngstown State 13th 2016 National Runner-up (L - James Madison)
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference North Carolina Central 1st None None
Southern Conference Chattanooga 5th 2016 Second round (L - Sam Houston State)
Mercer 1st None None

Abstentions

  • Ivy League – Harvard, Yale
  • Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Howard
  • Southwestern Athletic Conference – Florida A&M

Postseason

The FCS again featured a 24-team postseason bracket: 10 teams decided via automatic bids issued to conference champions, and 14 at-large bids (see above). The top eight teams were seeded and received a bye to the second round.

Bowl game

Date Time (EST) Game Site Television Teams Affiliations Results
Dec. 16 12:00 p.m. Celebration Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia 		USA: ABC
Canada: TSN2 		Florida A&M (11–1)
Howard (6–5) 		SWAC
MEAC 		Florida A&M 30
Howard 26

NCAA Division I playoff bracket

First Round
November 25
Campus sites
ESPN+ 		Second Round
December 2
Campus sites
ESPN+ 		Quarterfinals
December 8/9
Campus sites
ABC, ESPN Networks 		Semifinals
December 15/16
Campus sites
ESPN2 		National Championship
January 7
2 p.m. EST
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
ABC, ESPN+
1 South Dakota State 41
Gardner–Webb 7 Mercer 0
Mercer 17 1 South Dakota State 23
8 Villanova 12
8 Villanova 45
Duquesne 7 Youngstown State 28
Youngstown State 40 1 South Dakota State 59
5 Albany 0
5 Albany 41
North Carolina Central 27 Richmond 13
Richmond 49 5 Albany 30
4 Idaho 22
4 Idaho 20OT
Nicholls 0 Southern Illinois 17
Southern Illinois 35 1 South Dakota State 23
2 Montana 3
3 South Dakota 34
Sacramento State 42 Sacramento State 24
North Dakota 35 3 South Dakota 17
North Dakota State 45
6 Montana State 34
Drake 3 North Dakota State 35OT
North Dakota State 66 North Dakota State 29
2 Montana 312OT
7 Furman 26
Chattanooga 24 Chattanooga 7
Austin Peay 21 7 Furman 28
2 Montana 35OT
2 Montana 49
Lafayette 34 Delaware 19
Delaware 36

Source:

Rankings

The top 25 from the Stats Perform and USA Today Coaches Polls.

Pre-season polls

Stats Perform
Ranking Team
1 South Dakota State (56)
2 North Dakota State
3 Montana State
4 William & Mary
5 Holy Cross
6 Furman
7 Incarnate Word
8 Idaho
9 Samford
10 Sacramento State
11 New Hampshire
12 Southeast Missouri State
13 Weber State
14 Montana
15 Southeastern Louisiana
16 UC Davis
17 North Dakota
18 Richmond
19 North Carolina Central
20 Mercer
21 Rhode Island
22 Delaware
23 Northern Iowa
24 Eastern Kentucky
25 Gardner–Webb
USA Today Coaches
Ranking Team
1 South Dakota State (24)
2 North Dakota State (1)
3 Montana State
4 William & Mary
5 Holy Cross
6 Furman
7 Incarnate Word
8 Sacramento State
9 Samford
10 Weber State
11 Southeast Missouri State
12 New Hampshire
13 Idaho
14 Montana
15 Southeastern Louisiana
16 Richmond
17 UC Davis
18 North Dakota
19 North Carolina Central
20 Northern Iowa
21 Delaware
22 Mercer
23 Rhode Island
24 Gardner–Webb
25 Florida A&M


Kickoff games

The regular season began on Saturday, August 26 with three games in Week 0:

  • FCS Kickoff (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama): No. 20 Mercer 17, North Alabama 7
  • Albany 34, Fordham 13
  • MEAC/SWAC Challenge (Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta): Jackson State 37, South Carolina State 7

Regular season top 10 matchups

Rankings reflect the Stats Perform Poll.

