The NIRSA National Flag Football Championships hosted by Oklahoma State University comprised 38 teams from 29 schools that competed to be national champions of flag football after the 2023 season.

CoRec Division

The University of Georgia-High School Has Beens made a return to the tournament with a clear goal in mind: to defend their 2022 title. Although they received a bye in the first round of bracket play, their path to the championship was far from easy. Their games against McNeese State and the University of Maryland were intense battles. Despite the challenges they faced, they managed to secure their spot in the finals with a 12-6 victory over the University of Maryland. On the other hand, Georgia College – Future Parents made a strong impression with convincing wins over Texas A&M University – Kingsville and Arkansas Tech University.

The first half ended with both teams tied at 0-0 after a tightly contested battle. However, in the second half, the University of Georgia’s defense stepped up and made a significant impact with 22 total stoppages compared to Georgia College’s eight defensive stops. Despite the close score of 7-6, the University of Georgia emerged as the champions once again.

Unified Division

The University of Nebraska successfully advanced to the championship after defeating Purdue University 53 to 6 in the quarterfinals and University of Florida 34 to 18 in the semifinals. As the defending champions, they were eager to secure another title against Georgetown University’s team, Hoya, who earned a bye in the first round due to their exceptional performance in pool play games. Hoya secured their spot in the final by defeating University of Toledo in their semi-final game.

In the first half of the game, Hoya took control and went into halftime with a commanding lead of 32 to 13. Nevertheless, Nebraska showed resilience and refused to give up. In the second half, Nebraska turned the tables and outscored Hoya 26 to 12, with quarterback Garrett Stipke leading the way with six touchdown passes. Despite their valiant efforts to come from behind, Nebraska ultimately fell short as Hoya secured the championship with a final score of 44 to 39.

Women’s Division

The finals once again featured the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida, showcasing their ongoing rivalry. Throughout the season, both teams worked hard to prepare for the National Championship, aiming to emerge as the victors.

In the first round of bracket play, Central Florida dominated against Howard University with a score of 38-0, while Florida triumphed over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with a score of 48-0. The semifinal games proved to be challenging for both teams, but Central Florida secured their spot in the final by defeating Florida Atlantic 7-0, while the University Florida emerged victorious against Georgia College-Future Mommy’s with a score of 19-13.

The University Florida emerged victorious in their match, triumphing over their opponents with a final score of 7-0. The highly anticipated national championship game against Central Florida proved to be a thrilling defensive contest, as both teams entered halftime without scoring a single point. Florida’s standout player, Amanda Wichterman, showcased her skills by scoring the sole touchdown of the game, catching a pass from Mieke Kylie Rowe. This single touchdown proved to be enough for the University of Florida to secure a slight advantage in the second half and ultimately clinch the national championship with a final score of 7-0. This victory for Florida in a Sunshine State final further solidified the state’s dominance in the Women’s Division; no school outside of Florida has claimed a women’s national championship since 2006.

Men’s Division

In the final of the Men’s Division, the Georgia College team, known as Georgia College-Future Daddy’s, faced off against the University of Maryland. Georgia College-Future Daddy’s reached the final by defeating Wayne State Universit University, North Carolina State University – Wolfpack, and Gram Elite in bracket play. On the other side of the bracket, the University of Maryland secured their spot in the final by defeating Oklahoma State University and University of North Carolina-Charlotte, after receiving a bye in the first round of bracket play.

The Championship game was intense, with Georgia College leading by one point at halftime with a score of 19 to 18. Both teams displayed strong defense in the second half, but Georgia College’s defense proved to be formidable, with Garrett Gauthreaux making seven stops and Hunter Payne making six. The game ended with a final score of 26-18 in favor of Georgia College.

Positive sporting behavior awards

Winning the positive sporting behavior awards were Utah Tech in the CoRec Division, Oklahoma State University in the Unified Division, Howard University in the Women’s Division, and NC State University in the Men’s Division. All schools should be commended for adhering to the most integral component of intercollegiate competition: positive sporting behavior.

Thank you!

A special thanks go out to all our student officials. Their contributions to the tournament experience are invaluable. Congratulations to all and especially to our All-American officials!

  • Fauz Adeyinka, University of Maryland
  • Cooper Boyd, Kansas State University
  • Danielle Coleman, Mercer University
  • Jake Harvanchik, CSU-Fullerton
  • Zyterrious Hudson, Georgia Southern University
  • Isabella Price, University of Central Florida
  • DeJonTae Robertson, Georgia Southern University
  • Jacques Thomas, Florida State University
  • Tom Van Dijk, University of South Florida

A big thank you to our staff for their part in supporting this tournament! NIRSA can’t provide these quality tournaments and memorable experiences for our student participants and officials without our amazing volunteers from across the nation!

  • Paden Alie, Purdue University
  • Kaulin Andric, Texas A&M University
  • Brandon Bermea, Oklahoma State University
  • Megan Brady, University of Maryland
  • Stephanie Calhoun, University of Georgia
  • Lauren Carlson, NIRSA HQ
  • Brittany Close, Creighton University
  • Armando Espinoza, Kansas State University
  • Scott Flickinger, Cornell University
  • Daniel Fragel, Oklahoma State University
  • Jordon German, Texas Tech University
  • Lane Goodwin, University of Florida
  • Nathan Ha, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Connor Haines, York College of Pennsylvania
  • Josh Hale, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • AJ Henderson, University of Arkansas
  • Jason Hess, University of Maryland
  • Jasmine Holmes, Syracuse University
  • Emilee Howard, University of Central Florida
  • Heath Howard, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Nicole Jackson, NIRSA HQ
  • Roger Jerez, University of Pennsylvania
  • Julie Johnson, University of Maryland
  • Kelsey Jones, Western Carolina University
  • Danny Kandell, University of Florida
  • Jerrell Kelly, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Emily Kerns, University of Maryland
  • Alyssa Kerr, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Kurt Klier, University of Maryland
  • Phoebe Kurniawan, Rowan University
  • Britton Lyon, Georgia Southern University
  • Adam Minnick, University of North Georgia
  • Brittany Mueller, Florida State University
  • Emily Murphy, The Ohio State University
  • Camille Myers, St. Cloud State University
  • Michael Pappan, University of Arkansas
  • Doug Ream, Eastern Kentucky University
  • Cynthia Reyes, Methodist University
  • Clifford Richardson, University of Mississippi
  • Kelly Salomon, Auburn University
  • Emily Schneider, Texas A&M University
  • Klee Sellers, Georgia Southern University
  • Laura Shively, Duke University
  • Quincy Smith, Kansas State University
  • Chris Spencer, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
  • Nikki Vance, University of Oregon
  • Von Williams, University of Notre Dame
  • Joe Wise, The University of Texas at Austin

A special thanks go out to Oklahoma State University and the staff from Oklahoma State University for their outstanding contributions to a great tournament!

Thank you to our tournament sponsors The Protector Whistle and Tiny Mobile Robots, as well as our presenting sponsor NFL FLAG for their involvement at both the Regional and National Flag Football Championship Series Tournaments. The player’s involvement in the NFL activations QB throw and 40m dash truly enhanced the tournament experience.

Congratulations to all the teams, officials, and staff for making the tournament experience a wonderful one. We hope to see everyone next year at the 2024 NIRSA National Flag Football Championships!

  • For more information about the NIRSA Championship Series, please contact National Sport Programs Coordinator, Lauren Carlson.
Sport Programs Coordinator at  | NIRSA Profile

Lauren Carlson is currently the Sports Programs Coordinator at NIRSA.