# 2023 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference season

The 2023 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference season is the 17th season of the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference, branded as CAA Football, taking place during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The season began on August 26, 2023 with non-conference play; conference play will begin on September 23, 2023.
While this season is the first for the conference's full name of Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference, with the first word having been "Colonial" from 2007 through 2022, the brand name of CAA Football has been used since the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association took over operation of the former Atlantic 10 football conference in 2007.

## Background

Campbell and North Carolina A&T joined CAA Football from the Big South Conference. Campbell also joined the multi-sports CAA at that time, while A&T had joined the multi-sports CAA in 2022.

### Previous season

The 2022 Colonial Athletic Association co-champions were No. 8 William & Mary with an overall record of 11–2 and an in-conference record of 7–1 alongside No. 13 New Hampshire with a record of 9–4 with an in-conference record of 7–1.

## Preseason
### Recruiting classes

National Rankings :
| Team | Total Signees |
| Albany | 11 |
| Campbell | 17 |
| Delaware | 28 |
| Elon | 13 |
| Hampton | 13 |
| Maine | 25 |
| Monmouth | 21 |
| New Hampshire | n/a |
| North Carolina A&T | n/a |
| Rhode Island | 17 |
| Richmond | 15 |
| Stony Brook | 20 |
| Towson | 18 |
| Villanova | 11 |
| William & Mary | 13 |

### CAA media day

The 2023 CAA media day was held on July 25, 2023. The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows:
* CAA Commissioner – Joe D'Antonio
* Albany – Greg Gattuso (HC) / Reese Poffenbarger (QB) / Larry Walker Jr. (DB)
* Campbell – Mike Minter (HC) / CJ Tillman (LB) / Hajj-Malik Williams (QB)
* Delaware – Ryan Carty (HC) / Chase McGowan (DL) / Jourdan Townsend (WR)
* Elon – Tony Trisciani (HC) / Bo Sanders (DB) / Jabril Williams (OL)
* Hampton – Robert Prunty (HC) / Romon Copeland (WR) / Qwahsin Townsel (LB)
* Maine – Jordan Stevens (HC) / Derek Robertson (QB) / Vince Thomas (LB)
* Monmouth – Kevin Callahan (HC) / Eddie Morales III (DB) / Jaden Shirden (RB)
* New Hampshire – Rick Santos (HC) / Max Brosmer (QB) / Max Oxendine (S)
* North Carolina A&T – Vincent Brown (HC) / Cesar Minarro (C) / Karon Prunty (CB)
* Rhode Island – Jim Fleming (HC) / Kasim Hill (QB) / Evan Stewart (LB)
* Richmond – Russ Huesman (HC) / Ryan Coll (OL) / Tristan Wheeler (LB)
* Stony Brook – Chuck Priore (HC) / Taylor Bolesta (LB) / RJ Lamarre (WR)
* Towson – Pete Shinnick (HC) / Jesus Gibbs (DL) / D’Ago Hunter (RB/PR/KR)
* Villanova – Mark Ferrante (HC) / Jalen Goodman (DB) / Jaaron Hayek (WR)
* William & Mary – Mike London (HC) / Nate Lynn (DL) / Bronson Yoder (RB)

### Preseason poll

The preseason poll was released on July 25, 2023.
CAA :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | William & Mary | 195 (13) |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 195 (1) |
| 3 | Richmond | 159 |
| 4 | Delaware | 149 (1) |
| 5 | Elon | 146 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 135 |
| 7 | Villanova | 129 |
| 8 | Monmouth | 94 |
| 9 | Towson | 85 |
| 10 | North Carolina A&T | 70 |
| 11 | Albany | 64 |
| 12 | Campbell | 62 |
| 13 | Maine | 40 |
| 14 | Stony Brook | 38 |
| 15 | Hampton | 30 |
* First place votes in