  • Week 2
    • No. 1 South Dakota State defeated No. 3 Montana State, 20–16 (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD)
  • Week 4
    • No. 7 Idaho defeated No. 4 Sacramento State, 36–27 (Kibbie Dome, Moscow, ID)
    • No. 3 Montana State defeated No. 10 Weber State, 40–0 (Stewart Stadium, Ogden, UT)
  • Week 7
    • No. 10 Montana defeated No. 3 Idaho, 23–21 (Kibbie Dome, Moscow, ID)
  • Week 8
    • No. 2 Montana State defeated No. 3 Sacramento State, 42–30 (Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, CA)
    • No. 4 Furman defeated No. 8 Western Carolina, 29–17 (Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC)
  • Week 9
    • No. 1 South Dakota State defeated No. 4 South Dakota, 37–3 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, SD)
    • No. 9 Idaho defeated No. 2 Montana State, 24–21 (Kibbie Dome, Moscow, ID)
  • Week 10
    • No. 4 Montana defeated No. 7 Sacramento State, 34–7 (Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT)
    • No. 9 South Dakota defeated No. 10 Southern Illinois, 14–7 (Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, IL)
  • Week 11
    • No. 6 South Dakota defeated No. 10 North Dakota, 14–10 (DakotaDome, Vermillion, SD)
  • Week 12
    • No. 3 Montana defeated No. 4 Montana State, 37–7 (Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT)
    • No. 10 Villanova defeated No. 7 Delaware, 35–7 (Delaware Stadium, Newark, DE)

Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

During the regular season, 33 unranked teams defeated ranked teams.

  • September 2, 2023
  • September 9, 2023
    • Western Carolina 30, No. 8 Samford 7
  • September 16, 2023
    • Eastern Washington 40, No. 19 Southeastern Louisiana 29
  • September 23, 2023
    • Northern Arizona 28, No. 13 Montana 14
    • Eastern Kentucky 41, No. 16 Southeast Missouri State 38
    • Chattanooga 47, No. 20 Samford 24
    • Eastern Washington 27, No. 15 UC Davis 24
  • September 30, 2023
    • South Dakota 24, No. 2 North Dakota State 19
    • Elon 14, No. 5 William & Mary 6
    • Harvard 38, No. 6 Holy Cross 28
    • Towson 54, No. 14 New Hampshire 51
    • Albany 31, No. 16 Villanova 10
    • Northern Iowa 44, No. 23 Youngstown State 41
  • October 7, 2023
    • Northern Arizona 27, No. 13 Weber State 10
    • Youngstown State 31, No. 6 Southern Illinois 3
  • October 14, 2023
    • Idaho State 42, No. 21 Eastern Washington 41
    • UC Davis 17, No. 22 Weber State 16
    • New Hampshire 38, No. 24 Albany 31
  • October 21, 2023
    • Towson 34, No. 13 William & Mary 24
    • Princeton 21, No. 18 Harvard 14
    • Northern Iowa 27, No. 11 North Dakota 0
    • Lafayette 38, No. 15 Holy Cross 35
  • October 28, 2023
    • Mercer 45, No. 10 Western Carolina 38
    • Gardner–Webb 38, No. 14 UT Martin 34
    • Tarleton State 25, No, 18 Central Arkansas 23
    • Northern Arizona 38, No. 25 UC Davis 21
  • November 4, 2023
    • Elon 33, No. 5 Delaware 27
    • Colgate 37, No. 20 Lafayette 34 OT
    • Nicholls 45, No. 8 Incarnate Word 32
  • November 11, 2023
    • Weber State 31, No. 4 Idaho 29
    • Howard 50, No. 7 North Carolina Central 20
    • Missouri State 35, No. 15 Northern Iowa 16
  • November 18, 2023
    • UC Davis 31, No. 8 Sacramento State 21
    • Samford 27, No. 19 UT Martin 17
    • Yale 23, No. 23 Harvard 18
    • Wofford 19, No. 2 Furman 13
    • VMI 27, No. 14 Western Carolina 24

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2023, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled games but before its playoff games. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2023, see 2022 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.

School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement
Columbia Al Bagnoli August 4, 2023 Retired Mark Fabish (interim)
Dartmouth Buddy Teevens September 19, 2023 Died Sammy McCorkle (named full time on October 19)
Northwestern State Brad Laird October 26, 2023 Resigned Weston Glaser (interim)
Southern Eric Dooley November 14, 2023 Fired Terrence Graves (named full time on December 12)

End of season

This list includes coaching changes announced during the season that did not take effect until the end of the season.

