2023 junior college football season

2023 junior college football season
National Championship	Red Grange Bowl, Glen Ellyn, IL, (NJCAA D-III)
Champion(s)	Iowa Western (NJCAA D-I) DuPage (NJCAA D-III) Riverside City (3C2A)

The 2023 junior college football season was the season of intercollegiate junior college football running from September to December 2023. The season ended with three national champions: two from the National Junior College Athletic Association's (NJCAA) Division I and Division III and one from the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A).

The NJCAA Division I champion was Iowa Western who defeated East Mississippi 61–14 in the NJCAA National Football Championship.[1] The NJCAA Division III champion was DuPage who defeated Rochester C&T 33–29 in the Red Grange Bowl.[2] The CCCAA champion was Riverside City who defeated San Mateo 24–21 in the 3C2A State Championship.[3]

Conference changes and new programs

Membership changes

Team	Former conference	New conference	Source
Antelope Valley	American Pacific (APL)	National Northern (NNL)
ASA Miami	D-III independent	School closed	[4]
Chaffey	National Central (NCL)	American Metro (AML)
Citrus	American Metro (AML)	National Central (NCL)
Compton	American Mountain (AML)	American Metro (AML)
Desert	American Mountain (AML)	American Metro (AML)
East Los Angeles	National Northern (NNL)	National Central (NCL)
El Camino	National Central (NCL)	National Northern (NNL)
Glendale (CA)	American Metro (AML)	American Pacific (APL)
Golden West	National Southern (NSL)	National Central (NCL)
Grossmont	American Mountain (AML)	National Southern (NSL)
Long Beach City	National Northern (NNL)	National Central (NCL)
Los Angeles Southwest	American Metro (AML)	American Pacific (APL)
Moorpark	American Pacific (APL)	National Northern (NNL)
Mt. San Jacinto	American Mountain (AML)	National Southern (NSL)
Orange Coast	American Metro (AML)	National Central (NCL)
Pasadena City	American Mountain (AML)	American Pacific (APL)
Riverside City	National Central (NCL)	National Southern (NSL)
San Bernardino Valley	National Southern (NSL)	National Central (NCL)
Santa Barbara City	American Pacific (APL)	National Northern (NNL)
Victor Valley	American Mountain (AML)	American Metro (AML)

Top 5 matchups

Rankings are based on the NJCAA Division I, NJCAA Division III, and 3C2A polls.

Regular season

• Week 2
  • No. 1 (D3) DuPage defeated No. 4 (D3) Rochester C&T, 24–21 (Rochester Regional Stadium and Bubble, Rochester, Minnesota)

• Week 3
  • No. 1 (D1) Hutchinson defeated No. 5 (D1) Iowa Central, 27–2 (Dodger Stadium, Fort Dodge, Iowa)
  • No. 2 (D3) NDSCS defeated No. 3 (D3) Minnesota State C&T, 30–14 (Fergus Falls, Minnesota)

• Week 4
  • No. 1 (D3) DuPage defeated No. 2 (D3) NDSCS, 38–31 (Frank Vertin Field, Wahpeton, North Dakota)
  • No. 3 (D3) Rochester C&T defeated No. 5t (D3) Mesabi Range, 37–21 (Virginia, Minnesota)
  • No. 1 (3C2A) San Mateo defeated No. 5 (3C2A) American River, 24–23 (College Heights Stadium, San Mateo, California)

• Week 5
  • No. 2 (D1) Iowa Western defeated No. 1 (D3) DuPage, 41–14 (Bob MacDougall Field, Glen Ellyn, Illinois)

• Week 7
  • No. 2 (D1) Iowa Western defeated No. 5 (D1) Snow, 20–13 (Terry Foote Stadium, Ephraim, Utah)
  • No. 4 (D3) Rochester C&T defeated No. 2 (D3) NDSCS, 28–27 (Frank Vertin Field, Wahpeton, North Dakota)

• Week 8
  • No. 3 (D3) NDSCS defeated No. 4 (D3) Mesabi Range, 14–7 (Frank Vertin Field, Wahpeton, North Dakota)

• Week 9
  • No. 3 (D1) Kilgore defeated No. 4 (D1) Trinity Valley, 37–17 (R. E. St. John Memorial Stadium, Kilgore, Texas)

• Week 10
  • No. 5 (3C2A) San Mateo defeated No. 1 (3C2A) CC of San Francisco, 44–17 (College Heights Stadium, San Mateo, California)
  • No. 4 (3C2A) Fullerton defeated No. 2 (3C2A) Riverside City, 17–16 (Wheelock Stadium, Riverside, California)

• Week 12
  • No. 1 (D1) Hutchinson defeated No. 2 (D1) Iowa Western, 42–28 (Gowans Stadium, Hutchinson, Kansas)

Conference playoffs

• MCAC playoffs
  • No. 3 (D3) NDSCS defeated No. 4 (D3) Mesabi Range, 21–17 (Frank Vertin Field, Wahpeton, North Dakota)
  • No. 2 (D3) Rochester C&T defeated No. 3 (D3) NDSCS, 24–16 (Husky Stadium, St. Cloud, Minnesota)

Post season

• NJCAA Division I Semifinal
  • No. 4 (D1) East Mississippi defeated No. 1 (D1) Hutchinson, 27–23 (Gowans Stadium, Hutchinson, Kansas)
  • No. 2 (D1) Iowa Western defeated No. 3 (D1) Kilgore, 47–7, (Titan Stadium, Council Bluffs, Iowa)

