Of North Carolina’s 35 college football teams, which schools had the most special seasons? That’s the question we’ve been attempting to answer for the past several months with our Fabulous 14 Statewide Rankings.
We’ve finally reached the end of the line for the 2023 campaign, and now it’s time to crown our most Fabulous teams.
The top spot in our 2023 Fab 14 list is obvious: no one came close to matching Lenoir-Rhyne’s Fabulous-ness en route to 13 wins and a trip to the NCAA Division II semifinals. The Bears stood tallest in the South Atlantic Conference, knocked off the top seed in the regional playoffs and saw its run ended only by a powerhouse Harding University squad that would go on to claim the national championship.
With the No. 1 spot secured weeks ago, how to rank the rest of our talented group? We’ll concede this was a much tougher task, and acknowledge there will be healthy disagreements over our final order. But before you take to our Twitter/X page to sound off on our choices — though we don’t mind at all if you do – start HERE! — let us remind you of the criteria for this special end-of-season NC Football News ranking.
1. The Fabulous 14 considers every team from all six divisions of play in our state — from Division I FBS and FCS (14 total teams), to Division II (14 teams), Division III (5 teams), NAIA (1 team) and Junior College (1 team).
2. The Fabulous 14 isn’t so much about who we think would win head-to-head. It’s more about which schools had the most successful seasons, made the biggest splashes and garnered the most positive headlines within their own realm of play (hence why a D2 team ranks ahead of every FBS and FCS school or why NC State, for example, finished ahead of a Duke team that it lost to 24-3).
3. Schools must have finished with a record of .500 or better to make the final cut. Alas, that factor knocked out 17 of our 35 schools.
4. Since these are statewide rankings, we have opted to include at least one school from every major division of play: 1) FBS, 2) FCS, 3) Division II and 4) Division III/NAIA/JUCO.
OK, enough with the prologues. Here is our NC Football News’ Fabulous 14 college football teams for the 2023 season! (A write-up on each team follows the graphic).
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1. Lenoir-Rhyne Bears | D2 | 13-2
Preseason rank: 7th
Let us count the ways Lenoir-Rhyne’s season proved the most Fabulous: Thirteen wins, by far the most of any school in North Carolina (the next closest was nine) … Three championships to celebrate: winning the SAC Piedmont Division with a week 10 victory over Catawba, capturing the overall SAC title with a 48-7 thumping of Tusculum and beating Valdosta State 35-7 to take the Super Region 2 trophy on the way to the D2 semifinals…
Finishing in the top 10 in both final national rankings: No. 4 (coaches poll) and No. 7 (media poll) … Having the ninth-best total defense in D2 (258.2 yards per game) and the seventh-best scoring defense (14.7 ppg) … Concluding the year in the top 20 in both total offense (19th, 438.3 yards per game) and scoring offense (18th, 37.7 points per game)…
Placing specialist DeAree Rogers and linebacker Jon Ross Maye on the D2 All-America list, with Rogers, Maye, offensive lineman Shane Wells, running back Dwayne McGee and defensive lineman Andre Jefferson on the All-Region list … McGee reaching the 1,500-yard club in rushing (finishing with 1,533 yards and 12 touchdowns) … Scoring first in 13 games during the season and winning all 13 games.
2. NC State Wolfpack | FBS | 9-4
Preseason rank: 4th
The Pack sat in a precarious spot after early home losses to Notre Dame and Louisville, then getting zapped 24-3 at Duke. At 4-3 overall, there were rumblings aplenty in Raleigh. But Dave Doeren has epitomized toughness and resilience in his 11 years as head coach, and his 2023 bunch followed their leader — ripping off five wins in a row to close the regular season.
State beat Clemson and Miami on back-to-back weeks at home, then felled Wake Forest and Virginia Tech on the road. A pleasing 39-20 triumph over rival UNC — the game wasn’t that close — put a pleasing bow on what many thought was a reset/rebuilding season.
