| 2023 U Sports football season | |
| League: | U Sports |
| Sport: | Canadian football |
| Duration: | August 25, 2023 – October 28, 2023 |
| Mvp Link: | Hec Crighton Trophy |
| Playoffs: | Playoffs |
| Conf1: | Hardy Cup |
| Conf1 Link: | Hardy Trophy |
| Conf2: | Yates Cup |
| Conf2 Link: | Yates Cup |
| Conf3: | Dunsmore Cup |
| Conf3 Link: | Dunsmore Cup |
| Conf4: | Loney Bowl |
| Conf4 Link: | Jewett Trophy |
| Conf5: | Mitchell Bowl |
| Conf5 Link: | Mitchell Bowl |
| Conf5 Champ: | UBC Thunderbirds |
| Conf6: | Uteck Bowl |
| Conf6 Link: | Uteck Bowl |
| Conf6 Champ: | Montreal Carabins |
| Finals: | Vanier Cup |
| Finals Date: | November 25, 2023 |
| Finals Venue: | Richardson Memorial Stadium (Kingston, Ontario) |
| Finals Champ: | Montreal Carabins |
| Prevseason Year: | 2022 |
| Nextseason Year: | 2024 |
The 2023 U Sports football season began on August 25, 2023, with the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or visiting the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. On the following day, ten Ontario University Athletics teams, four Atlantic University Sport teams, and two RSEQ opened their schedules on August 26, 2023.[1] [2] [3] On the following weekend, the six Canada West teams opened their seasons on September 1, 2023.[4]
The conference championships were played on the weekend of November 11, 2023, and the season concluded on November 25, 2023, with the 58th Vanier Cup championship. The Vanier Cup game was held at Richardson Memorial Stadium in Kingston, Ontario, for the first time in its history.[5] 27 university teams in Canada played U Sports football, the highest level of amateur Canadian football.[6]
On September 23, 2023, Manitoba Bisons kicker Maya Turner became the first woman to play in a U Sports regular season football game. She kicked the game winning field goal in overtime for the Bisons in their game against the Regina Rams.[7]
On January 19, 2023, the OUA released their schedule which featured no major changes from the 2022 season, with 11 teams playing eight regular season games over nine weeks.[1] The regular season will start on August 26, 2023, and end on October 21, 2023. Seven teams will qualify for the playoffs, which begin on October 28, 2023, with the top seed having a first-round bye.[1] The 115th Yates Cup game is scheduled to be played on November 11, 2023.[1]
On April 20, 2023, the AUS schedule was revealed with the first two games scheduled to be played on August 26, 2023.[2] Five AUS teams will play eight games over 10 weeks with each team receiving two bye weeks.[2] In a format change this year, the top four teams will qualify for the AUS playoffs rather than three, with two semi-final games determining the participants for the AUS championship.[8] The Canada West schedule was announced on April 25, 2023, and the RSEQ schedule was revealed on April 27, 2023, with no major scheduling changes from the 2022 U Sports football season.[3] [4]
| Hec Crighton Trophy | Jonathan Sénécal (Montreal) | Taylor Elgersma (Wilfrid Laurier) | Silas Fagnan (St. Francis Xavier) | Matthew Peterson (Alberta) | Jonathan Sénécal (Montreal) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presidents' Trophy | Harold Miessan (Montreal) | Max Charbonneau (Ottawa) | Daniel Bell (Mount Allison) | Nick Wiebe (Saskatchewan) | Harold Miessan (Montreal) | |
