The Indoor Football League has officially concluded its 15th year of action. 2023 was a banner year for the IFL. Off the field, the league created monumental partnerships including the XFL, Simplebet and CBS Sports, positioning itself for future growth and opportunities. On the field, the league has never seen more parity and competition. The 2023 season culminated in Vegas at the Dollar Loan Center IFL National Championship with the Bay Area Panthers winning their first title over a team that’s been to the top many times, the Sioux Falls Storm. Let’s take a quick look at each team’s trek through 2023.
The Frisco Fighters started out the year 7-0 behind the eventual league MVP, TJ Edwards. The Frisco offense scored a total of 125 touchdowns, with Edwards accounting for 84 of them. They would eventually finish the regular season with just two losses, entering the postseason with the best record in the league at 13-2. They routed the Steamwheelers in the first round of the playoffs and continued their dominance through the first half of the Eastern Conference Championship game against the Sioux Falls Storm. The second half of that game saw the Storm come back from a 20-point deficit to end the Fighters season with a 45-44 loss.
The Massachusetts Pirates had an interesting 2023. Throughout their season they reeled off a four-game win streak as well as two back-to-back wins. Unfortunately, they coupled that with a set of back-to-back losses and a four-game winless streak to end the season. Four of their seven losses were by less than one score. Running Back Jimmy Robinson led the league with 959 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns on the ground, earning IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year accolades. The Pirates earned a spot in the playoffs but were ousted in the first round with a 42-39 loss in Sioux Falls.
The Quad City Steamwheelers entered the season as favorites after their appearance in the 2022 Dollar Loan Center IFL National Championship. Any team with E.J. Hilliard behind center will be seen as championship contenders. Throughout the first half of the season Quad City was 6-2 and in prime position to fight for a top seed in the East. The second half of the season saw the Steamwheelers take a surprising turn, going 3-4 in their last seven games. Including a big loss to the 1-13 Tulsa Oilers in the final regular season game, which kept Quad City from hosting the first round of the playoffs. Instead, they traveled to top seed Frisco where the Steamwheelers season ended with a 29-57 loss.
The Green Bay Blizzard began the year going 2-4 in what appeared to possibly be a season to forget. They went on to win five of their next seven games to firmly plant themselves in the playoff race. Ultimately, they came up just short in the final weeks of the year. Green Bay discovered two talented quarterbacks in 2023. Ja’rome Johnson proved to be one of the more difficult quarterbacks to defend in the league. When Johnson went down with an injury, Max Meylor stepped in, and it was obvious that the Blizzard had two starting caliber quarterbacks on the roster. Green Bay continued their tradition of fan engagement, exciting promotions, powerful partnerships and league leadership, which earned them the IFL Franchise of the Year award.
The Iowa Barnstormers had a year filled with obstacles. Injuries were the main storyline throughout the Barnstormers 2023 campaign. In the first game of the year, hosting Vegas, Iowa lost their quarterback Darius-James Peterson for the season. This was a sign of things to come. Injuries piled up, multiple quarterbacks were brought in, but the Barnstormers couldn’t overcome those hurdles and ended the season with a 3-12 record. The Barnstormer faithful stayed loyal and Iowa will look to get back to their winning ways in 2024.
The Tulsa Oilers, despite their record on the field, had an impressive inaugural season in the IFL. They finished the season with a 2-13 record but keep in mind, seven of Tulsa’s losses were by one score or less. The truly impressive part is that despite their record on the field, Oklahomans love football. In their inaugural season for the Tulsa Oilers football team, they drew over 60,000 fans, averaging over 7,500 per game. With that kind of support and a few breaks, 2024 could be a great year for Tulsa.
