Willie Simmons was not the first Black College coach to take a job at the FBS level, and he likely won’t be the last. Simmons is a young coaching commodity with success at every level of football and in various settings, either as a coordinator or a head coach.
This is the second consecutive year the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion has faced the reality of losing their head coach to an FBS program as Colorado lured Deion Sanders away from Jackson State to be their head coach. Now Duke will employ Simmons as their running backs coach.
As an HBCU sports news outlet owned, operated, and staffed by HBCU alumni, it’s not fun for us to discuss things such as a coach leaving for what are perceived to be better, big-time positions.
However, as senior editor Kendrick Marshall said on our Monday podcast, if your team is good, your coaches are being scouted.
So the question is, will there be another HBCU football coach who could leave for an FBS position? There are a couple of names that come to mind. Does it mean we have any inside information? No. Does it mean we’re angling for them to leave? Absolutely not. We’re just answering an asked question.
Larry Scott, Howard University
Of the 21 D-1 HBCU Football coaches, Howard’s Larry Scott could easily transition to the FBS level, where he coached before being named the Bison’s head coach in 2020.
Scott served as interim coach at Miami (FL) in 2015, compiling a respectable 4-2 record after the Hurricanes fired Al Golden. He actually was sought after by Alabama but decided to remain at Howard.
He also was an offensive line, tight ends, and running backs coach at his Alma mater, South Florida, before his time at Miami, then as offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Tennessee.
Scott delivered a MEAC championship to Howard, the first outright championship in 30 years, and with that feather in his cap, it’s not hard to see an FBS school taking that trip to Northwest DC to speak with him. They should just avoid the Georgia Ave. McDonald’s, though.
Trei Oliver, North Carolina Central
This one is a long shot, as Oliver has led his Alma mater to great success – a Celebration Bowl title in 2022 and an FCS playoff appearance this year.
But Oliver has an extensive coaching history of his own, solely at the HBCU level, serving as defensive backs coach at Delaware State (while I was a student there; where does the time go?), Central, Grambling, North Carolina A&T and Southern before returning home as head coach in 2019.
Oliver is a personable guy who can easily be the face of a program or a position room that sorely needs an infusion of energy. That’s the kind of guy an FBS school would rally around.
Eddie George, Tennessee State
The former Ohio State/Tennessee Titans/Dallas Cowboys running back understands big-time football, and his quest to bring that style to Tennessee State is in progress – the Tigers had their first winning season in seven years under George this past season. However, his laments about the lack of crowd participation ruffled a few feathers.
Still, he’s Eddie George – a Hall of Fame running back with coaching acumen. It would be him if anybody could turn a running backs’ room into the strongest position at an FBS school.
Bubba McDowell, Prairie View A&M
Similar to George, Bubba McDowell was a hard-hitting all-pro safety for the Houston Oilers and, of course, played at the U. McDowell, in a twist of fate, was on Simmons’ staff at Prairie View and took over as head coach after Eric Dooley went to Southern.
In his first two seasons in charge, McDowell has won a share of two SWAC West titles and earned an appearance in the conference championship game this past season.
Could an FBS team look to a former pro who knows the game at all levels and, with his successful Prairie View Mega camp this past summer, clearly knows how to spark interest in a program? It’s an easy decision, honestly.
