Todd Stepsis

WACO, Texas — Drake head football coach Todd Stepsis was named American Football Coaches Association FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year, the AFCA announced Wednesday.

Stepsis and all other regional winners will be honored on Jan. 9, 2024, during the AFCA Convention in Nashville.

Stepsis, the 2023 Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year, led Drake to its first PFL Championship since the 2012 season and to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. The Bulldogs finished the 2023 season unbeaten in PFL play and extended their conference winning streak to 11 games. Drake’s 8-3 regular season record was a complete turnaround from last season’s 3-8 mark, which took winning the final three games of the season – all in PFL play – to reach. The Bulldog defense held their eight PFL opponents to 97 points (12.1 ppg) and ranked 32nd among FCS teams, allowing just 22.6 points per game during the regular season.