• NJCAA Division I Championship
  • No. 2 (D1) Iowa Western defeated No. 4 (D1) East Mississippi, 61–14, (War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas)

• Red Grange Bowl (NJCAA Division III Championship)
  • No. 1 (D3) DuPage defeated No. 2 (D3) Rochester C&T, 33–29 (Bob MacDougall Field, Glen Ellyn, Illinois)

• NCFC playoffs
  • No. 4 (3C2A) American River defeated No. 5 (3C2A) CC of San Francisco, 41–6 (Beaver Stadium, Sacramento, California)
  • No. 3 (3C2A) San Mateo defeated No. 4 (3C2A) American River, 30–27 (College Station Stadium, San Mateo, California)

NJCAA Division III team wins over NJCAA Division I teams

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 24	7:00 p.m.	No. 1 DuPage	(D1) Ellsworth	Cadet Football Field • Iowa Falls, Iowa		17–10		[5]
November 4	1:00 p.m.	No. 11 (D1) Georgia Military	No. 1 DuPage	Bob MacDougall Field • Glen Ellyn, Illinois		37–21		[6]
^#Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game.

Upsets

This section lists instances of unranked teams defeating NJCAA Division I, NJCAA Division III, and 3C2A-ranked teams during the season.

Regular season

• Week 1
  • Highland (KS) 20, No. 7 (D1) Coffeyville, 14

• Week 2
  • Monroe College 31, No. 5 (D3) Nassau 13
  • Contra Costa 45, No. 23 (3C2A) Feather River 14
  • Bakersfield 29, No. 21 (3C2A) Long Beach City 27

• Week 3
  • Copiah–Lincoln 23, No. 8 (D1) East Mississippi
  • Tyler 52, No. 13 (D1) Georgia Military
  • Mississippi Gulf Coast 49, No. 3 (D1) Northwest Mississippi 14
  • College of the Canyons 17, No. 21 (3C2A) Palomar 7

• Week 4
  • Georgia Military 17, No. 9 (D1) Lackawanna 9
  • Nassau 13, No. 5t (D3) Hudson Valley 6

• Week 5
  • Highland (KS) 3, No. 14 (D1) Garden City 0
  • Navarro 24, No. 3 (D1) Kilgore
  • Allan Hancock 17, No. 25 (3C2A) Moorpark 10

• Week 6
  • Minnesota State C&T 32, No. 3 (D3) Rochester C&T 29
  • Fresno City 31, No. 16 (3C2A) College of the Sequoias 28
  • Allan Hancock 21, No. 19 (3C2A) Bakersfield 13

• Week 7
  • New Mexico Military 31, No. 6 (D1) Tyler 17
  • Mesabi Range 34, No. 3 (D3) Minnesota State C&T 28

• Week 8
  • East Central (MS) 28, No. 9 (D1) Northeast Mississippi
  • Copiah–Lincoln 28, No. 4 (D1) Mississippi Gulf Coast 23
  • Cisco 21, No. 14 (D1) New Mexico Military 10
  • Sacramento City 34, No. 22 (3C2A) Contra Costa 7

• Week 10
  • Mississippi Delta 36, No. 4 (D1) Jones 33
  • Coffeyville 15, No. 13 (D1) Butler (KS) 7
  • Santa Rosa 17, No. 19 (3C2A) Sierra 14
  • Mt. San Jacinto 16, No. 20 (3C2A) Saddleback 13

• Week 11
  • Navarro 34, No. 12 (D1) Tyler 24
  • Nassau 24, No. 5 (D3) Louisburg 21

• Week 12
  • Georgia Military 31, No. 11 (D1) Lackawanna 24

Postseason

• MCAC playoffs
  • Central Lakes 26, No. 5 (D3) Minnesota State C&T 12

• Bowl games
  • Contra Costa 21, No. 15 (3C2A) Fresno City 14 (Gridiron Classic Bowl)

Conference standings

NJCAA Division I

2023 Iowa Community College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 1 Iowa Western $^   2 – 0     12 – 1   No. 7 Iowa Central   1 – 1     7 – 4   Ellsworth   0 – 2     2 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NJCAA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NJCAA Division I poll	2023 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 Hutchinson $^   6 – 0     10 – 1   No. 6 Dodge City   5 – 1     8 – 3   No. 15 Highland (KS)   3 – 3     6 – 5   Garden City   3 – 3     5 – 6   Butler (KS)   2 – 4     5 – 5   Coffeyville   1 – 5     3 – 7   Independence   1 – 5     2 – 8   $ – Conference champion ^ – NJCAA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NJCAA Division I poll	2023 Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   North Division No. 2 East Mississippi #x$^   6 – 0     10 – 3   No. 13 Northwest Mississippi #   5 – 1     7 – 3   Northeast Mississippi   4 – 2     6 – 3   Holmes   3 – 3     6 – 3   Itawamba   2 – 4     3 – 6   Mississippi Delta   1 – 5     2 – 7   Coahoma   0 – 6     1 – 8   South Division No. 4 Copiah–Lincoln #x   5 – 1     10 – 2   No. 8 Mississippi Gulf Coast #x   5 – 1     8 – 2   Jones (MS) x   5 – 1     6 – 3   Hinds   3 – 3     3 – 6   East Central (MS)   2 – 4     4 – 5   Pearl River   1 – 5     1 – 8   Southwest Mississippi   0 – 6     1 – 8   Championship: East Mississippi 27, Copiah–Lincoln 20 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions ^ – NJCAA Division I playoff participant # – MACJC playoff participant Rankings from NJCAA Division I poll
2023 Northeast Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 14 Lackawanna $   2 – 0     7 – 3   Monroe   0 – 2     6 – 5   $ – Conference champion Rankings from NJCAA Division I poll	2023 Southwest Junior College Football Conference standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Kilgore $^   7 – 1     9 – 2   No. 10 Trinity Valley   5 – 2     7 – 3   No. 12 Navarro   5 – 3     6 – 5   Tyler   4 – 3     5 – 4   New Mexico Military   4 – 3     6 – 6   Cisco   3 – 4     4 – 4   Blinn   1 – 6     3 – 6   Northeastern Oklahoma A&M   0 – 7     0 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – NJCAA Division I playoff participant Rankings from NJCAA Division I poll	2023 NJCAA Division I independents football records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T Sussex County   –   8 – 2 – 0 No. 9 Snow   –   9 – 3 – 0 No. 11 Georgia Military   –   7 – 4 – 0 Community Christian (MI)   –   0 – 6 – 2 Community Christian (CA)   –   0 – 3 – 0 Rankings from NJCAA Division I poll

