FootballScoop is proud to announce that Patrick Rotchford (Cortland) is the 2023 FootballScoop Division III Coordinator of the Year, presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
Cortland won its first national championship in 2023 by dethroning defending champion North Central. And they dethroned North Central by out-scoring Division III's No. 1 scoring offense.
The Red Dragons put up 38 points in that game, and averaged 46.2 throughout the season. They topped the 50-point barrier six times in 15 games, and hit 49 points in another game -- a 49-14 drubbing of Randolph-Macon in the D3 semifinals.
Rotchford's offense hit at least 52 points in three consecutive games, and averaged 54.1 points over a 7-game span, highlighted by a 73-point outburst in a victory at Hartwick on Oct. 28.
Cortland excelled through the air and on the ground. The Red Dragons ranked 18th in Division III in rushing, led by Jaden AlfanoStJohn's 1,396 yards and 17 touchdowns on 260 carries. Quarterback Zac Boyes added 774 yards and five touchdowns, while Ashton Capone poured in 607 yards and 13 scores.
Boyes complimented the running game by completing 271-of-375 throws (72.3 percent) for 4,020 yards with 44 touchdowns against five interceptions. His 198.4 efficiency rating placed him fourth among all Division III quarterbacks.
Cole Burgess was Boyes's top target. The senior hauled in 87 grabs for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns -- the fourth-most yards and tied for the seventh most touchdowns in Division III. JJ Laap also topped the 1,000-yard mark, snaring 70 passes for 1,291 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Cortland led Division III with 396 first downs on the season, and ranked ninth in the nation in converting 52.6 percent of their third downs into new opportunities.
Boyes, Buress and lineman Cody Aikey were AP First Team All-Americans on the season. Boyes was also named the Empire 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and was joined on the First Team by AlfanoStJohn, Burgess, Laap, Aikey, and lineman Ryan Bitka, giving the Red Dragons six spots on the 14-man team. Capone and lineman Kevin Whalen were Second Team All-Empire 8 honorees.
A St. John Fisher College graduate, Rotchford entered coaching in 2007 as an intern for the Buffalo Bills. He coached previously at MacMurray College in Illinois, St. Ambrose University in Iowa, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in California, and SUNY Morrisville before joining Cortland as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 2020.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Luke Butts [Lake Forest], Michael McGuire [Wisconsin-La Crosse], Matthew Popino [Endicott], Zach Riepma [Alma], and Rotchford) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Division III Coordinator of the Year award are Glen Fowles (Williamette [Ore.], 2008), Jim Zebrowski (Wisconsin-Whitewater, 2009), Vince Kehres (Mount Union [Ohio], 2010), Wallie Kuchinski (Saint Thomas [Minn.], 2011), John O’Grady (Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 2012), Brian Borland (Wisconsin-Whitewater, 2013), Jackson Vaughan (Linfield, 2014), Chris Kappas (Mount Union [Ohio], 2015), Brandon Staley (John Carroll [Ohio], 2016), Larry Harmon (Mary Hardin-Baylor [Texas], 2017), Mike Fox (Brockport [N.Y.], 2018), Brad Spencer (North Central [Ill.], 2019), Nick Brady (Delaware Valley, 2021), and Shane Dierking (North Central, 2022).
Since 1965, the AstroTurf brand has been driven by forward thinking ingenuity. Today AstroTurf continuously improves its system design to deliver playing surfaces with the most realistic, sport-specific performance, longest lasting durability, and sound player protection. For more information please visit AstroTurf.com.
Created in 1999, FootballScoop.com is the premier source for coaching job information and has long been the most widely viewed website by coaches, athletic directors, strength & conditioning coaches, operations and equipment staff across America. As the leading coaching job information venue, FootballScoop.com serves our viewers’ needs by providing first hand, timely & accurate information for our audience. FootballScoop.com is the premier provider of official job postings for thousands of football programs across this great country.
