As of press time, nine HBCU athletic directors and administrations are Christmas shopping for a brand-new football coach to put under the tree for 2025.
As with all expensive shopping adventures, the pros and cons must be weighed heavily, not just by the universities themselves but also by the coaches.
So, at HBCU Sports, we’ve decided to list the pros and cons for every Black College Football program looking for a new head coach.
Alabama A&M
Pros
The infrastructure is there: AAMU’s facilities are among the SWAC’s best and with a change agent like athletic director Paul Bryant leading the way, upgrades and improvements are sure to follow.
The new coach won’t have to spend too much time knocking on the doors of donors but rather at the doors of recruits in a football-crazy region.
Plenty of recruiting to be done: Speaking of the fertile football grounds of the South, the next top Bulldog can stay home and build a strong squad as well as head north to Tennessee, east to Georgia and the Florida Gulf Coast, and west to Mississippi. Plenty of talented football players to reach out to in that region.
Cons
The SWAC is a gauntlet: Team for team, the SWAC has few peers in FCS when it comes to the competition factor.
In the Eastern Division alone, FAMU and Jackson State have taken residence at the top, while in-state rival Alabama State is working hard to break up that monopoly.
The new AAMU head coach will need to win the recruiting wars and the games on the field to get the Bulldogs to a SWAC title game and perhaps the Celebration Bowl.
Delaware State
Pros
Location, Location, Location: No, Dover, Delaware will never be confused for a vacationer’s paradise, but for recruiting’s sake, the new DSU head coach can find players up and down the I-95 corridor, from the DMV to Philly to New Jersey and even New York.
Restoring tradition: Delaware State has won six MEAC championships and has produced several notable NFL players, such as wide receivers John Taylor (San Francisco 49ers) and Darnerien McCants (Washington Commanders).
There is a legacy at DSU and the new coach would do well to bring some program legends back to help the new generation understand that success was a thing for the Hornets and can be again.
Cons
Resources are fleeting: Yes, the university has begun raising funds for new football facilities, but some may take years to get done.
As time passes and more universities pour more funds into stadiums, locker rooms, and weight rooms, DSU risks falling even further behind if these upgrades don’t take shape soon.
The struggle is real: While DSU has six MEAC titles to its credit, it has not had a winning season since 2012 and has not won a MEAC game since November 2022.
The new coach will have to find a way to win and win quickly, as two of the last three Hornet coaches (Kenny Carter and the recently dismissed Lee Hull) did not make it through an entire recruiting class. Patience is thin, although that needs to be something the administration must develop if the program is going to turn around.
Elizabeth City State
Pros
Plenty of players to recruit: ECSU’s location is ideal for not only North Carolina kids but Tidewater kids as well, so the new head Viking in charge must focus on those locations.
Cons
Can you win quickly? Three seasons wasn’t enough for Vikings alum Marcus Hilliard, so what chance does a possible outsider have?
In a CIAA landscape that is back to a single-division structure, finding a way to the top will be difficult, so a visible process must be made in the first two seasons, or else it’s back to the drawing board for Elizabeth City State.
Fort Valley State
Pros
Sustained success: Valley has consistently been in the SIAC title chase for generations and their rivalry with Albany State is always a hotly contested battle, on and off the field. The right coach can rise to the occasion, as Shawn Gibbs did in his two seasons in charge before accepting the North Carolina A&T position.
Cons
Breaking through the glass ceiling: Valley has had fits and starts of championship glory over the years, but as the SIAC continues to grow and programs get better, the challenge for the new coach is to win the Georgia recruiting battle as well as the surrounding states.
Lane College
Pros
A potential sleeping giant could awaken: Lane has been a middle-of-the-pack SIAC team for generations, but thanks to its proximity to the Memphis area, there are opportunities to build a talented team. Lane has also placed an NFL player more recently than quite a few schools—the late Jacoby Jones was a Dragons alum and a hero on the Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XLVII championship team.
Cons
A private school team in a public money world: Lane is a small, faith-based institution that is often up against programs with state funding.
That’s a tough, uphill climb for anyone to make in any era, but with the transfer portal and NIL becoming the sign of the times, athletic programs like Lane have to hope kids and their parents find appeal in the intimate, spiritual setting the school provides.
Still looking for a Lane to success: The Dragons’ lone SIAC championship on the gridiron was won in 1982, so there’s not much of a tradition to fall back on. Then again, it could also be a pro if the new coach can convince players to start something new and fresh in Western Tennessee.
Mississippi Valley State
Pros AND Cons
Well…? Valley can claim one of the greatest NFL players ever (Jerry Rice) as an alum, but aside from that, the Delta Devils’ history hasn’t been sparkling. Since joining the SWAC in 1969, MVSU has had 10 winning seasons, their last coming in 2006 under Rice’s quarterback, Willie “Satellite” Totten.
Mississippi Valley State also suffers from the sinister underfunding efforts of the Mississippi state legislature, so they’re hanging on by a string. Much like ECSU, not even an alum (Kendrick Wade Jr.) could turn things around fast enough for the folks in Itta Bena, so whoever takes this job next will have to move quickly…or else.
Norfolk State
Pros
An enthusiastic fanbase: The “Behold! The Green and Gold” motto is one of the best in all of HBCU sports, and Spartans alumni are fully behind their teams, especially when they’re good. Football is one sport where success has been fleeting, so the new coach could become a favorite in short order if he can get Norfolk State into the MEAC championship race.
Virginia is for lovers…and football: The Old Dominion has successful high school programs from Tidewater to Northern Virginia. Getting those kids to come to Norfolk State will be a huge step in making that program successful.
Cons
Green with envy, hungry for Gold: The Spartans have only officially won six conference championships (the NCAA stripped them of their 2011 MEAC title). The reason for the lack of success could be Hampton, Old Dominion starting a football program, or any multitude of other things.
Whatever the case, Norfolk State has the facilities, resources, and support to be great. Maybe the right leader hasn’t been found yet to bring it all together.
Prairie View A&M
Pros
Bigger in Texas: There are plenty of reasons to love this job if you’re the potential head coach. Recruiting in Texas must be at the top of the list. The state is too big to miss out on all your intended targets.
Cons
Expectations vs. Reality: While PVAMU has placed several players in the NFL, team success hasn’t been consistent. Outside of a 2009 SWAC title team helmed by Henry Frazier and a couple of recent SWAC West titles, the Panthers’ glory days were mostly in the 1950s and 1960s.
Patience will be required of the new coach so that person can put their stamp on the program and win a very winnable SWAC Western Division in short order.
Shaw
Pros
Triangle gets the Square: The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, known as The Triangle, is a football hotbed, so the new Shaw coach will have their pick of players to target.
Competition: For a few teams on this list, competition could be a con, but Shaw has a unique position as a private HBCU with a proud alumni base that’s willing to pour into the program.
Cons
Can Shaw catch up to the field? The Bears have four CIAA titles to their credit, but the last one came in 2010. The CIAA has so many programs at the top (Virginia Union, Virginia State, Winston-Salem State, Fayetteville State), while others (Johnson C. Smith, Bowie State, Livingstone) have made strides in recent years.
The new Shaw coach will need to take stock of a very competitive conference and find out what can set the program apart from the others and make them a player in the conference again.