NJCAA Division III

2023 Minnesota College Athletic Conference football standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 Rochester C&T y$^   5 – 1     8 – 3   No. 3 NDSCS y   4 – 1     8 – 3   No. 4 Mesabi Range   4 – 2     5 – 4   Minnesota State C&T   4 – 2     4 – 4   Central Lakes   3 – 4     4 – 6   Vermilion   1 – 5     1 – 6   Minnesota West C&T   0 – 6     0 – 7   Championship: Rochester C&T 24, NDSCS 16 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant ^ – Red Grange Bowl participate Rankings from NJCAA Division III poll

2023 NJCAA Division III independents football records v t e Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 1 DuPage ^   –   11 – 1 – 0 No. 5 Louisburg   –   5 – 4 – 0 Hudson Valley   –   5 – 5 – 0 Nassau   –   5 – 5 – 0 Erie   –   3 – 7 – 0 Hocking   –   0 – 9 – 2 ^ – Red Grange Bowl participate Rankings from NJCAA Division III poll

3C2A

SCFA

2023 American Metro League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 23 Chaffey $   5 – 0     11 – 0   Santa Ana   4 – 1     9 – 2   Desert   3 – 2     6 – 5   West Los Angeles   2 – 3     2 – 8   Victor Valley   1 – 4     1 – 9   Compton   0 – 5     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion Rankings from 3C2A poll	2023 American Pacific League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Pasadena City $   5 – 0     9 – 2   Glendale (CA)   3 – 2     6 – 4   Los Angeles Southwest   3 – 2     6 – 4   Santa Monica   3 – 2     5 – 5   Los Angeles Valley   1 – 4     4 – 6   Pierce   0 – 5     3 – 7   $ – Conference champion Rankings from 3C2A poll	2023 National Central League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 4 Mt. San Antonio $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   No. 9 Golden West   6 – 1     8 – 3   No. 11 Citrus   4 – 3     8 – 3   No. 15 East Los Angeles   4 – 3     7 – 4   No. 21 Cerritos   3 – 4     5 – 5   Long Beach City   3 – 4     4 – 6   Orange Coast   1 – 6     1 – 9   San Bernardino Valley   0 – 7     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – 3C2A playoff participant Rankings from 3C2A poll
2023 National Northern League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 6 Ventura +^   6 – 1     8 – 4   No. 13 Allan Hancock +   6 – 1     7 – 4   No. 18 College of the Canyons   5 – 2     6 – 5   No. 12 El Camino   4 – 3     7 – 4   No. 20 Bakersfield   4 – 3     6 – 5   Santa Barbara City   2 – 5     4 – 6   Moorpark   1 – 6     3 – 7   Antelope Valley   0 – 7     1 – 9   + – Conference co-champions ^ – 3C2A playoff participant Rankings from 3C2A poll	2023 National Southern League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 5 Fullerton $^   7 – 0     10 – 1   No. 1 Riverside City ^   6 – 1     12 – 1   No. 14 San Diego Mesa   4 – 3     7 – 4   No. 25 Saddleback   4 – 3     5 – 5   Mt. San Jacinto   4 – 3     4 – 6   Palomar   2 – 5     3 – 7   Southwestern (CA)   1 – 6     1 – 9   Grossmont   0 – 7     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – 3C2A playoff participant Rankings from 3C2A poll

NCFC

2023 American Golden Coast League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   Monterey Peninsula $   6 – 0     8 – 3   San Jose City   5 – 1     8 – 2   Hartnell   3 – 3     7 – 4   Cabrillo   3 – 3     6 – 4   West Hills Coalinga   2 – 4     5 – 5   Merced   2 – 4     3 – 7   Gavilan   0 – 6     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion Rankings from 3C2A poll	2023 American Pacific 7 League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 22 Foothill $   5 – 0     11 – 0   College of the Redwoods   4 – 1     9 – 2   Los Medanos   3 – 2     5 – 5   De Anza   1 – 4     2 – 8   College of the Siskiyous   1 – 4     2 – 8   Yuba   1 – 4     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion Rankings from 3C2A poll	2023 National Bay 6 League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 2 San Mateo $^   5 – 0     11 – 2   No. 7 CC of San Francisco ^   4 – 1     9 – 2   Laney   3 – 2     4 – 6   San Joaquin Delta   2 – 3     3 – 7   Diablo Valley   1 – 4     2 – 8   Chabot   0 – 5     0 – 10   $ – Conference champion ^ – 3C2A playoff participant Rankings from 3C2A poll
2023 National Norcal League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 3 American River $^   5 – 0     10 – 2   No. 8 Butte   4 – 1     9 – 2   No. 24 Sierra   2 – 3     5 – 6   Feather River   2 – 3     3 – 7   Santa Rosa   2 – 3     3 – 7   Shasta   0 – 5     1 – 9   $ – Conference champion ^ – 3C2A playoff participant Rankings from 3C2A poll	2023 National Valley League standings v t e Conf Overall Team   W   L     W   L   No. 10 Modesto $^   5 – 0     7 – 4   No. 17 Fresno City   4 – 1     6 – 5   No. 16 Reedley   3 – 2     7 – 4   No. 19 College of the Sequoias   2 – 3     6 – 5   Sacramento City   1 – 4     4 – 6   Contra Costa   0 – 5     6 – 5   $ – Conference champion ^ – 3C2A playoff participant Rankings from 3C2A poll