#### Preseason All-CAA teams

2023 Preseason All-CAA
* Offensive Player of the Year: Jaden Shirden, RB, Monmouth, Jr.
* Defensive Player of the Year: John Pius, DL, William & Mary, Jr.
All-CAA Offense :
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| QB | Max Brosmer | Junior | New Hampshire |
| RB | Dylan Laube | Senior | New Hampshire |
| RB | Jaden Shirden | Junior | Monmouth |
| FB | Johncarlos Miller III | Senior | Elon |
| TE | Kyle Lepkowski | Senior | New Hampshire |
| WR | Jaaron Hayek | Graduate | Villanova |
| WR | Dymere Miller | Senior | Monmouth |
| WR | Jourdan Townsend | Graduate | Delaware |
| OL | Ryan Coll | Senior | Richmond |
| OL | Michael Corbi | Graduate | Villanova |
| OL | Nick Correia | Senior | Rhode Island |
| OL | Mike Edwards | Graduate | Campbell |
| OL | Charles Grant | Junior | William & Mary |
| OL | Tairiq Stewart | Graduate | North Carolina A&T |
| PK | Alex Schmoke | Graduate | Delaware |
| KR | D'Ago Hunter | Graduate | Towson |
| PR | Dylan Laube | Senior | New Hampshire |
All-CAA Defense :
| Position | Player | Class | Team |
| DL | Marlem Louis | Senior | Richmond |
| DL | Nate Lynn | Senior | William & Mary |
| DL | Dylan Ruiz | Junior | New Hampshire |
| DL | Josiah Silver | Junior | New Hampshire |
| LB | Isaiah Jones | Senior | William & Mary |
| LB | John Pius | Junior | William & Mary |
| LB | Qwahsin Townsel | Graduate | Hampton |
| LB | Tristan Wheeler | Senior | Richmond |
| CB | Jalen Jones | Sophomore | William & Mary |
| CB | Karon Prunty | Junior | North Carolina A&T |
| CB | Ryan Poole | Senior | William & Mary |
| S | Aaron Banks | Graduate | Richmond |
| S | Bo Sanders | Senior | Elon |
| P | Ryan Kost | Graduate | Delaware |
| SPEC | Chandler Brayboy | Junior | Elon |
All-CAA Honorable Mention :
| Position | Player | Team |
| QB | Kasim Hill | Rhode Island |
| QB | Reese Poffenbarger | Albany |
| QB | Darius Wilson | William & Mary |
| RB | Jalen Hampton | Elon |
| TE | Braden Brose | Delaware |
| WR | Joey Corcoran | New Hampshire |
| WR | Kahtero Summers | Rhode Island |
| OL | Greg Anderson | Monmouth |
| OL | Fintan Brose | Delaware |
| OL | Lorenzo Thompson | Rhode Island |
| OL | Jabril Williams | Elon |
| DL | Jesus Gibbs | Towson |
| DL | Jeremiah Grant | Richmond |
| DL | Anton Juncaj | Albany |
| LB | Evan Stewart | Rhode Island |
| LB | CJ Tillman | Campbell |
| CB | Kahzir Brown | Maine |
| CB | Robert Javier | Towson |
| CB | Mike Reid | Monmouth |
| S | Jalen Goodman | Villanova |
| S | Bryson Parker | Richmond |
| PK | Caleb Dowden | Campbell |
| PK | Matt Mercurio | Villanova |
| P | Will Whitehurst | William & Mary |
| KR | Taymon Cooke | North Carolina A&T |