| J. P. Metras Trophy | Christopher Fontenard (Montreal) | Tyson Hergott (Waterloo) | Alex Fedchun (St. Francis Xavier) | Theo Benedet (British Columbia) | Theo Benedet (British Columbia) | |
| Peter Gorman Trophy | Justin Cloutier (Laval) | Ethan Gregorcic (Wilfrid Laurier) | Mikaël Pattin (Bishop's) | Owen Sieben (Regina) | Justin Cloutier (Laval) | |
| Russ Jackson Award | N/A | Alex Cheng (McMaster Marauders) | Spencer Richard (Acadia) | Mark Rauhaus (Manitoba) | Mark Rauhaus (Manitoba) | |
| Frank Tindall Trophy | Marco Iadeluca (Montreal) | Michael Faulds (Wilfrid Laurier) | Gary Waterman (St. Francis Xavier) | Chris Morris (Alberta) | Chris Morris (Alberta) | |
| Gino Fracas Award | Émilie Pfeiffer Badoux (Concordia) | Zach Scotto (Wilfrid Laurier) | Matt Elliott (Saint Mary's) | Vaughan Mitchell (Manitoba) | Vaughan Mitchell (Manitoba) |
| Quarterback | Jonathan Sénécal (Montreal) | Taylor Elgersma (Laurier) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running Back | Matthew Peterson (Alberta)Jared Chisari (Queen's) | Malcolm Bussey (St. Francis Xavier)Amlicar Polk (Ottawa) | |
| Receiver | Ethan Jordan (Laurier)Darius Simmons (McGill) Savaughn Magnaye-Jones (Western) A. K. Gassama (Manitoba) | Raidan Thorne (Laurier)Kaseem Ferdinand (Carleton) Ben Harrington (St. Francis Xavier) Hassane Dosso (Montreal) | |
| Centre | Daniel Shin (Alberta) | Ryan Berta (Queen's) | |
| Guard | Giordano Vaccaro (Manitoba)Alassane Diouf (Montreal) | Matthew Ljuden (Alberta)Evan Floren (Queen's) | |
| Tackle | Theo Benedet (UBC)Erik Andersen (Western) | Giovanni Manu (UBC)Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay (Laval) | |
| Utility | Lucas Robertson (UBC) | Niklas Henning (Queen's) |
| Defensive Tackle | Christopher Fontenard (Montreal)Darien Newell (Queen's) | Muftah Ageli (Windsor)Kyle Samson (UBC) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defensive End | Jeremiah Ojo (Montreal)Tyson Hergott (Waterloo) | Kolade Amusan (Windsor)George Idoko (Saskatchewan) | |
| Linebacker | Harold Miessan (Montreal)Nick Wiebe (Saskatchewan) Ife Onyemenam (Laurier) | Nicky Farinaccio (Montreal)Max Charbonneau (Ottawa) Lourenz Bowers-Kane (Western) | |
| Free Safety | Jackson Findlay (Western) | Jonathan Giustini (Alberta) | |
| Defensive Halfback | Bruno Lagacé (Montreal)Eric Cumberbatch (Ottawa) | Cristophe Beaulieu (Laval)Daniel Bell (Mount Allison) | |
| Cornerback | Kaylyn St-Cyr (Montreal)Katley Joseph (Saskatchewan) | Jassin States-McClean (Saint Mary's)Louis Lavaud (Carleton) |
| Kicker | Ben Hadley (St. Francis Xavier) | Vincent Blanchard (Laval) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punter | Aldo Galvan (Regina) | Michael Horvat (McMaster) | |
| Returner | Javonni Cunningham (Windsor) | Guillaume Cauchon (Laval) | |
| Rush/Cover | Charles-Eliot Boulianne (Montreal) | Skyler Griffith (UBC) |
The Vanier Cup was played between the champions of the Mitchell Bowl and the Uteck Bowl, the national semi-final games. In 2023, as per the rotating schedule, the Atlantic conference's Loney Bowl championship team, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, visited the Canada West Hardy Trophy winners, the UBC Thunderbirds for the Mitchell Bowl. The Yates Cup Ontario conference championship team, the Western Mustangs, visited the Québec conference Dunsmore Cup winners, the Montreal Carabins, for the Uteck Bowl.[14] These games were played on November 18, 2023, while the Vanier Cup was played on November 25, 2023.[14]