NJCAA DI Football Championship to air on ESPNU

Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced details for the 2022 NJCAA Division I Football Championship that is slated to take place at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, AR, for the third consecutive year. The championship will be televised nationally for the fifth consecutive year and for the first time by ESPNU on Wednesday, December 14 at 9:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM CT.

This announcement comes shortly after the NJCAA and ESPN released news of a multi-year media rights agreement, to begin with the 2022-23 academic year that also includes nationally televised championship games for Division I Men's Basketball, and Division I Women's Basketball that will air on an ESPN linear network, as well as regular season content on ESPN+. 

The NJCAA has also released the first five weeks of the NJCAA Football Game of the Week on ESPN+.  Beginning with week six of the NJCAA Football season, the game of the week selections on ESPN+ will be announced two weeks in advance. 

The Snow College Badgers open the season with two highly anticipated matchups against the Trinity Valley Cardinals and the defending national champion New Mexico Military Institute Broncos. The Badgers' program has lost only three games in the last two seasons, with two of the losses coming in the 2020-21 National Championship game and the 2021 national semifinals.  The Cardinals began the 2021 season on a five-game winning streak, reaching as high as No. 4 in the national rankings.  With a long history of on-field success, Trinity Valley celebrates the 75th season of the program in 2022.      

After the Broncos hoisted the first national title in school history and the first football national title at any level for a New Mexico school, Kurt Taufa'asau is holding his team to the same standard for the 2022 season. A handful of players from the 2021 team have moved on to NCAA Division I programs, including running back Anthony Grant (University of Nebraska) and offensive lineman Tyrone Webber (Oklahoma State University). The Broncos will follow the Snow matchup by facing off against the Navarro Bulldogs. Under first-year head coach Ryan Taylor, the Bulldogs finished fifth among the coaches and third among media members in the SWJCFC preseason poll. 

The Tyler Apaches will face the Cardinals during the fourth week of the season with Tanner Jacobson now at the helm of the program. Jacobson joins the Tyler staff after serving as the Defensive Backs and Special Teams Coordinator for Snow the past two seasons. At Snow, Jacobson coached the 2021 NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year Keionte Scott who signed with Auburn University. The Apaches also have a new offensive coordinator in Brady Davis who spent the 2021 season coaching the quarterbacks. Davis tutored Apache quarterback General Booty who led the nation in passing yards last season and is continuing his playing career at the University of Oklahoma.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldogs and East Mississippi will round out the first month of the NJCAA Football Games of the Week. The Bulldogs have won outright or shared the last three MACCC division championships and the five-time national champion East Mississippi Lions are focused on getting back into the NJCAA title hunt. Mississippi Gulf Coast had 16 players from their 2021 roster move onto a four-year school, including programs such as Mississippi State, Florida International University, and Boise State. The Lions also had 16 players sign with four-year programs, including four standouts who signed with NCAA Division I schools.  As powerhouse programs on the national level, Mississippi Gulf Coast and East Mississippi combined have claimed six of the last eleven national titles.     

For more on the NJCAA and ESPN multi-year agreement, visit: HERE.

For all national championship updates, visit: 2022 NJCAA Division I Football Championship.

For more on the NJCAA Game of the Week on ESPN+, visit: HERE.

About ESPN+ 

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.8 million subscribers. 

Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads). Subscribers to Hulu + Live TV also receive ESPN+ at no additional cost. 

About War Memorial Stadium 

War Memorial Stadium, located in Little Rock, Arkansas, has played host to major college football games, concerts, and events for 70 years. The stadium has gone through several renovations since opening in 1948, ensuring it remains vital and strong for years to come. Miracles happen every day at War Memorial Stadium, from major college upsets to the glow on a child's face when opening birthday presents on the field. 

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