Rankings

Main article: 2023 junior college football rankings

Pre-season polls

NJCAA Division I Ranking Team 1 Iowa Western 2 Hutchinson 3 Northwest Mississippi 4 Snow 5 Kilgore 6 Jones (MS) 7 Coffeyville 8 East Mississippi 9 Garden City 10 Iowa Central 11 Navarro 12 Butler (KS) 13 Georgia Military 14 Lackawanna 15 Trinity Valley

NJCAA Division III Ranking Team 1 DuPage 2 NDSCS 3 Minnesota State C&T 4t Nassau 4t Hocking 5 Rochester C&T

3C2A Ranking Team 1 San Mateo (8) 2 Riverside City 3 Mt. San Antonio 4 Fullerton 5 American River 6 Golden West 7 CC of San Francisco (1) 8 Ventura 9 Butte 10 Laney 11 Cerritos 12 Fresno City 13 Modesto 14 Sierra 15 College of the Canyons 16 El Camino 17t Allan Hancock 17t San Diego Mesa 19 Diablo Valley 20 Long Beach City 21 College of the Sequoias 22 Feather River 23 Citrus 24 East Los Angeles 25 Santa Rosa

3C2A final regular season rankings

Rank	Team	W–L	Conference and standing	Bowl game
1	Fullerton Hornets	10–0	National Southern League champions	SCFA semifinal
2	Mt. San Antonio Mounties	10–0	National Central League champions	SCFA semifinal
3	San Mateo Bulldogs	9–1	National Bay 6 League champions	NCFC semifinal
4	American River Beavers	9–1	National Norcal League champions	NCFC semifinal
5	CC of San Francisco Rams	9–1	National Bay 6 League second place	NCFC semifinal
6	Riverside City Tigers	9–1	National Southern League second place	SCFA semifinal
7	Butte Roadrunners	8–2	National Norcal League second place	Northern California Bowl
8	Golden West Rustlers	8–2	National Central League second place	Beach Bowl
9	Modesto Pirates	7–3	National Valley League champion	NCFC semifinal
10	Allan Hancock Bulldogs	7–3	National Northern League champion (tie)	Strawberry Bowl
11	Ventura Pirates	7–3	National Northern League champion (tie)	SCFA semifinal
12	Citrus Owls	7–3	National Central League third place (tie)	Western State Bowl
13	College of the Canyons Cougars	6–4	National Northern League third place	Western State Bowl
14	Reedley Tigers	7–3	National Valley League third place	Northern California Bowl
15	Fresno City Rams	6–4	National Valley League second place	Gridiron Classic Bowl
16	Bakersfield Renegades	6–4	National Northern League fourth place (tie)	Patriotic Bowl
17	El Camino Warriors	6–4	National Northern League fourth place (tie)	Beach Bowl
18	San Diego Mesa Olympians	6–4	National Southern League third place (tie)	Strawberry Bowl
19	East Los Angeles Huskies	6–4	National Central League third place (tie)	Patriotic Bowl
20	Cerritos Falcons	5–5	National Central League fifth place (tie)	None
21	Sierra Wolverines	5–5	National Norcal League third place (tie)	Golden State Bowl
22	Foothill Owls	9–0	American Pacific 7 League champion	American Division Bowl
23	Chaffey Panthers	10–0	American Metro League champions	American Division Championship Bowl
24	College of the Sequoias Giants	5–5	National Valley League fourth place	Golden State Bowl
25	Saddleback Bobcats	5–5	National Southern League third place (tie)	None

Final rankings

NJCAA Division I Ranking Team 1 Iowa Western 2 East Mississippi 3 Hutchinson 4 Copiah–Lincoln 5 Kilgore 6 Dodge City 7 Iowa Central 8 Mississippi Gulf Coast 9 Snow 10 Trinity Valley 11 Georgia Military 12 Navarro 13 Northwest Mississippi 14 Lackawanna 15 Highland (KS)

NJCAA Division III Ranking Team 1 DuPage 2 Rochester C&T 3 NDSCS 4 Mesabi Range 5 Louisburg

3C2A Ranking Team 1 Riverside City (11) 2 San Mateo 3 American River 4 Mt. San Antonio 5 Fullerton 6 Ventura 7 CC of San Francisco 8 Butte 9 Golden West 10 Modesto 11 Citrus 12 El Camino 13 Allan Hancock 14 San Diego Mesa 15 East Los Angeles 16 Reedley 17 College of the Canyons 19 College of the Sequoias 20 Bakersfield 21 Cerritos 22 Foothill 23 Chaffey 24 Sierra 25 Saddleback