## Head coaches

| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | CAA record |
| Albany | Greg Gattuso | 10 | 136–89 | 39–57 | 22–46 |
| Campbell | Mike Minter | 11 | 44–60 | 44–60 | 0–0 |
| Delaware | Ryan Carty | 2 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 4–4 |
| Elon | Tony Trisciani | 5 | 20–20 | 20–20 | 15–13 |
| Hampton | Robert Prunty | 6 | 21–23 | 21–23 | 1–7 |
| Maine | Jordan Stevens | 2 | 2–9 | 2–9 | 2–6 |
| Monmouth | Kevin Callahan | 31 | 178–135 | 178–135 | 3–5 |
| New Hampshire | Rick Santos | 3 | 15–9 | 15–9 | 12–4 |
| North Carolina A&T | Vincent Brown | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Rhode Island | Jim Fleming | 10 | 52–63 | 31–62 | 20–47 |
| Richmond | Russ Huesman | 7 | 92–66 | 33–29 | 23–21 |
| Stony Brook | Chuck Priore | 18 | 136–100 | 97–91 | 34–42 |
| Towson | Pete Shinnick | 1 | 79–83 | 76–76 | 49–55 |
| Villanova | Mark Ferrante | 7 | 37–26 | 37–26 | 23–21 |
| William & Mary | Mike London | 6 | 85–77 | 23–16 | 15–12 |

## Schedule

* Index to colors and formatting
* CAA member won
* CAA member lost
* CAA teams in bold
All times EST time.

### Regular season schedule
#### Week One

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Fordham | Albany | Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium • Albany, NY | FloSports | W 34-13 | 8,500 |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 21 Rhode Island | Georgia State | Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA | ESPN+ | L 35-42 | 15,546 |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 22 Delaware | Stony Brook | Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium • Stony Brook, NY | FloSports | DEL 37-13 | 11,132 |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 4 William & Mary | Campbell | Barker–Lane Stadium • Buies Creek, NC | FloSports | W&M 34-24 | 4,167 |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Elon | Wake Forest | Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium • Buies Creek, NC | ACC Network | L 17-37 | 30,028 |
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | North Carolina A&T | UAB | Protective Stadium • Birmingham, AL | ESPN+ | L 6-35 | 25,363 |
| September 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Villanova | Lehigh | Goodman Stadium • Bethlehem, PA | ESPN+ | W 38-10 | 4,360 |
| September 2 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 11 New Hampshire | Stonehill | W.B. Mason Stadium • Easton, MA | NEC Front Row | W 51-17 | 2,400 |
| September 2 | 3:00 p.m. | Grambling State | Hampton | Red Bull Arena • Harrison, NJ (Brick City Classic) | NFLN | W 35-31 | 7,500 |
| September 2 | 3:30 p.m. | Towson | Maryland | SECU Stadium • College Park, MD | BTN | L 6-38 | 37,241 |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Monmouth | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | ESPN+ | L 20-42 | 20,893 |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Albany | Marshall | Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV | ESPN+ | L 17-21 | 25,101 |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Morgan State | No. 18 Richmond | E. Claiborne Robins Stadium • Richmond, VA | FloSports | L 10-17 | 6,603 |
| September 2 | 6:30 p.m. | Maine | FIU | Riccardo Silva Stadium • Miami, FL | ESPN+ | L 12-14 | 16,878 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST. |||||||||

#### Week Two

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | 7:00 p.m. | Stony Brook | No. 22 Rhode Island | Meade Stadium • University Park, PA | FloSports | URI 35–14 | N/A |
| September 9 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 19 Delaware | No. 7 (FBS) Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | Peacock | L 7–63 | 108,575 |
| September 9 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 11 New Hampshire | Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI | ESPN+ | L 42–45 | 17,302 |
| September 9 | 3:00 p.m. | Campbell | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | ESPN+ | W 56–7 | 9,327 |
| September 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Maine | No. 2 North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ | L 7–44 | 15,044 |
| September 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Richmond | Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | BTN | L 14–45 | 70,049 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Elon | Gardner–Webb | Ernest W. Spangler Stadium • Boiling Springs, NC | ESPN+ | L 27–34 | 5,078 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Norfolk State | Hampton | Armstrong Stadium • Hampton, VA (Battle of the Bay) | FloSports | W 23–31 | 10,021 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Monmouth | Towson | Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, MD | FloSports | TOW 42–23 | 3,442 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Colgate | Villanova | Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA | FloSports | W 42–19 | 5,101 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Wofford | No. 4 William & Mary | Zable Stadium • Williamsburg, VA | FloSports | W 23–6 | 8,579 |
| September 9 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 18 North Carolina Central | North Carolina A&T | Truist Stadium • Greensboro, NC (rivalry) | FloSports | L 16–30 | N/A |
| September 9 | 12:00 a.m. | Albany | Hawaii | Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Manoa, HI | SPEC PPV | L 20–31 | 9,485 |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in EST. |||||||||

