CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2023 Liberty

13–⁠1 (8–⁠0 Conference USA), coached by Jamey Chadwell, finished No. 25 in the AP poll.

Schedule and results

Liberty in 2023, game by game: won vs. Bowling Green 34–24; won vs. New Mexico State 33–17; won at Buffalo 55–27; won at Florida International 38–6; won vs. Sam Houston 21–16; won at Jacksonville State 31–13; won vs. Middle Tennessee 42–35; won at Western Kentucky 42–29; won vs. Louisiana Tech 56–30; won vs. Old Dominion 38–10; won vs. Massachusetts 49–25; won at UTEP 42–28; won vs. New Mexico State 49–35; lost vs. No. 8 Oregon 6–45+32−39Won 34–24 vs. Bowling Green+10Bowling GreenWon 33–17 vs. New Mexico State+16New Mexico StateWon 55–27 at Buffalo+28BuffaloWon 38–6 at Florida International+32Florida Interna…Won 21–16 vs. Sam Houston+5Sam HoustonWon 31–13 at Jacksonville State+18Jacksonville St…Won 42–35 vs. Middle Tennessee+7Middle TennesseeWon 42–29 at Western Kentucky+13Western KentuckyWon 56–30 vs. Louisiana Tech+26Louisiana TechWon 38–10 vs. Old Dominion+28Old DominionWon 49–25 vs. Massachusetts+24MassachusettsWon 42–28 at UTEP+14UTEPWon 49–35 vs. New Mexico State+14New Mexico StateLost 6–45 vs. No. 8 Oregon-39No. 8 Oregon
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsBowling GreenW 34–⁠2470%
Sep 9vsNew Mexico StateW 33–⁠1771%
Sep 16atBuffaloW 55–⁠2757%
Sep 23atFlorida InternationalW 38–⁠668%
Oct 5vsSam HoustonW 21–⁠1688%
Oct 10atJacksonville StateW 31–⁠1354%
Oct 17vsMiddle TennesseeW 42–⁠3581%
Oct 24atWestern KentuckyW 42–⁠2953%
Nov 4vsLouisiana TechW 56–⁠3088%
Nov 11vsOld DominionW 38–⁠1084%
Nov 18vsMassachusettsW 49–⁠2592%
Nov 25atUTEPW 42–⁠2885%
Dec 1vsNew Mexico StateConference USA ChampionshipW 49–⁠3571%
Jan 1Bowls & playoffvs8OregonFiesta BowlL 6–⁠4541%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Oregon 45–⁠6 in the Fiesta Bowl; No. 25 in the final AP poll; Conference USA champions.

In program history: The best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 32 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 11: 25
  2. Wk 12: 25
  3. Wk 13: 22
  4. Wk 14: 20
  5. Wk 15: 18
  6. Final: 25

Conference USA champions8–⁠0 in the conference

Record
13–⁠1
Conference
8–⁠0 first in Conference USA
AP final
No. 25 peak No. 18
Points
536–⁠340
Coach
Jamey Chadwell
Elo
1670 +154 this season
SP+ rating
8.0 No. 33 of 133; offense No. 16, defense No. 64, special teams No. 122
SRS
5.9 No. 41 of 133 in FBS
Returning
45% of last season’s EPA, No. 78 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 111 roster talent No. 126 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Willy Korn and Newland Isaac
Defensive coordinators
Kyle Krantz and Skylor Magee
Offense
Up-tempo spread
Defense
Multiple 4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense9th of 133
  • Defense40th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted15th of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted64th of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2752%1.179th of 133
Defense0.0642%1.3240th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.23 off
0.10 def		50% off
43% def		—15th off
64th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.5own 309% allowed
Defense3.8own 2719% caused

CORE rating 12.3, 24th of 133 (offense 19.6, defense 7.2).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsKaidon Salter QB2,876 yds
Passing touchdownsKaidon Salter QB32 TD
Rushing yardsQuinton Cooley RB1,401 yds
Rushing touchdownsQuinton Cooley RB16 TD
Receiving yardsC.J. Daniels WR1,067 yds
Receiving touchdownsC.J. Daniels WR10 TD
TacklesTyren Dupree LB116 tkl
SacksC.J. Bazile Jr. DL3 sacks
InterceptionsBrylan Green S5 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Reese Mooney QB★★★No. 972
Cal Grubbs OL★★★No. 1473
Jamal Miles CB★★★No. 1501
Aaron Fenimore OL★★★No. 1539
Christian Bodnar S★★★No. 1568

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.865
Receivers13.00.823
Offensive line23.00.848
Defensive line23.00.836
Linebackers13.00.844
Defensive backs23.00.847
Whole class93.00.844

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 117

The 2023 roster

117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 13

The 2023 portal
Bryson Jennings LB★★★from North Carolina
Errol Rogers Jr. WR★★★from Louisiana
Grey Carroll DE★★★from Georgia Tech
Jack Tucker OT★★★from Texas Tech
James Jointer RB★★★from Arkansas
Jordan White OL★★★from West Virginia
Joshua Wiggins CB★★★from Colorado
Quinton Cooley RB★★★from Wake Forest
Reese Smith WR★★★from West Virginia
Trey Lowe III QB★★★from Southern Miss
Victor Jones Jr. WR★★★from Nebraska
Chike Nwankwo LB★★from Abilene Christian

And 1 more, lower-rated or unrated.

Transfers out 14

Ahmad Walker LB★★★to SMU
Mike Smith Jr. LB★★★to Baylor
Chris Megginson CB★★★to SMU
Dre Butler DL★★★to Michigan State
Reggie Young OL★★★to Colorado
Robert Rahimi S★★★no new school on file
Daveon Hunter RB★★★no new school on file
Jaivian Lofton WR★★★no new school on file
Khristian Zachary DE★★★no new school on file
Stephen Sings WDE★★★to Auburn
Teigan Martin TE★★★to South Florida
Tim Coutras S★★★no new school on file

And 2 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2023 Conference USA standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Liberty8–⁠013–⁠125
New Mexico State7–⁠110–⁠5
Jacksonville State6–⁠29–⁠4
Western Kentucky5–⁠38–⁠5
Middle Tennessee3–⁠54–⁠8
Louisiana Tech2–⁠63–⁠9
UTEP2–⁠63–⁠9
Sam Houston2–⁠63–⁠9
Florida International1–⁠74–⁠8

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.