Postseason

Playoffs

NJCAA Division I

	Semifinals December 2/3 Campus sites					Championship game December 13 War Memorial Stadium—Little Rock, AR
	1	Hutchinson	23
	4	East Mississippi	27
						4	East Mississippi	14
						2	Iowa Western	61
	3	Kilgore	7
	2	Iowa Western	47

[7][8]

3C2A

SCFA playoffs

	Semifinals November 25 Campus sites					Regional finals December 2 Campus sites
	1	Mt. San Antonio	48
	4	Riverside City	51
						3	Ventura	26
						4	Riverside City	45
	2	Fullerton	24
	3	Ventura	27

NCFC playoffs

	Semifinals November 25 Campus sites					Regional finals December 2 Campus sites
	1	San Mateo	41
	4	Modesto	19
						1	San Mateo	30
						2	American River	27
	2	American River	41
	3	CC of San Francisco	6

State Championship

	3C2A State Championship December 9 Wheelock Stadium—Riverside, CA
	1	San Mateo	21
	4	Riverside City	24

[9][10]

Bowl games

The NJCAA Division I and 3C2A had fourteen bowl games combined, featuring teams that did not qualify for their respective leagues' postseason tournament.

Date	Time (EST)	Game	Site	Teams	Results
Nov 19	4:00 p.m.	Southern California Bowl	Campus sites	Santa Ana (8–2) Desert (6–4)	Santa Ana 56 Desert 48
Nov 20	12:30 p.m.	Beach Bowl		El Camino (6–4) Golden West (8–2)	El Camino 22 Golden West 19
Nov 21	5:00 p.m.	Strawberry Bowl		San Diego Mesa (6–4) Allan Hancock (7–3)	San Diego Mesa 42 Allan Hancock 20
Nov 25	2:00 p.m.	Gridiron Classic Bowl		Contra Costa (5–5) Fresno City (6–4)	Contra Costa 21 Fresno City 14
		Patriotic Bowl		East Los Angeles (6–4) Bakersfield (6–4)	East Los Angeles 31 Bakersfield 27
	4:00 p.m.	Western State Bowl		Citrus (7–3) College of the Canyons (6–4)	Citrus 42 College of the Canyons 13
	5:00 p.m.	American Division Championship Bowl		Chaffey (10–0) Pasadena City (9–1)	Chaffey 16 Pasadena City 12
Dec 1	5:00 p.m.	Golden State Bowl		College of the Sequoias (5–5) Sierra (5–5)	College of the Sequoias 31 Sierra 28
	6:00 p.m.	Wool Bowl		Dodge City (7–3) New Mexico Military (6–5)	Dodge City 37 New Mexico Military 6
Dec 2	12:00 p.m.	Northern California Bowl		Butte (8–2) Reedley (7–3)	Butte 30 Reedley 24
		C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl	Memorial Stadium (Commerce, Texas)	Copiah–Lincoln (9–2) Navarro (6–4)	Copiah–Lincoln 28 Navarro 20
	2:00 p.m.	American Division Bowl	Campus sites	Foothill (10–0) Monterey Peninsula (8–2)	Foothill 35 Monterey Peninsula 22
		Grizzly Bowl		College of the Redwoods (8–2) Hartnell (7–3)	College of the Redwoods 63 Hartnell 0
Dec 3	1:00 p.m.	Game One Bowl	UNI-Dome (Cedar Falls, Iowa)	Iowa Central (6–4) Snow (9–2)	Iowa Central 44 Snow 9

Awards and honors

Individual honors

NJCAA Division I honors

Award	Name	Team
Coach of the Year	Scott Strohmeier[11]	Iowa Western
Offensive Player of the Year	Ty Keyes, QB[12]	East Mississippi
Defensive Player of the Year	Daniel Brown, DL[13]	Hutchinson

NJCAA Division III honors

Award	Name	Team
Coach of the Year	Terrence Isaac[14]	Rochester C&T
Offensive Player of the Year	Jaden McGill, RB[15]	DuPage
Defensive Player of the Year	Martell Williams, LB[16]	Rochester C&T

3C2A honors

Region	Award	Name	Team
Overall	Coach of the Year	Tom Craft	Riverside City
I		Tim Tulloch	San Mateo
II		Matt Ravio	Foothill
III		Tom Craft	Riverside City
IV		Darrin Chiaverini	Chaffey
Overall	Offensive Player of the Year	Jordan Barton, QB	Riverside City
I		Anthony Grigsby, QB	San Mateo
II		Hingano Hautau, OL	Foothill
III		Jordan Barton, QB	Riverside City
IV		Dereun Dortch, QB	Chaffey
Overall	Defensive Player of the Year	Josh Tremain, DL	American River
I		Josh Tremain, DL	American River
II		Samari Russo, DL	Merced
III		Marquis Brown, DB; Brandon Tita-Nwu, LB	Golden West; Fullerton
IV		Zamir Richardson, DL	Santa Ana