#### Playoffs
## Head to head matchups

Head to head :
| Team | Albany | Campbell | Delaware | Elon | Hampton | Maine | Monmouth | New Hampshire | North Carolina A&T | Rhode Island | Richmond | Stony Brook | Towson | Villanova | William & Mary |
| Albany | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | W 24–17 | W 31–10 | – |
| Campbell | – | – | – | L 24–28 | – | – | W 45–31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | L 24–34 |
| Delaware | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | W 29–25 | – | – | – | W 37–13 | – | – | – |
| Elon | – | W 28–24 | – | – | – | – | – | – | W 27–3 | – | – | – | – | – | W 14–6 |
| Hampton | – | L 27–30 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | W 31–14 | – | – | – | – |
| Maine | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | L 17–34 | – | W 56–28 | – | – | L 3–28 |
| Monmouth | – | L 31–45 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | W 42–23 | – | – | – |
| New Hampshire | – | – | L 25–29 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | L 51–54 | – | – |
| North Carolina A&T | – | – | – | L 3–27 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | L 14–37 | – |
| Rhode Island | – | – | – | – | – | W 34–17 | – | – | – | – | – | W 35–14 | – | L 9–35 | – |
| Richmond | – | – | – | – | L 14–31 | W 42–31 | – | – | – | – | – | W 20–19 | – | – | – |
| Stony Brook | – | – | L 13–37 | – | – | L 28–56 | – | – | – | L 14–35 | L 19–20 | – | – | – | – |
| Towson | L 17–24 | – | – | – | – | – | L 23–42 | W 54–51 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Villanova | L 10–31 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | W 35–9 | – | – | – | – | – |
| William & Mary | – | W 34–24 | – | L 6–14 | – | W 28–3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Updated with the results of all regular season conference games.

### CAA vs FBS matchups

The Football Bowl Subdivision comprises eleven conferences and four independent programs.
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score |
| August 31 | Rhode Island | Georgia State | Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA | 35-42 |
| August 31 | Elon | Wake Forest | Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium • Winston-Salem, NC | 17-37 |
| August 31 | North Carolina A&T | UAB | Protective Stadium • Birmingham, AL | 6-35 |
| September 2 | Towson | Maryland | SECU Stadium • College Park, MD | 6-38 |
| September 2 | Monmouth | Florida Atlantic | FAU Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | 20-42 |
| September 2 | Maine | FIU | Riccardo Silva Stadium • Miami, FL | 12=14 |
| September 2 | Albany | Marshall | Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, WV | 17-21 |
| September 9 | Delaware | Penn State | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | 7-63 |
| September 9 | New Hampshire | Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts Stadium • Mount Pleasant, MI | 42-45 |
| September 9 | Richmond | Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | 14-45 |
| September 9 | Albany | Hawaii | Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Manoa, HI | 20-31 |
| September 16 | Stony Brook | Arkansas State | Centennial Bank Stadium • Jonesboro, AR | 7-31 |
| September 16 | Villanova | UCF | FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, FL | 14-48 |
| October 7 | William & Mary | Virginia | Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, VA | 13-27 |
| November 4 | Campbell | North Carolina | Kenan Memorial Stadium • Chapel Hill, NC | |