Linebacker Payton Wilson truly was everybody’s All-American. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong showed himself a Grown Ass Man after losing, then regaining the starting job. New receiver Kevin “KC” Concepion electrified fans with an ACC Rookie of the Year season.
NCSU finished 18th in the final College Football Playoff rankings — who saw that coming in mid-October? With momentum carrying over into the transfer portal and early signing day, NC State’s 2023 performance could be just the warm-up act for 2024.
3. North Carolina Central Eagles | FCS | 9-3
Preseason rank: 1st
The Eagles, the defending Fabulous 14 champs, soared to some new heights in 2023, climbing as high as No. 7 in the national polls and earning their first-ever trip to the FCS playoffs. Quarterback Davius Richard set new school records and reclaimed MEAC offensive player of the year honors. Alas, the MEAC title evaded NCCU after a loss at Howard. But when one door closed (a trip to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta), another one opened up (getting to experience the playoffs). The 8-1 start was the best for NCCU as an FCS team. The ’23 Eagles became the seventh in school history to win nine games. Definitely another magical autumn in Durham.
4. Appalachian State Mountaineers | FBS | 9-5
Preseason rank: 10th
Remember when the Mountaineers were left for dead after narrow losses to Wyoming, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion in September and October? From there coach Shawn Clark’s team engineered a remarkable 180-degree turnaround, which included ruining undefeated James Madison’s ESPN College GameDay experience.
Like NC State, ASU ended the regular season on a five-game tear to reach the Sun Belt title game. Quarterback Joey Aguilar was voted the league’s top newcomer and finished among the top signal callers in FBS in touchdowns. A bowl triumph over 11-2 Miami (Ohio) gave Clark’s squad its ninth victory — the eighth time an App State team has won at least nine games since 2015.
5. Duke Blue Devils | FBS | 8-5
Preseason rank: 9th
The Devils got our season off to a rocking start, whipping Clemson on Labor Day and bringing College GameDay to Durham after a 4-0 debut. But everything seemed to pivot on a Sam Hartman scramble on fourth-and-long late in the Notre Dame game Sept. 30. The Irish squeaked by, Duke QB Riley Leonard got hurt and things proved wobbly down the stretch (3-4 after a win over NC State). Credit Trooper Taylor and senior leadership for holding things together during coach Mike Elko’s middle-of-the-night exodus to take the Texas A&M job. A win over Troy in the Birmingham Bowl provided a nice, positive springboard into the Manny Diaz era. Things still pointing up in Durham.
6. Gardner-Webb Bulldogs | FCS | 7-5
Preseason rank: 5th
The Bulldogs provided another comeback story worthy of applause. A gut-wrenching 27-25 loss to Tennessee State on the final play, a 44-0 humbling at East Carolina and later a 41-14 defeat at Austin Peay left GWU with a 2-4 record and a lot of question marks. But the ‘Dogs didn’t lose again in the regular season, overtook the rest of the pack to win the Big South/OVC and claimed another trip to the FCS playoffs. Coach Tre Lamb jumped to East Tennessee State after the season but he certainly leveled up the program — and football expectations — during his time in Boiling Springs.
7. Mars Hill Lions | D2 | 8-2
Preseason rank: 13th
The Lions came within a few whiskers of making the D2 playoff field after mounting an impressive season in the South Atlantic Conference’s Mountain Division. Mars Hill dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to Tusculum on the final Saturday of the regular season, losing a chance to play Lenoir-Rhyne in the league title game as a result. Senior linebacker Landon Honeycutt and senior offensive lineman Leondre Andreas earned All-America recognition.
8. Wingate Bulldogs | D2 | 8-3
Preseason rank: 6th
After more than 20 years on the Bulldog sidelines, coach Joe Reich bowed out as head coach with style. Wingate pinned the only regular-season loss on our Fabulous 14 champ, Lenoir-Rhyne. Defense proved the team’s calling card yet again, and the offense came to life after a 1-2 start. The Bulldogs won their last four games and seven of the final eight. Reich moves into the athletics director job full time, having compiled the most impressive football record in school history (158-92). Long-time assistant Rashaan Jordan takes over head coaching duties, and the transition into 2024 should be pretty seamless.