All-Americans

2023 All-NJCAA Division I Team

Offense Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team QB Ty Keyes 6'2" 225 So. Taylorsville, Mississippi East Mississippi RB Terrez Worthy 5'11" 170 Fr. Salisbury, Maryland Lackawanna RB Johnnie Daniels 5'10" 200 So. Crystal Springs, Mississippi Copiah–Lincoln WR Deion Smith 6'4" 190 So. Jackson, Mississippi Holmes WR Mario Sanders II 5'10" 190 Fr. Minneapolis, Minnesota Iowa Central TE Greg Genross 6'6" 235 So. New York City, New York Dodge City OL Seth Wilfred 6'5" 329 Fr. Las Vegas, Nevada Snow OL Alex Fox 6'3" 300 So. New Castle, Pennsylvania Lackawanna OL Que McBroom 6'5" 325 So. St. Louis, Missouri NE Oklahoma A&M OL Issiah Walker 6'5" 300 So. Miami, Florida Butler (KS) OL Jonathan Young 6'5" 286 So. Orland Park, Illinois Iowa Central PK Gabriel Showalter 5'10" 175 So. St. Martin, Mississippi Mississippi Gulf Coast

Defense Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team LB Travion Barnes 6'0" 224 So. Altamonte Springs, Florida Georgia Military LB Keaton Thomas 6'2" 224 Fr. Jacksonville, Florida Northeast Mississippi LB Bryan Cuthbertson 6'1" 245 Fr. Sherwood, Oregon Snow DL Daniel Brown 6'1" 250 So. Kansas City, Kansas Hutchinson DL Billy Pullen 6'3" 245 So. Kaufman, Texas Copiah–Lincoln DL Clev Lubin 6'3" 245 Fr. Suffern, New York Iowa Western DL Jaylen Pettus 6'3" 235 So. Des Moines, Iowa Iowa Western DB Ryan Nolan 5'10" 181 Fr. Gainesville, Florida Hutchinson DB Joshua Pierre-Louis 6'0" 173 So. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Iowa Western DB Isaiah Crosby 5'10" 180 So. Manor, Texas Trinity Valley DB Anthony Pinnace 6'0" 170 Fr. Ann Arbor, Michigan Independence RS Tre Richardson 5'10" 175 Fr. Topeka, Kansas Hutchinson P James Allen 6'3" 190 So. Australia Trinity Valley

[17]

2023 All-NJCAA Division III Team

Offense Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team QB Peyton O'Laughlin 6'0" 200 So. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin DuPage RB Jaden McGill 6'0" 205 So. Chicago, Illinois DuPage RB Roosevelt Cage 6'0" 215 So. Burnsville, Minnesota NDSCS WR Trevion Carothers 5'8" 160 Fr. Racine, Wisconsin NDSCS WR Rayshion Bien-Aise 6'2" 175 So. Deerpark, New York Nassau WR Terrence Isaac Jr. 6'1" 185 So. DeSoto, Texas Rochester C&T OL Gavin Layton 6'6" 290 So. Andover, Minnesota Rochester C&T OL Alejandro Arellano 6'3" 305 Fr. Sterling, Illinois DuPage OL Damaurius Stewart 6'3" 310 So. South Holland, Illinois DuPage OL Dawson Hageman 6'2" 275 So. Grand Forks, North Dakota NDSCS OL Ethan Bonacchi 6'6" 295 So. Levittown, New York Nassau PK Christian Casillas 6'0" 205 Fr. Alsip, Illinois DuPage

Defense Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team LB Shamarr Joppy 6'1" 202 So. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Hudson Valley LB Martell Williams 5'11" 235 So. Hillside, Illinois Rochester C&T LB Kellon King 6'1" 235 Fr. Palatine, Illinois DuPage DL Jason Gwan 6'2" 260 Fr. Buffalo, New York Erie DL Teyel Lowe 6'4" 260 So. Worthington, Minnesota Minnesota West C&T DL Seth Thomas 5'9" 270 So. Mattawan, Michigan Rochester C&T DL Bobby Anderson 6'4" 240 So. Bolingbrook, Illinois DuPage DB Brandon Perry 6'1" 192 Fr. Charlotte, North Carolina Louisburg DB Riley Dravet 5'11" 190 So. Winfield, Illinois DuPage DB Guy Goss 5'11" 173 So. Hinsdale, Illinois DuPage DB Alex Briggs So. Vermilion RS Quonterrion Brooks 6'0" 195 Fr. Rock Island, Illinois Minnesota West C&T P Thomas Dellaporta 6'3" 225 So. East Setauket, New York Nassau

[18]

2023 All-California Community College Team

Offense Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team QB Jordan Barton 6'0" 185 So. La Verne, California Riverside City RB Christian Vaughn 5'10" 215 So. Las Vegas, Nevada Butte RB Nicholas Floyd 5'11" 200 So. Riverside, California Mt. San Antonio WR Robert Freeman IV 5'8" 185 So. El Cerrito, California American River WR Noah Cronquist 5'11" 195 So. Moorpark, California Moorpark WR Demari Davis 6'1" 175 So. San Pablo, California Contra Costa TE Ryan Boultwood 6'5" 235 Fr. Upland, California Mt. San Antonio OL Jakob Lemus 6'5" 300 So. Oxnard, California Ventura OL Ryan Cheeseman 6'3" 290 So. Elk Grove, California American River OL Daylon Metoyer 6'4" 315 So. Hesperia, California Mt. San Antonio OL Tyler McMahan 6'6" 295 So. Sutter Creek, California Modesto OL Leo Togia 6'4" 240 So. Nuʻuuli, American Samoa Allan Hancock OL Hingano Hautau 6'6" 325 So. San Jose, California Foothill All-Purpose Bryce Strong 5'10" 170 So. Ontario, California Riverside City Utility Anthony Grigsby Jr. 5'11" 190 Fr. Stockton, California San Mateo PK Caleb Ojeda 5'11" 180 So. Morgan Hill, California San Mateo

