The 2023 season will bring a lot of change for the North Carolina A&T football team, which will have a new coach and a new conference. The team played football in 2022 in the Big South Conference.

In January 2023, on the heels of a 7-4 season (4-1 and second place in the Big South Conference), the school introduced Vincent Brown as its new head coach. 

Brown spent the four previous seasons as an associate head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at William & Mary, where his success included helping the Tribe to a share of the Coastal Athletic Association title and a playoff berth in 2022.

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North Carolina A&T and Campbell both will be new to the CAA in 2023 and bring the total number of participating schools to 15. NC A&T is the conference’s second historically Black college, joining Hampton. 

The Aggies joined the CAA as a full-member (all sports) in 2022. CAA Football is governed separately. 

CAA Football returns eight programs that finished with winning records in 2022. That includes William & Mary, which went 11-2 overall and tied with New Hampshire atop the CAA standings with a 7-1 record. 

CAA football action will be streamed live on FloFootball and the FloSports app, including all of North Carolina A&T’s CAA games.

Here’s What To Know About North Carolina A&T Football:

What Year Did North Carolina A&T Start Playing Football?

North Carolina A&T football goes back nearly 125 years, though the Aggies merely dabbled in the sport from their first game in 1901 until 1924, when L.P. Byarm stepped in as the first official head coach.

The team initially played in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which primarily was made up of HBCUs. Byarm led them to their first conference championship in 1927. He coached the team through 1930 and compiled a 33-23-10 record.

When Did North Carolina A&T Join Division I College Football? 

In 1970, North Carolina A&T left the comforts of the CIAA for the newly formed Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, also made up of HBCUs, with the intention of transitioning to NCAA Division I competition. The new conference began play in 1971.

The Aggies continued to play in the MEAC until a brief stint in the Big South Conference for the 2021 and 2022 football seasons.

As part of the CAA, the Aggies will play in the NCAA Division I FCS.

How Many Times Has North Carolina A&T Football Made It To The FCS Playoffs?

North Carolina A&T has made five FCS Playoff appearances and compiled a 1-5 record.

The Aggies made their first trip to the playoffs in 1986 and their most recent in 2016. The team’s only playoff victory was against Tennessee State in 1999.

North Carolina A&T also has played in 11 bowl games. The first came in 1943, and the most recent was 2019. The Aggies are 7-4 in bowl games.

Along with the success formally recognized by the NCAA, North Carolina A&T has been a top-tier program among HBCUs, earning seven HBCU National Championships (1951, 1968, 1990, 1999, 2015, 2017 and 2018).

The HBCU National Championship is now decided each year by a game between the SWAC and MEAC champions—the Celebration Bowl since 2015–which is held in Atlanta. 

It’s the only bowl game that features FCS teams, and because of the timing, the SWAC and MEAC champions can’t compete in the FCS Playoffs.

When Did North Carolina A&T Football Join The CAA?

North Carolina A&T will compete in CAA Football for the first time in 2023.

The Aggies played in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference from 1971 until 2021. As of July 1, 2021, North Carolina A&T became part of the Big South Conference, but it was short-lived.

In 2022, NC A&T joined the CAA as an all-sports member, and the football team is following suit in 2023, joining CAA Football, which is operated separately under the CAA umbrella.

Prior to the long history in the MEAC, the Aggies played in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Has North Carolina A&T Football Ever Won The CAA title?

No. 

2023 will be North Carolina A&T’s first year in the CAA.

The Aggies did win the CIAA title five times and went on to claim 11 MEAC championships. The most recent came in 2019.

Who Is The North Carolina A&T Football Head Coach?

Vincent Brown is the new head football coach for North Carolina A&T. The announcement of his hiring came after the 2022 season.

Brown spent the previous four seasons at William & Mary as an associate head coach/defensive coordinator/linebacker coach. In 2022, he helped the Tribe to a 7-1 record in CAA play, an 11-2 overall record, a share of the CAA title (with New Hampshire) and a spot in the FCS Playoffs.

Prior to his stint at William & Mary, Brown coached at the high school level and collegiately at Virginia, Richmond, UConn and Howard. While at Richmond, he helped guide the Spiders to the 2008 FCS national championship.

Brown’s collegiate playing days were spent at Mississippi Valley State, after which, he was an All-Pro NFL linebacker. He retired in 1995 as a New England Patriot.

Who Is North Carolina A&T Football’s Biggest Rival? 

North Carolina A&T’s primary football rivalry is with North Carolina Central University. The schools are 55 miles apart.

In 2022, the two teams celebrated the 100th anniversary of their rivalry and battled for the 94th time. It was billed as the Duke’s Mayo Classic, with NC Central taking the win, 28-13. The Aggies had won the game the previous four times and seven of the past 10. 

The rivalry began in 1922, and North Carolina A&T took the inaugural edition, 26-0. The Aggies lead the series 53-36-5.

Where Is North Carolina A&T Located?

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T) is in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The school was established in 1891 to teach agriculture and mechanic arts to African American students in North Carolina, and the first degrees were handed out in 1899.

In 1928, the school became co-ed. 

In 1957, the name of the school was changed to Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina. 

Another act of the North Carolina General Assembly a decade later designated the school as a regional university, and the name was adjusted to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Notable North Carolina A&T Alums

Alums include: 

• Activist and former candidate for the presidency of the United States Rev. Jesse Jackson
• Astronaut Dr. Ronald McNair (Challenger)
• Actress Taraji Henson
• Track & field star Bob Beamon 
• Retired United States Army officer Clara Leach Adams-Ender

More than 70 former Aggies have gone on to play professional football in the many leagues across the globe. Among them, Robert “Stonewall” Jackson, who in 1950, became the first African American from an HBCU drafted to play in the NFL. He was chosen by the New York Giants.

North Carolina A&T Football Schedule 2023 

• Aug. 31: at University of Alabama at Birmingham, 8 p.m. ET
• Sept. 9: North Carolina Central, 7 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Sept. 16: at Elon, 6 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Sept. 30: at Norfolk State, 2 p.m. ET
• Oct. 7: Villanova, 4 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Oct. 14: at Delaware, 3 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Oct. 21: Richmond, 1 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Oct. 28: at Hampton, 2 p.m.ET, FloSports
• Nov. 4: Towson, 1 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Nov. 11: at Rhode Island, 1 p.m. ET, FloSports
• Nov. 18: Campbell, 1 p.m. ET, FloSports