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| | No change in ranking from previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
| | | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 |
| Albany | STATS | | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 |
| Albany | C | | | | | | RV | RV |
| Campbell | STATS | | | RV | RV | | | |
| Campbell | C | | RV | | | | | |
| Delaware | STATS | 22 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 8 |
| Delaware | C | 21 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Elon | STATS | RV | RV | | | | 25 | RV |
| Elon | C | RV | RV | | | | | |
| Hampton | STATS | | | | | | | |
| Hampton | C | | RV | | RV | RV | RV | RV |
| Maine | STATS | | | | | | | |
| Maine | C | | | | | | | |
| Monmouth | STATS | | | | | | | |
| Monmouth | C | | | | | | | |
| New Hampshire | STATS | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 14 | RV | RV |
| New Hampshire | C | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 24 | 24 |
| North Carolina A&T | STATS | | | | | | | |
| North Carolina A&T | C | RV | RV | | | | | |
| Rhode Island | STATS | 21 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 24 | | RV |
| Rhode Island | C | 23 | 22 | 20 | 18 | RV | 25 | 22 |
| Richmond | STATS | 18 | RV | | | | | |
| Richmond | C | 16 | RV | RV | RV | RV | | |
| Stony Brook | STATS | | | | | | | |
| Stony Brook | C | | | | | | | |
| Towson | STATS | | | | | | | |
| Towson | C | | | | | | | |
| Villanova | STATS | RV | RV | 24 | 25 | 16 | RV | RV |
| Villanova | C | RV | | RV | RV | 23 | RV | RV |
| William & Mary | STATS | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 11 |
| William & Mary | C | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 |

## Home game announced attendance

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Total | Average | % of capacity |
| Albany | Tom & Mary Casey Stadium | 8,500 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Campbell | Barker–Lane Stadium | 5,500 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Delaware | Delaware Stadium | 18,800 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Elon | Rhodes Stadium | 11,250 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hampton | Armstrong Stadium | 12,000 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Maine | Alfond Stadium | 10,000 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monmouth | Kessler Stadium | 4,200 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| New Hampshire | Wildcat Stadium | 11,015 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| North Carolina A&T | Truist Stadium | 21,500 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rhode Island | Meade Stadium | 6,555 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Richmond | E. Claiborne Robins Stadium | 8,217 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Stony Brook | Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium | 12,300 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Towson | Johnny Unitas Stadium | 11,198 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Villanova | Villanova Stadium | 12,500 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| William & Mary | Zable Stadium | 12,672 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
Bold – exceeded capacity † Season high ‡ Record stadium Attendance

## NFL draft

The following list includes all CAA Players who were drafted in the 2024 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | School | Draft Round | Round Pick | Overall Pick | Team | Ref |
| Dylan Laube | RB | New Hampshire | 6 | 32 | 208 | Las Vegas Raiders | |

### Undrafted free agents

The following list includes all CAA Players who went undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft but signed following the draft.
| Player | Position | School | Team |
| Brevin Easton | WR | Albany | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Mike Edwards | OT | Campbell | Buffalo Bills |
| Tyler McLellan | OT | Campbell | Los Angeles Chargers |
| Jaden Shirden | RB | Monmouth | Carolina Panthers |
| Lorenzo Thompson | OT | Rhode Island | Cleveland Browns |
| Ryan Coll | OT | Richmond | Atlanta Falcons |
| Robert Javier | CB | Towson | Tennessee Titans |
| Jalen Jackson | RB | Villanova | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Nick Torres | G | Villanova | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Nate Lynn | OLB | William & Mary | Detroit Lions |

### Minicamp

The following list includes all CAA Players who went undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft but were offered minicamp invites.
| Player | Position | School | Team |
| Brian Abraham | LB | Albany | Chicago Bears |
| Julian Hicks | WR | Albany | Green Bay Packers |
| Greg Anderson | OG | Monmouth | New York Jets |
| Gene Scott | TE | Monmouth | Buffalo Bills |
| Jesus Gibbs | DE | Towson | Kansas City Chiefs |
| T.D. Ayo-Durojaiye | RB | Villanova | Chicago Bears |
| Jaaron Hayek | WR | Villanova | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Ryan Poole | CB | William & Mary | San Francisco 49ers |