The 2023 college football season promises to be quite literally landmark as the inaugural campaign of Landmark Conference football. 

The NCAA Div. III league announced its formation in December 2005, and debuted in the 2007-08 academic year. Although this is the Landmark's first year sponsoring football, league members boast their own gridiron traditions that lend immediately credibility to the conference's on-field product. 

What's more, a non-conference scheduling agreement with the Empire 8 Conference promises to help launch Landmark football in style. The crossover matchups include Keystone College hosting St. John Fisher on Sept. 16; Lycoming opening its home schedule on Sept. 9 with preseason Top 25-ranked SUNY Cortland, then a visit from Utica the following week; Moravian against Utica and Morrisville State; and plenty more. 

Catholic 

Washington D.C.-based The Catholic University of America helps usher in Landmark Conference football, while adding a new chapter to its own long, illustrious history. 

Cardinals football dates back to the 19th Century, and has gone strong in its current incarnation as a varsity program since 1977. The university's athletic department was among the charter members of the Landmark when it was formed in 2005, so the Cardinals coming aboard for the first football season was natural. 

Catholic went 6-5 a season ago and 5-1 in the NEWMAC, falling just short of winning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Playoffs. The Cardinals did, however, earn a spot in the New England Bowl. 

"We want to continue on our track of improvement and that's what these guys have been a part of in my time at Catholic," head coach Mike Gutelius said at media day. "Restoring a program that has great tradition. We've gotten to a point where we're good, and now I think the standard is we want to have competitive excellence; we want to be elite." 

Juniata 

Although Juniata comes into 2023 having won just one game over the last two seasons, the Eagles have plenty of reason for enthusiasm. With a new conference comes a new direction for the program, courtesy of a young, energetic coaching staff that brings a wealth of Div. I experience. 

First-year head coach Blake Treadwell, a former Michigan State standout on the field, was a Spartans graduate assistant after a grad tenure at USF. His initial Juniata staff includes Hunter English at defensive coordinator, a former Lehigh University line coach and assistant on special teams. 

"It's a new opportunity for us going forward," Treadwell said at media day. "New coaches, we're kind of working through some things, kind of tweaking the playbook. We're excited as coaches to put our stamp on a new beginning." 

The new coaches will look to make an immediate and lasting imprint on a program that played its first varsity season more than 100 years ago in 1920 and celebrates its 100th season of competition in 2023. 

Keystone 

Associate member Keystone's announced addition in 2022 proved instrumental in the formation of the Landmark Conference's football plans. The league has automatic-qualifier status with Keystone in the mix, and the Giants add a promising dynamic to the Landmark's make-up. 

Re-launched as a club program in 2019, Keystone experienced predictable growing pains as a member of the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference in its first varsity campaign of 2021. But after a winless debut, the Giants improved to 3-7 in 2022 — and went 3-1 in their final four games. 

Riding the momentum of last season's strong finish, coach Justin Higgins continues the fast build of the Keystone program with an experienced roster that includes running back Mujaheed Muhammad. Muhammad gained nearly 1,000 yards and scored 12 touchdowns for the Giants en route to ECFC All-Conference recognition in 2022. 

Beautiful day to BUILD!

Incoming Giants at orientation & potential future Giants at the 2023 1Day1Brick Prospect Camp. Time to W.I.N. the day!#1Day1Brick 🔵🧱🟠 pic.twitter.com/5pIai9M24L

— Keystone Giants Football (@KeystoneFTBL) July 29, 2023

Joining the Landmark only adds to Keystone's upswing, Higgins said at media day. 

"It's going to help not only our program and our school, but from a recruiting standpoint I think [membership in the Landmark] is going to be very important," Higgins said. 

Lycoming

College Football Hall of Famer Frank Girardi helped Lycoming put its signature in the annals of the sport's history, leading the Warriors for 35 years and amassing one of the best career head-coaching records ever. 

Happy Birthday to 2016 @cfbhall inductee and @lycoathletics coaching great Frank Girardi! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/QHWpXPWZUB

— Football Foundation (@NFFNetwork) July 16, 2018

Girardi's historic tenure accounts for the bulk of Lycoming's 15 NCAA Playoff appearances, but the Warriors reached the postseason as recently as 2019. They'll look to earn the first-ever Landmark Conference bid to the tournament in 2023 by learning from the lessons of a disappointing 4-6 finish a season ago. 