School Outgoing coach Date Reason Replacement Previous position
South Carolina State Oliver Pough August 24, 2023 Retired (effective at season's end) Chennis Berry Benedict head coach (2020–2023)
Stony Brook Chuck Priore November 13, 2023 Fired Billy Cosh Western Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023)
East Tennessee State George Quarles November 19, 2023 Fired Tre Lamb Gardner–Webb head coach (2020–2023)
Cornell David Archer November 19, 2023 Fired Dan Swanstrom Penn offensive coordinator (2022–2023)
Western Illinois Myers Hendrickson November 19, 2023 Fired Joe Davis Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2022–2023)
Northern Arizona Chris Ball November 20, 2023 Fired Brian Wright Pittsburg State head coach (2020–2023)
Morehead State Rob Tenyer November 20, 2023 Contract not renewed Jason Woodman Fairmont State head coach (2013–2023)
Texas Southern Clarence McKinney November 20, 2023 Contract not renewed Cris Dishman Vegas Vipers defensive coordinator (2023)
Utah Tech Paul Peterson November 20, 2023 Fired Lance Anderson Boise State senior analyst (2023)
Tennessee Tech Dewayne Alexander November 21, 2023 Fired Bobby Wilder Old Dominion head coach (2009–2019)
Gardner–Webb Tre Lamb November 27, 2023 Hired by East Tennessee State Cris Reisert Tiffin head coach (2019–2023)
Grambling State Hue Jackson November 28, 2023 Fired Mickey Joseph Nebraska interim head coach (2022)
UC Davis Dan Hawkins November 28, 2023 Resigned Tim Plough California tight ends coach (2023)
Northwestern State Weston Glaser (interim) November 28, 2023 Permanent replacement Blaine McCorkle Belhaven head coach (2018–2023)
Marist Jim Parady November 29, 2023 Retired Mike Willis Princeton assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach (2020–2023)
Columbia Mark Fabish (interim) December 2, 2023 Permanent replacement Jon Poppe Union (NY) head coach (2023)
Austin Peay Scotty Walden December 4, 2023 Hired by UTEP Jeff Faris UCLA tight ends coach (2022–2023)
Holy Cross Bob Chesney December 7, 2023 Hired by James Madison Dan Curran Merrimack head coach (2013–2023)
North Dakota State Matt Entz December 10, 2023 Hired as linebackers coach by USC Tim Polasek Wyoming offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2021–2023)
Merrimack Dan Curran December 15, 2023 Hired by Holy Cross Mike Gennetti Merrimack assistant head coach and defensive coordinator (2011–2023)
Campbell Mike Minter December 18, 2023 Resigned Braxton Harris Houston Christian head coach (2023)
Alcorn State Fred McNair December 19, 2023 Contract not renewed Cedric Thomas Alcorn State defensive coordinator (2022–2023)
Florida A&M Willie Simmons January 1, 2024 Hired as running backs coach by Duke James Colzie III Florida A&M assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach (2023)
Murray State Dean Hood January 1, 2024 Retired Jody Wright South Carolina tight ends coach (2022–2023)
Houston Christian Braxton Harris January 2, 2024 Hired by Campbell Jason Bachtel Houston Christian offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023)
Mercer Drew Cronic January 9, 2024 Hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach by Navy Mike Jacobs Lenoir–Rhyne head coach (2020–2023)
Harvard Tim Murphy January 17, 2024 Retired Andrew Aurich Rutgers tight ends coach (2023)
Hampton Robert Prunty April 30, 2024 Fired Trenton Boykin (initially full-season interim, name full time on October 16) Hampton special teams coordinator and running backs coach (2020–2023)

Attendances

The top 30 NCAA Division I FCS football teams by average home attendance:

# College football team Average attendance
1 Jackson State Tigers 30,060
2 Montana Grizzlies 26,269
3 Montana State Bobcats 21,610
4 Alabama State Hornets 19,690
5 Tarleton State Texans 18,697
6 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 18,208
7 Florida A&M Rattlers 17,616
8 Southern Jaguars 17,465
9 Norfolk State Spartans 15,656
10 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 15,564
11 North Dakota State Bison 15,121
12 Sacramento State Hornets 13,348
13 Alabama A&M Bulldogs 12,934
14 Alcorn State Braves 12,018
15 Western Carolina Catamounts 11,935
16 Idaho Vandals 11,737
17 Eastern Kentucky Colonels 11,655
18 Yale Bulldogs 11,581
19 Harvard Crimson 11,555
20 The Citadel Bulldogs 11,005
21 South Carolina State Bulldogs 10,661
22 UC Davis Aggies 10,562
23 Furman Paladins 10,467
24 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 10,288
25 William & Mary Tribe 10,268
26 Youngstown State Penguins 10,065
27 Mercer Bears 9,741
28 Murray State Racers 9,645
29 North Carolina A&T Aggies 9,582
30 North Alabama Lions 9,494

See also

  • 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season
  • 2023 NCAA Division II football season
  • 2023 NCAA Division III football season
  • 2023 NAIA football season
  • 2023 U Sports football season
  • 2023 junior college football season

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