The Sioux Falls Storm entered 2023 with a returning familiar face leading the offense. Lorenzo Brown Jr., a multiple time IFL Championship MVP, was back for one last season to help lead this proud franchise back to the playoffs. Although the regular season saw highs and lows, Brown and company did exactly that. The Storm was on the playoff bubble with just a few weeks left in the season when IFL Hall of Fame coach, Kurtiss Riggs, announced this would be his last season with Sioux Falls. Apparently, that was the spark the team needed. The Storm proceeded to go on a run of upset wins all the way to the Dollar Loan Center IFL National Championship game. The Storm have announced that long time Defensive Coordinator, Andre Fields, will take over as head coach in 2024.
The Arizona Rattlers enter every season with high expectations. 2023 was no different. That’s why a 3-4 start to the season was surprise to many. Much of the slow start was due to the 2022 IFL MVP quarterback, Drew Powell, finding himself on the injured list from week two to week nine. Upon Powells return, the Rattlers won eight straight and didn’t lose another regular season game. Powell’s 2,128 passing yards and 45 touchdowns along with his 575 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns earned him the Offensive Player of the Year. However, the Rattlers momentum did not carry over into the postseason, where were upset in round one by the Northern Arizona Wranglers.
The Tucson Sugar Skulls had a season that was hard to predict. They started the season with three consecutive wins, which they followed with three consecutive losses. The Sugar Skulls then went 6-4 the rest of the way to earn themselves a playoff spot with a 9-6 record. Quarterback Ramone Atkins finished the season with a 65.1 completion percentage and was responsible for 58 touchdowns on the year. Tucson lost to the Bay Area Panthers in the first round of the playoffs, 46-34.
The Northern Arizona Wranglers came into 2023 looking to defend their title. After starting 5-2, it looked that that was a real possibility. They followed their hot start by losing six of their next eight games to end the season with a 7-8 record and the final playoff spot in the West. While they were crawling into the playoffs and the Rattlers were rolling in on an eight-game win streak, the Wranglers managed to upset Arizona in the first round, 62-53. NAZ then lost, 46-68, to the eventual IFL Champion Bay Area Panthers in the Western Conference Championship.
The San Diego Strike Force weren’t content with their 1-3 start to the year, so they decided to make a splash. On April 18th, San Diego traded for quarterback Nate Davis from the Duke City Gladiators. Davis was the IFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. Davis, who threw for 48 touchdowns, brought some juice to the Strike Force offense but it wasn’t enough to earn the team a playoff spot. San Diego finished the season with a 6-9 record, just one game outside of the playoff picture.
The Duke City Gladiators were on the other side of the Nate Davis trade. So following week five, the Gladiators were 2-2 and without Nate Davis. Duke City turned to a well-known name in indoor football, quarterback Charles McCullum. McCullum was the IFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 and is second all-time in career passing yards. Duke City finished the season at 5-10 and outside of playoff contention.
The Vegas Knight Hawks entered 2023 with a former MVP at quarterback and high hopes for the season. After adding Dequan Neal behind center, championship expectations were not out of the question. After dealing with injuries throughout the roster, those hopes changed fairly early in the year. Vegas started the season going 2-4 and kept that pace the rest of the way. They finished the year at 5-10, looking for better days in 2024.
The Bay Area Panthers are a feel-good story and a microcosm of the parity found in the IFL. Any team can turn things around… quickly. In 2022, the Panthers had one win on the entire season. In 2023, the Panthers are IFL National Champions. They are the second team in two years to go from one win to champions. The Panthers trio of Justin Rankin, JT Stokes and IFL National Championship MVP, Dalton Sneed, made up one of the best offenses in the league. Pairing that with a consistently stout defense brought Bay Area their first title.
Now that season fifteen has concluded, the IFL immediately turns its attention to 2024. Earlier this week, the IFL proudly announced the addition of the Jacksonville Sharks. Jacksonville, a franchise with an extensive history of success and powerful indoor football brand, will fit in perfectly with a league already loaded with best indoor football franchises in the country. There will be more to come as the IFL continues to follow its blueprint for calculated growth. To keep up, follow the IFL on all social media platforms as well as at www.GoIFL.com.