"Every week is a new challenge; doesn't matter what you did the year before, doesn't matter what happened in the past because nobody's going to lay down for you," defensive tackle Abubakar Audu Jr. said at media day. "You've got to be dialed in 100 percent all the way from January through to November. We learned that lesson the hard way. We took it in, we resonated with it, and we used it to drive us all offseason." 

To Audu's point, Lycoming may boast arguably the most impressive historic resume of the Landmark Conference, but the future of the league is going to be written over the Saturdays to come — beginning in this inaugural campaign. 

Moravian 

Jeff Long Jr. guides Moravian into the Landmark Conference, a first-year head coach with NFL experience and an impressive assistant-coaching stint at John Carroll. 

"Being able to join a tradition-rich program like this is special, no matter what," Long said at media day. "I tell the guys all the time, you get to leave a part of that legacy." 

The legacy dates back almost a century. The 2023 Moravian team is the program's 97th all-time, with a lineage that ties into some of the most formative roots in establishing college football as a nationally beloved sport: Among the past Greyhounds coaches is Paul Stagg, the son of legendary Amos Alonzo Stagg, for whom the NCAA Div. III National Championship Game is named. 

Getting to the Stagg Bowl in Long's first season will require a major turnaround for the Greyhounds after a 3-7 finish in 2022, but Moravian's players at media day sounded confident in adapting to a new coaching staff and new conference. 

"Football is football," said quarterback Jared Jenkins. "Scheme can't change too much, so we'll just keep getting ready and preparing the way we've been." 

Susquehanna 

Susquehanna will kick off the 2023 season as the first Top 25-ranked team in Landmark Conference football history. Coming off a 10-1 finish in 2022 and appearance in the NCAA Playoffs, the Riverhawks open the coming campaign ranked No. 22 in the D3Football.com preseason poll. 

Susquehanna arrives in the Landmark Conference boasting a talented roster with one of the most productive wide receivers in Div. III football, Kyle Howes; and an aggressive defense that returns a pair of linebackers who combined for 8.5 sacks in 2022, Josh Buck and Garrett Carter. 

Still, coach Tom Perkovich noted at media day that Riverhawks have key players to replace and will be integrating plenty of new faces while playing on a new surface. 

Made possible thanks to a gift from the estate of Lucille Arthur H’13, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Field at Doug Arthur Stadium now has a new look for their Landmark Conference future! #SusquehannaUniversity #GoSU @GOSusqU @SURiverHawksFB pic.twitter.com/Llj1vKUa2o

— Susquehanna University (@SusquehannaU) July 14, 2023

"They've got to be the focal point guys. They've got to take care of business," he said at media day. "I don't have a crystal ball to tell you how we're going to be. Obviously, we've got some things to figure out over the next month." 

While those things are figured out, the Top 25 designation sets Susquehanna apart as the team to beat in the first-ever Landmark campaign. 

Wilkes 

Wilkes capped a successful 2022 winning a shootout over rival King's College, 58-42, to claim the Mayor's Cup. The trophy, initiated in 1996, is on the line again when Wilkes kicks off the 2023 season. 

5️⃣0️⃣ days until Kickoff ‼️

See you at Schmidt, Sept. 2nd 🔵🟡#BeTheChange pic.twitter.com/LuZRjQceml

— Wilkes Football (@WilkesFootball) July 14, 2023

Back-to-back rivalry games paves the way for the Colonels in the historic Landmark Conference season,  including the league's scheduling alliance with the Empire 8. Coach Jonathan Drach touted the scheduling crossover as a boon for college football in the East. 

Drach, who aims to continue the run of success Wilkes has enjoyed in his tenure with above-.500 finishes in four seasons since 2018, also spoke highly of Wilkes' potential for "longevity of winning." 

"Being consistent is something that we're going to strive to do," he said at media day. "We're excited for that challenge in the Landmark. There's a really good football teams in this league, and we're going to be one of those good football teams."