The Bowie State Bulldogs have high expectations for the 2023 football season as they look to get back to the top of the CIAA.
After serving as interim coach last season, Kyle Jackson will be in his first full year as head coach after the interim tag has been removed.
In 2022, it was the Bulldogs’ first since moving on from longtime coach and current Morgan State head coach Damon Wilson.
During his tenure, Bowie State appeared in six CIAA championship games, winning three straight in his final three seasons with the team.
This included a 2021 season in which the Bulldogs had its deepest run in the Division II playoffs ever, advancing to the regional final.
Coach Jackson talked during CIAA Media Day about Wilson’s influence and having the opportunity to succeed him in the role last season.
“Coming into last year following behind Coach Wilson, he did a great job with the program, and I was a part of the program when he took over,” said Jackson. “I’ve been following his lead for a long time. So having the opportunity to take over at Bowie State University last year, was a pleasure. I can’t thank AD [Clyde] Doughty and Dr. [Aminta] Breaux for the opportunity.
Bowie State finished with a 6-4 record (5-3 in CIAA), giving the team its seventh straight season posting a winning record.
Although, the team fell short of its ultimate goal of contending for a championship finishing third in the CIAA Northern Division.
Through all the changes the Bowie State Bulldogs have seen over the past couple of years, Jackson believes getting back to the winning culture the team has built will be the key to their success.
“When you go through changes that we went through last season, there were a lot of shifts,” said Jackson about the adjustments he made to the team. “So one of the things that we worked on this offseason was rebuilding that winning culture. That expectation is the expectation, the standard is the standard.”
Of the team’s eight All-CIAA selections, only one — wide receiver Keshane Hinckley– is returning for the 2023 season.
This has not done anything for the expectations of the Bulldogs this season, as they were picked to finish second behind reigning CIAA champion Fayetteville State in the CIAA’s predicted order of finish.
