2023 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team

2023 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football
2023 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football
Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
	East Division
Record	3–8 (2–6 SWAC)
Head coach	Raymond Woodie (1st season);
Co-offensive coordinator	Donte' Pimpleton (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Joe Gerbino (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Robert Wimberly (1st season)
Home stadium	Daytona Stadium
	Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 11 Florida A&M xy$	8	–	0	12	–	1
Alabama State	5	–	3	7	–	4
Jackson State	5	–	3	7	–	4
Alabama A&M	3	–	5	5	–	6
Bethune–Cookman	2	–	6	3	–	8
Mississippi Valley State	1	–	7	1	–	10
West Division
Prairie View A&M xy	6	–	2	6	–	6
Alcorn State x	6	–	2	7	–	4
Southern	5	–	3	6	–	5
Grambling State	4	–	4	5	–	6
Texas Southern	2	–	6	3	–	8
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	1	–	7	2	–	9
Championship: Florida A&M 35, Prairie View A&M 14
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football team represented Bethune–Cookman University as a member of the East Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Wildcats were led by first-year head coach Raymond Woodie and played home games at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Preseason

On December 27, 2022, Ed Reed was hired as the new head coach for the Wildcats.^[1] Bethune–Cookman chose not to ratify Reed's contract on January 21, 2023, which vacated the football team's head coaching position prior to Reed officially becoming the team's head coach.^[2] Prior to his dismissal, Reed recorded a live stream on which he vociferously criticized the condition of the school's athletic facilities.^[3]^[4]^[5] In the wake of this decision, Reed continued his criticism of the university, saying "I'm not withdrawing my name as they say. They don't want me here. They do not want me because I tell the truth."^[6]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	at Memphis*	Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Memphis, TN	ESPN+	L 14–56	26,632
September 9	4:00 p.m.	Savannah State*	Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	YouTube	W 31–6	6,838
September 14	7:30 p.m.	at No. 22 (FBS) Miami (FL)*	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	ACCN	L 7–48	40,077
September 23	3:00 p.m.	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	ESPN+	L 16–22	23,681
October 7	3:00 p.m.	at Alabama State	ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	HBCU Go	L 14–19	15,590
October 14	3:00 p.m.	Texas Southern	Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	HBCU Go	L 31–34	9,458
October 21	4:00 p.m.	Southern	TIAA Bank Field Jacksonville, Florida		L 18–28	10,186
October 28	3:00 p.m.	at Grambling State	Eddie Robinson Stadium Grambling, LA	HBCU Go	L 14–28	4,500
November 2	7:30 p.m.	Mississippi Valley State	Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	ESPNU	W 20–7	4,380
November 11	1:00 p.m.	Alabama A&M	Daytona Stadium Daytona Beach, FL	HBCU Go	W 31–14	4,915
November 18	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 11 Florida A&M	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Florida Classic)	ESPNU	L 7–24	56,227
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time