9. UNC Pembroke Braves | D2 | 7-3
Preseason rank: Unranked
Did any team in the state not to make the post-season finish any hotter than the Braves? Coach Mark Hall’s first-team at UNCP, after coming over from Chowan, captured conference victories by scores of 49-7, 56-0, 49-0 and 68-21 to end the campaign. With one fewer loss, the Braves might have made the D2 playoff field (they would have been dangerous!). Jamae Blank earned co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Mountain East, while teammate Sincere Baines was the league’s Offensive Freshman of the Year. Watch out for this squad in ’24.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels | FBS | 8-5
Preseason rank: 2nd
Mack Brown’s Tar Heels were an enigma in 2023. Winning eight games should be celebrated among Triangle schools, as win totals above that mark have been rare in recent decades. But sky high expectations going into the season (Drake Maye for Heisman? ACC champs? Playoff darkhorse?), combined with a 6-0 start, gave fans hope that this would be the breakthrough year in Chapel Hill. Alas, the Heels lost five of their last seven, including getting embarrassed by rival NC State and bowl opponent West Virginia. That left a sour taste and drops UNC several spots on the Fabulous scale after the Tar Heels spent much of September and October at or near the top.
11. Fayetteville State Broncos | D2 | 8-3
Preseason rank: 3rd
Coach Richard Hayes’ group advanced to the CIAA championship for the sixth consecutive year, running the table in league play (8-0) during the regular season before falling to Virginia Union in the title game. FSU didn’t always have the stats to match a championship-caliber team but found ways to grind out win after win. Seven of its victories came by a touchdown or less, including a couple by late-game field goals from Jacob Meneses. FSU matched Lenoir-Rhyne for the longest winning streak of the season (eight games).
12. Western Carolina | FCS | 7-4
Preseason rank: 12th
The Catamounts had the most explosive offense in FCS football (504.1 yards per game) and led the Southern Conference in scoring, rushing, passing, passing efficiency, first downs, third-down efficiency and red zone efficiency. Quarterback Cole Gonzales lit up the scoreboard and stat-sheets with 28 touchdown throws and 2,803 yards. Injuries and a tough conference slate kept WCU from reaching its ultimate aim of a SoCon title, but the Catamounts finished as a top-25 FCS program (23rd in the final Stats Perform poll).
13. Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls | D2 | 7-4
Preseason rank: Unranked
Coach Maurice Flowers piloted the Charlotte school to its best season in a decade. The defensive-minded Bulls finished first in all of Division II in fewest yards allowed (224.2), sixth in rushing defense (79 ypg), seventh in passing yards allowed (145.2) and 17th in scoring defense (16.8 points per game). JCSU put icing on this special campaign with a trip to Ft. Lauderdale for the inaugural Florida Beach Bowl in mid-December.
14. Brevard Tornados | D3 | 5-5
Preseason rank: 14th
A five-game winning streak after three early non-conference losses put Brevard in the USA South championship hunt heading into November. The Tornados pushed eventual runner-up Huntingdon to the limit in their penultimate contest. Players like quarterback Ethan Beamish, receiver Zachary Orr and running back Chancellor Lee-Parker ignited a stellar offense.
Honorable Mention
Elon (FCS, 6-5), Barton (D2, 6-5), Davidson (FCS, 7-4), Louisburg (JUCO, 5-4)
2023 Most Outstanding Players
- MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSE
- OUTSTANDING OFFENSE HONOR ROLL
- MOST OUTSTANDING DEFENSE
- OUTSTANDING DEFENSE HONOR ROLL
- MOST OUTSTANDING SPECIAL TEAMS & HONOR ROLL
