2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season

For the 2023 FBS season, see 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

2023 NCAA Division I FCS season
Regular season
Number of teams	128
Duration	August 26 – December 2
Payton Award	Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State
Buchanan Award	Terrell Allen, DE, Tennessee State
Playoff
Duration	November 25 – December 16
Championship date	2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
Championship site	Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas
Champion	South Dakota State
NCAA Division I FCS football seasons
« 2022 2024 »

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. ^[1] South Dakota State repeated as champions, defeating Montana, 23–3.

Notable headlines

• October 4 – The NCAA announced several major changes to Division I football recruiting and governance rules: ^[2]
  • 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. ^[3] Two weeks after the shooting, Northwestern State canceled the remainder of its season, and head coach Brad Laird resigned. ^[4]

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 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. ^[5] In April 2023, the partnership was formally rebranded as the United Athletic Conference (UAC), a football-only league separate from the two conferences. ^[6] The NCAA denied the UAC's request to be classified as a single-sport FCS football conference, ^[7] 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. ^[8]
• 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. ^[9]

School	2022 conference	2023 conference
Abilene Christian	WAC	United
Austin Peay	ASUN	United
Campbell	Big South	CAA
Central Arkansas	ASUN	United
Eastern Kentucky	ASUN	United
Jacksonville State	ASUN (FCS)	C-USA (FBS)
Kennesaw State	ASUN	FCS Independent
Murray State	Ohio Valley	MVFC
North Alabama	ASUN	United
North Carolina A&T	Big South	CAA
Sam Houston State	WAC (FCS)	C-USA (FBS)
Southern Utah	WAC	United
Tarleton State	WAC	United
Stephen F. Austin	WAC	United
Utah Tech	WAC	United

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 champion ^ – 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 As of April 24, 2024 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. ^[10]

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: ^[11]

Rankings

Main article: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football 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
  • Morgan State 17, No. 18 Richmond 10
• 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 [12]	Mark Fabish (interim)
Dartmouth	Buddy Teevens	September 19, 2023	Died [13]	Sammy McCorkle (named full time on October 19)
Northwestern State	Brad Laird	October 26, 2023	Resigned [4]	Weston Glaser (interim)
Southern	Eric Dooley	November 14, 2023	Hired as Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach by Grambling State [14]	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) [15]	Chennis Berry	Benedict head coach (2020–2023)
Stony Brook	Chuck Priore	November 13, 2023	Fired [16]	Billy Cosh	Western Michigan offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023)
East Tennessee State	George Quarles	November 19, 2023	Hired as Tight Ends Coach by Austin Peay [17]	Tre Lamb	Gardner–Webb head coach (2020–2023)
Cornell	David Archer	November 19, 2023	Fired [18]	Dan Swanstrom	Penn offensive coordinator (2022–2023)
Western Illinois	Myers Hendrickson	November 19, 2023	Fired [19]	Joe Davis	Eastern Illinois offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2022–2023)
Northern Arizona	Chris Ball	November 20, 2023	Fired [20]	Brian Wright	Pittsburg State head coach (2020–2023)
Morehead State	Rob Tenyer	November 20, 2023	Contract not renewed [21]	Jason Woodman [22]	Fairmont State head coach (2013–2023)
Texas Southern	Clarence McKinney	November 20, 2023	Contract not renewed [23]	Cris Dishman [24]	Vegas Vipers defensive coordinator (2023)
Utah Tech	Paul Peterson	November 20, 2023	Fired [25]	Lance Anderson [26]	Boise State senior analyst (2023)
Tennessee Tech	Dewayne Alexander	November 21, 2023	Fired [27]	Bobby Wilder	Old Dominion head coach (2009–2019)
Gardner–Webb	Tre Lamb	November 27, 2023	Hired by East Tennessee State [28]	Cris Reisert	Tiffin head coach (2019–2023)
Grambling State	Hue Jackson	November 28, 2023	Fired [29]	Mickey Joseph	Nebraska interim head coach (2022)
UC Davis	Dan Hawkins	November 28, 2023	Resigned [30]	Tim Plough	California tight ends coach (2023)
Northwestern State	Weston Glaser (interim)	November 28, 2023	Permanent replacement [31]	Blaine McCorkle	Belhaven head coach (2018–2023)
Marist	Jim Parady	November 29, 2023	Retired [32]	Mike Willis [33]	Princeton assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach (2020–2023)
Columbia	Mark Fabish (interim)	December 2, 2023	Permanent replacement [34]	Jon Poppe	Union (NY) head coach (2023)
Austin Peay	Scotty Walden	December 4, 2023	Hired by UTEP [35]	Jeff Faris	UCLA tight ends coach (2022–2023)
Holy Cross	Bob Chesney	December 7, 2023	Hired by James Madison [36]	Dan Curran	Merrimack head coach (2013–2023)
North Dakota State	Matt Entz	December 10, 2023	Hired as linebackers coach by USC [37]	Tim Polasek	Wyoming offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2021–2023)
Merrimack	Dan Curran	December 15, 2023	Hired by Holy Cross [38]	Mike Gennetti	Merrimack assistant head coach and defensive coordinator (2011–2023)
Campbell	Mike Minter	December 18, 2023	Resigned [39]	Braxton Harris	Houston Christian head coach (2023)
Alcorn State	Fred McNair	December 19, 2023	Hired as Tight Ends Coach by Southern	Cedric Thomas [40]	Alcorn State defensive coordinator (2022–2023)
Florida A&M	Willie Simmons	January 1, 2024	Hired as running backs coach by Duke [41]	James Colzie III [42]	Florida A&M assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach (2023)
Murray State	Dean Hood	January 1, 2024	Hired as Director of Player Development by Kentucky [43]	Jody Wright [44]	South Carolina tight ends coach (2022–2023)
Houston Christian	Braxton Harris	January 2, 2024	Hired by Campbell [45]	Jason Bachtel [46]	Houston Christian offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2023)
Mercer	Drew Cronic	January 9, 2024	Hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach by Navy [47]	Mike Jacobs [48]	Lenoir–Rhyne head coach (2020–2023)
Harvard	Tim Murphy	January 17, 2024	Retired [49]	Andrew Aurich	Rutgers tight ends coach (2023)

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

References

1. "FCS Championship: Future dates and sites". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
2. "DI Council approves changes to notification-of-transfer windows" (Press release). NCAA. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
3. "Northwestern State's Ronnie Caldwell dies in shooting". ESPN.com. October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
4. Wilson, Dave (October 26, 2023). "Northwestern St. halts season, coach resigns after player's death". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
5. "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
6. "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands As The United Athletic Conference" (Press release). Western Athletic Conference. April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
7. Vannini, Chris (April 27, 2023). "United Athletic Conference NCAA waiver request denied". The Athletic . Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
8. "Big South Conference and OVC Announce Football Agreement; Unique Association to Benefit All Football Members" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
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