This fall, Conference USA will look very different. Six teams, including all the conference champions since 2016 have moved up to the AAC. To replace them, the C-USA called up Independents Liberty and New Mexico State, plus Jacksonville State and Sam Houston from the FCS to join the conference. Here’s what you need to know about the C-USA before the 2023 season starts.
Jacksonville State
One of the two teams moving up from the FCS, the Gamecocks are actually coached by a man with lots of FBS experience. Rich Rodriguez is in his second season with the Eastern Alabama school, and he runs the ball like he’s still at West Virginia. It still works, too, as JSU went 9-2 and won the A-Sun in 2022.
However, the competition will be more intense, and the Gamecocks will have to step their game up, especially at the quarterback position, where either second-year Te’Sean Smoot or Nebraska transfer Logan Smothers will take over. They’re both good runners and great scheme fits for Rodriguez, and either quarterback will have four returning Oline starters to protect him.
Recruiting, meanwhile, has not been a strength of Jacksonville State. Per the 247sports composite, they haven’t had a class higher than 146th in the last five seasons. Even worse, the Gamecocks are without a commit in the 2024 class. This needs to step up ASAP for JSU to succeed in the C-USA.
RichRod is still a brilliant offensive mind, and his team will run the ball better than almost everybody in the conference. That’s the good news. Outside of that, the passing game is a question mark, and the defense is hurt by the up-tempo offense. Even worse, the recruiting needs to step up. With that being said, the Gamecocks are a big question mark, and we’ll know a lot more about them this time next year.
It begins a busy week for Jacksonville State football:
Along with Tuesday being Conference USA media day, it’s also report day for the team due to the Week 0 matchup with UTEP.
The team will then begin practice on Wednesday morning.
— Thomas Ashworth (@_ThomasAshworth) July 23, 2023
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Liberty
Hugh Freeze left Liberty for Auburn, so who will lead the Virginia school in the 2023-2024 season? Jamey Chadwell takes over the reins of the Flames after departing Coastal Carolina. In five years, Liberty always finished above .500 and went 3-1 in bowl games. With a decent amount of talent following Coach Freeze to Auburn, Coach Chadwell has a tough task ahead of him to rebuild the Flames roster as they join the C-USA this season.
After having a surefire QB in Grayson McCall, Chadwell faces a QB battle between returners Kaidon Salter and Jonathan Bennett, leaving questions on who will lead the Flames this season. Liberty can rely on the running game as RB Dae Dae Hunter returns for his Junior season after finishing with 850 yards in 2022. Senior WR Noah Frith will lead the team and try to replace 1,000-yard receiver Demario Douglas, who departed for the NFL.
Recruiting in 2023 was rough for the Flames as they held the 111th-best class in the nation. Despite the low ranking, the Flames have still pulled some talented players in QB Reese Mooney from Louisiana and IOL Cal Grubbs from Tennessee. 2024 looks way better for the Flames as they land their highest-ranked recruit in QB Jayden Bradford from IMG Academy. He leads the top class in the C-USA and eighty-fifth-best class in the country.
Liberty has a great coach in Chadwell, but a depleted roster will hurt the Flames in 2023. Despite this, the Flames have an easy schedule and the expectation is to finish above .500 and become bowl-eligible in Chadwell’s first season with Liberty.
— ASOR Podcast (@ASORPodcast) July 27, 2023
New Mexico State
Coach Jerry Kill loves a rebuild, and that’s what he has going on in Las Cruces. He took Northern Illinois to the Orange Bowl and had Minnesota on the rise before health issues caused him to retire. Now he’s back and has his Aggies on the rise.
The Aggies are returning a lot of key pieces from last season’s 7-6 team, especially on the offense. Most notably quarterback Diego Pavia and the duo of runningbacks Star Thomas and Jamoni Jones. The defense loses a little more, but they were the better unit which hopefully will carry over.
The Aggies haven’t been great on the recruiting trail. Their last five classes have ranged between 108th and 127th, and this one isn’t looking great. New Mexico State only has one commit and are sitting at 131st nationally. Obviously, things will change by signing day, but that isn’t a great look so far.
I trust Kill to do his job, and the offense will be solid. I think the biggest question will be if New Mexico State can overcome the more difficult competition. Games, on average, are more difficult in CUSA than as an independent, and each game will have to be a bar fight. Overall, I think in the second year under a proven coach, the Aggies won’t have a drop-off and could even improve.
New Mexico State football opens up fall camp for the 2023 season. HC Jerry Kill is walking around really pumped up with his players. Aggies have high expectations this year after a bowl winning season in 2022. pic.twitter.com/meOuGIIlAQ
— Sam Guzman (@SamGuzmanTV) July 26, 2023
Sam Houston
The 2020 FCS National Champions are moving up to the big leagues and are the other new FBS addition in 2023. Unlike Jacksonville State and Rich Rodriguez, the Bearkats have K.C. Keeler, who has never coached at the FBS level. However, he brings over twenty years of FCS head coaching experience and knows his stuff.
Interestingly, Sam Houston didn’t leave the FCS on a bang but more of a whimper, finishing a pedestrian 5-4. But in preparation for the move, Keeler redshirted many of his best players to have them in 2023. It’s an interesting strategy to sideline stars like receiver Ife Ayedi and defensive end Jevon Leon. This move makes Sam Houston one of the most experienced teams in the conference.
The Bearkats have seen a large boost in their recruitment following the conference shift. Finishing 189th in 2020, Sam Houston nearly halved that with the ninety-fifth-best class last cycle. This class is also looking pretty good, with seven commits so far. That isn’t amazing by any means, but wipes the floor with other newcomers Jacksonville State and New Mexico State.
Coach Keeler has diligently prepared for the FBS and sacrificed the 2022 season to be ready this fall. Both his teams and his own experience are great to have to overcome the big change in competition. Sam Houston will recruit well for the conference, and being located in Texas is a huge advantage. Look for the Bearkats to turn heads this fall.
Here's a 2023 college football prediction for you: Sam Houston won't finish last in CUSA.
Seeing a lot of rankings put them dead last in the country. I don't think many people realize they redshirted a lot of good players in 2022 to prepare for this FBS jump.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) July 31, 2023
