The FCS Daily Dose is a blog-style article series featuring an assortment of news, rumblings, quick-hitters, and commentary on various topics. A new Daily Dose will publish multiple times a week to keep the FCS discussion going throughout the long offseason.
For March 19, 2024, let’s talk about…
More Portal Movement Coming This Spring
There are two windows to enter the transfer portal for non-grad transfer football players this offseason: Dec. 4 to Jan. 2 and April 16-30. Grad transfers can enter the portal whenever.
If trends continue from the last two seasons, there will be plenty more movement this spring.
In late March 2022, there were about:
95 FCS-to-FBS transfers
256 FBS-to-FCS transfers
116 FCS-to-FCS transfers
By the end of summer 2022, it increased to:
190 FCS-to-FBS transfers
520 FBS-to-FCS transfers
216 FCS-to-FCS transfers
In early April 2023, there were roughly:
223 FCS-to-FBS transfers
284 FBS-to-FCS transfers
206 FCS-to-FCS transfers
By the end of summer 2023, it increased to:
314 FCS-to-FBS transfers
546 FBS-to-FCS transfers
353 FCS-to-FCS transfers
So far in 2024, there are about:
219 FCS-to-FBS transfers
340 FBS-to-FCS transfers
234 FCS-to-FCS transfers
Major Award Winners Returning
With all the transfer movement, it is a surprise to see the three major FCS national award winners all currently set to return to their teams.
Tennessee State DE Terrell Allen is the reigning Buck Buchanan Award winner after totaling 65 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and 10 quarterback hurries.
South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski is taking part in spring practice after portal speculation. The 2023 Walter Payton Award winner threw for 3,058 yards, 29 TDs, and five interceptions along with 402 rushing yards and eight scores.
Montana RB Eli Gillman won the Jerry Rice Award as the best FCS freshman. He rushed for 968 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Best FCS Jobs For New Head Coaches
The FCS has 29 new head coaches heading into the 2024 season. There were some attractive openings in this coaching carousel.
Here are the five best jobs that were open this offseason, in my opinion, and in alphabetical order.
Austin Peay
New HC: Jeff Faris (UCLA TEs coach)
Austin Peay saw a dramatic program turnaround in the 2010s. It went from one of the worst FCS teams and suffering a 29-game losing streak from 2014-2017 to flipping the script and making a run to the 2019 quarterfinals. The Governors have had winning seasons the last three years, including a 9-3 record and another playoff appearance in 2023. Two of the last three coaches parlayed the success into FBS head coaching jobs: Will Healy to Charlotte and most recently Scotty Walden to UTEP. You can win at Austin Peay, and it isn’t close to reaching its ceiling.
Florida A&M
New HC: James Colzie III (FAMU assistant HC/DBs coach)
Florida A&M fans are as passionate of fans as you’ll find in the FCS. FAMU ranked No. 7 in 2023 FCS regular-season attendance, averaging 17,616 fans per game. The diehard fan base is active online, and they certainly voiced their opinions during a long coaching search. Expectations are sky-high for the Rattlers. They have hit at least nine wins in the last four seasons, including a 12-1 mark, a SWAC championship, and a Celebration Bowl win last fall. The tradition and support are in place for FAMU to remain the class of FCS HBCUs.
North Dakota State
New HC: Tim Polasek (Wyoming OC)
It would take a lot to get NDSU completely off its tracks. Even a 2023 team with its most flaws in years still reached the semifinals. All the resources are there for continued success, including a new-ish $50 million privately-funded indoor practice facility that would make a majority of Group of Five programs jealous. One challenge the headman faces is the pressure and the temperature of the fan base. It’s national championship or bust. But … the more NDSU wins, the more fans want the FBS. But … when there are more competitive games and multiple losses, some fans call for benchings and firings.
Northern Arizona
New HC: Brian Wright (Pittsburg State HC)
Simply put: NAU should be better. The Lumberjacks are in a good part of the country to land solid recruits, are in a cool town, and have some of the best facilities in the FCS. The Student Athlete High Performance Center that opened in 2022 is a 77,000-square-foot, $47 million facility. The investment is there to develop and compete better on the football field. NAU’s recruiting rankings have been strong, for whatever that is worth at the FCS level. And it has landed several FBS transfers in recent years. For whatever reason, though, things haven’t clicked to go from an average Big Sky team to a good one.
UC Davis
New HC: Tim Plough (Cal TEs coach)
UC Davis is a sleeping giant. It was solid under Dan Hawkins, reaching the playoffs in 2018 and 2021. The Aggies also had legitimate arguments to make the 2022 and 2023 brackets. But it just couldn’t break through to go from good to great. So much is in place to be an FCS national contender, though. UC Davis is a great school and in a talent-rich area. Its budget is the highest among FCS public schools at around $44 million in the 2022 fiscal year. For comparison, the Montana schools are in the $26M-28M range, NDSU is around $29M, and SDSU is around $26M. If the Mountain West ever has an opening, UC Davis could be a prime candidate. In the meantime, it has serious potential to be an FCS contender.
Other Daily Doses
Does transferring to the FBS increase an FCS player’s draft stock? READ MORE
SDSU Athletics keeps on rolling, will the G5 start its own playoff, and Mel Kiper ranks 3 FCS players. READ MORE
Austin Peay and Gardner-Webb see the portal effect of a head coach leaving, and ETSU’s program intrigue. READ MORE
