| Year: | 2023 |
| Championship: | Red Grange Bowl, Glen Ellyn, IL, (NJCAA D-III) |
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 61–14 in the NJCAA National Football Championship.[1] The NJCAA Division III champion was who defeated 33–29 in the Red Grange Bowl.[2] The CCCAA champion was who defeated 24–21 in the 3C2A State Championship.[3]
3C2A had eleven bowl games, featuring teams that did not qualify for the 3C2A 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 21Fresno City 14 | |
| Patriotic Bowl | East Los Angeles (6–4) Bakersfield (6–4) | East Los Angeles 31Bakersfield 27 | |||
| 4:00 p.m. | Western State Bowl | Citrus (7–3) College of the Canyons (6–4) | Citrus 42College of the Canyons 13 | ||
| 5:00 p.m. | American Division Championship Bowl | Chaffey (10–0) Pasadena City (9–1) | Chaffey 16Pasadena 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 | |
| Dec 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Northern California Bowl | Butte (8–2) Reedley (7–3) | Butte 30 Reedley 24 | |
| 2:00 p.m. | American Division Bowl | 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 | |||
This list includes all head coaching changes announced during or after the season.
| School | Outgoing coach | Reason | Replacement | Previous position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Lakes | Greg Medeck | Hired as athletic director by Central Lakes[9] | Toby Thurman | Armijo HS (CA) head coach (2019–2023) | |
| Coffeyville | Jeff Leiker | Resigned[10] | Nick Dobler[11] | Coffeyville defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2020–2023) | |
| Dodge City | Terry Karg | Resigned | Ryan Lusby[12] | Texas–Permian Basin assistant head coach and offensive coordinator (2023) | |
| Ellsworth | Kory Vaught | Resigned[13] | Matt White[14] | UVA Wise defensive coordinator (2020–2023) | |
| Garden City | Tom Minnick | Fired[15] | Kiyoshi Harris[16] | Boise State recruiting coordinator (2022–2023) | |
| Minnesota State C&T | Austin Jones | Resigned | Bernard Holsey[17] | Minnesota State C&T defensive coordinator and defensive line coach (2023) | |
| Minnesota West C&T | Conner Kunkel (full-season interim) | Resigned | Jermaine Smith[18] | Campbell defensive analyst (2023) | |
| Nassau | Jamel Ramsay | Hired as head coach by Maritime[19] | Jhaleel Oswald[20] | Nassau defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator (2021–2023) | |
| New Mexico Military | Kurt Taufa'asau | Hired as head coach by New Mexico Highlands[21] | Oliver Soukup[22] | Eastern New Mexico defensive coordinator (2023) | |
| Vermilion | Earnest Wilson | Resigned | Tyree Johnson[23] | Crookston HS (MN) defensive coordinator (?–2023) |