Defense Position Name Height Weight (lbs.) Class Hometown Team LB Josh Tremain 6'1" 225 So. Folsom, California American River LB Brandon Tita-Nwa 6'0" 200 So. Memphis, Tennessee Fullerton LB Aiden Sullivan 6'2" 215 So. Twentynine Palms, California Butte LB Katin Surprenant 6'3" 240 So. Upland, California Mt. San Antonio DL Gabe Foster 6'1" 225 So. Gardnerville, Nevada Butte DL James Gillespie 6'3" 300 So. Woodbridge, Virginia Ventura DL Rhett Sarvela 6'3" 245 So. Vancouver, Washington College of the Sequoias DL Carl Nesmith 6'5" 240 So. Jacksonville, Florida Fullerton DL Zamir Richardson 6'3" 215 Fr. Placentia, California Santa Ana DB Marquis Brown 6'4" 200 So. Huntington Beach, California Golden West DB Ja'ir Smith 6'1" 190 So. Charlotte, North Carolina San Mateo DB Zedekiah Rodriguez-Brown 5'11" 185 So. La Puente, California Cerritos DB Kevin Washington Jr. 6'1" 205 So. Miami, Florida Fresno City Utility Jeremiah Henry 6'3" 280 So. Oviedo, Florida Laney KR Jonah Marcaida 5'10" 185 So. Reno, Nevada Butte PR Jordin Young 5'10" 170 Fr. San Diego Mesa P Jeremy Ramirez 6'1" 220 Fr. Rancho Cucamonga, California Mt. San Antonio

[19]

Coaching changes

This list includes all head coaching changes announced during or after the season.

School	Outgoing coach	Reason	Replacement	Previous position
CC of San Francisco	Jimmy Collins	Hired as head coach for Diablo Valley[20]	Eduardo Yagües Nuño	CC of San Francisco offensive line coach (1998–2023)
Central Lakes	Greg Medeck	Hired as athletic director by Central Lakes[21]	Toby Thurman[21]	Armijo HS (CA) head coach (2019–2023)
Chaffey	Darrin Chiaverini	Hired as head coach by Northeastern State[22]	Ben Buys[23]	La Salle College Prep (CA) head coach (2019–2023)
Coffeyville	Jeff Leiker	Resigned[24]	Nick Dobler[25]	Coffeyville defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2020–2023)
College of the Sequoias	Travis Burkett	Resigned[26]	Matt Mendonca[27]	College of the Sequoias defensive coordinator (2022–2023)
College of the Siskiyous	Tyler Knudsen	Resigned[28][a]	Adam Groppi (full-season interim)	Weed HS (CA) head coach (2022–2023)
Diablo Valley	Austin Kiraly (full-season interim)	Permanent coach hired	Jimmy Collins[20]	CC of San Francisco head coach (2015–2023)
Dodge City	Terry Karg	Resigned	Ryan Lusby[29]	Texas–Permian Basin assistant head coach and offensive coordinator (2023)
East Los Angeles	Bobby Godinez	Resigned[30]	Arnie Robles (full-season interim)	East Los Angeles assistant coach (2023)
Ellsworth	Kory Vaught	Resigned[31]	Matt White[32]	UVA Wise defensive coordinator (2020–2023)
Fullerton	Garrett Campbell	Resigned	Phil Austin / Brian Crooks (co-head coaches)	Fullerton assistant coach (2017–2023) / Fullerton defensive coordinator (2010–2023)
Garden City	Tom Minnick	Fired[33]	Kiyoshi Harris[34]	Boise State recruiting coordinator (2022–2023)
Hartnell	Matt Collins	Resigned[35]	Ruben Lerma (full-season interim)	Hartnell running backs coach and offensive line coach (2018–2023)
Minnesota State C&T	Austin Jones	Resigned	Bernard Holsey[36]	Minnesota State C&T defensive coordinator and defensive line coach (2023)
Minnesota West C&T	Conner Kunkel (full-season interim)	Resigned	Jermaine Smith[37]	Campbell defensive analyst (2023)
Nassau	Jamel Ramsay	Hired as head coach by Maritime[38]	Jhaleel Oswald[39]	Nassau defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator (2021–2023)
New Mexico Military	Kurt Taufa'asau	Hired as head coach by New Mexico Highlands[40]	Oliver Soukup[41]	Eastern New Mexico defensive coordinator (2023)
San Bernardino Valley	Daniel Algattas	N/A	Nate Turner[b][42]	San Marino HS (CA) head coach (2023)
Santa Ana	Anthony White[c]	Died[43]	Geoff Jones[d]	Santa Ana co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach (2023)
Southwestern (CA)	Dionicio Monarrez Jr.	Resigned[44]	Oscar Rodriguez[45]	Kansas defensive analyst (2022–2023)
Vermilion	Earnest Wilson	Resigned	Tyree Johnson[46]	Crookston HS (MN) defensive coordinator (?–2023)
West Los Angeles	Steve Ruedaflores	N/A	Eric Scott[47]	San Jose State wide receivers coach (2021–2023)
Yuba	Mike Pomfret	Resigned[48]	Tim Mulvehill[49]	Placer HS (CA) assistant coach (?–2023)

See also

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

References and notes

1. Murphy, Alex (December 14, 2023). "East Mississippi battered by Iowa Western in NJCAA national championship". The Dispatch. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
2. "Three-peat reality in 33-29 stunner over Rochester C&TC". College of DuPage. December 2, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
3. "RCC Gridiron Glory: Tigers Soar to Victory in 3C2A Football State Finals". rccd.edu. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
4. Schwartz, Natalie (February 24, 2023). "Embattled for-profit ASA College closes without teach-out plan". Higher Ed Dive. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
5. Reinhiller, Mark (August 28, 2023). "No. 1 COD earns Week 1 victory, 17-10 at Ellsworth". College of DuPage. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
6. Reinhiller, Mark (November 4, 2023). "No. 1 Chaps reach first 10-win season in 28 years, 37-21 over Georgia Military". College of DuPage. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
7. "Teams Set for 2023 NJCAA D1 Football Championship". AMP. December 6, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
8. Reed, Jeff (December 14, 2023). "Former Boll Weevil leads Reivers to title | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
9. "3C2A Championships". 3C2A. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
10. Pope, Dennis (December 10, 2023). "Riverside City College beats San Mateo to win CCCAA football championship". Press Enterprise. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
11. "Iowa Western's Scott Strohmeier named DI Football Coach of the Year". National Junior College Athletic Association. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
12. "Ty Keyes named DI Football Offensive Player of the Year". National Junior College Athletic Association. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
13. "Daniel Brown named DI Defensive Player of the Year". National Junior College Athletic Association. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
14. "Terrence Isaac named 2023 NJCAA Division III Football Coach of the Year". National Junior College Athletic Association. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
15. "Chaps sophomore McGill tabbed DIII Football Offensive Player of the Year". National Junior College Athletic Association. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
16. "Rochester linebacker Williams named DIII Football Defensive Player of the Year". National Junior College Athletic Association. December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
17. "2023 NJCAA DI Football All-America Teams". National Junior College Athletic Association. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
18. "2023 NJCAA DIII Football All-America Teams". National Junior College Athletic Association. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
19. Baer, Fred. "2023 All-America Community College Football Team" (PDF). California Community College Athletic Association. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
20. "Jimmy Collins named Next Head Football Coach for the Vikings". Diablo Valley College. May 3, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
21. Perrine, Jessie (January 22, 2024). "CLC Names Head Football Coach". Westbank Journal. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
22. Kazmierczak, Anthony (December 18, 2023). "Former Colorado offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini lands Division II job". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
23. Reed-Baiotto, Brian (February 24, 2024). "FootballChaffey College Hires La Salle's Ben Buys as New Football Coach; Former APU Standout is all About Faith, Family & Football". 210 Prep Sports. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
24. "Coffeyville Community College Announces Jeff Leiker's Transition from Head Football Coach to Exclusive Role as Athletic Director". Red Raven Athletics. November 17, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
25. "Coffeyville Defensive Coordinator Nick Dobler Accepts Red Raven Head Football Coach Position". Red Raven Athletics. November 20, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
26. "Travis Burkett Steps Down as COS Head Football Coach". College of the Sequoias. July 8, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
27. "Matt Mendonca Elevated to COS Head Football Coach". College of the Sequoias. July 9, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
28. "Welcome Adam Groppi - Interim Head Football Coach". College of the Siskiyous. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
29. Smith, Mike (June 14, 2024). "Ryan Lusby Tabbed as Next Head Football Coach". Dodge City Conquistadors. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
30. Haynes, Cerwin D. (April 10, 2024). "Godinez Steps Down from Football, Remains as AD". East Los Angeles College. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
31. VanWingen, Marissa (November 15, 2023). "Vaught steps down as ECC football coach". Times Citizen. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
32. "Ellsworth Hires Matt White as Head Football Coach". ECC Athletics. December 21, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
33. "Minnick and Garden City part ways". Garden City Athletics. November 14, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
34. "Kiyoshi Harris introduced as the 24th head coach in program history". Garden City Athletics. November 28, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
35. "Thank You Coach Collins". Hartnell College. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
36. "Former NFL player Bernard Holsey named head coach of Spartans Football". Minnesota State Community and Technical College. November 21, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
37. "Minnesota West Community & Technical College Welcomes Jermaine Smith as New Head Coach". Minnesota West Athletics. February 17, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
38. "Jamel Ramsay Tabbed to Lead Maritime Football Program". Maritime College Athletics. March 27, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
39. "Jhaleel Oswald Elevated To Head Football Coach At NCC". Nassau Lions. May 15, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
40. "Kurt Taufa'asau Named NMHU Head Football Coach". New Mexico Highlands Athletics. May 29, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
41. "Soukup set to take reins of Bronco football". New Mexico Military Institute. June 18, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
42. Pope, Dennis (September 4, 2024). "San Bernardino Valley College football outlook: Turner moving fast despite late start". The Sun. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
43. "SAC Head Football Coach Anthony White Passes After Battle with Cancer". Santa Ana College. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
44. "Dionicio Monarrez, Jr. has resigned as head football coach". Southwestern College. December 7, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
45. "Southwestern College names Oscar Rodriguez, Jr. as new Head Football Coach". Southwestern College. February 28, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
46. "New Football Head Coach". Vermilion Athletics. June 27, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
47. Barnett, Zach (July 23, 2024). "West LA College hires former FBS assistant as head coach". FootballScoop. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
48. Larson, Jeff (April 9, 2024). "Mike Pomfret resigns as head coach of Yuba College football: Ohio native served one season for the 49ers". The Appeal. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
49. Dapper, Michelle (September 13, 2024). "Yuba College 49ers strike gold by hiring Tim Mulvehill". KCRA 3. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

1. Remained on the staff as defensive coordinator.
2. Initially Iona Uiagalelei was hired but left before the season began.
3. Co-head coach alongside Adam Nyssen.
4. Co-head coach alongside Adam Nyssen.