Southern University will become the latest HBCU to gamble on a former NFL player as a head coach. According to a report by Kevin Batiste Jr. of Baton Rouge TV station WAFB, the Jaguars will announce Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as the program's next football coach Monday. Source: The deal is done. Marshall Faulk will be the next head coach for Southern University.

DeSean Jackson did in his first year what three coaches, four athletic directors, two university presidents and three United States presidents couldn’t do over 12 years; he made the Delaware State football team winners. While he may have been snubbed for the MEAC Coach of the Year award, he is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson award for NCAA Football Championship Subdivision's top coach. The latter is the one he should win. Jackson, a 16-year NFL veteran with All-Pro nods and a Super Bowl ring to his credit, took over a Delaware State football program with a rich history that was living through a sad present.

Aaron Nkrumah turned defense into program history Tuesday night. His nine steals to set a new Tennessee State single-game record as the Tigers clawed back to stun UNC Asheville 75–73. The road win gave head coach Nolan Smith his first Division I victory and pushed TSU back to .500 at 3–3. Nkrumah stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, nine steals, six rebounds, and five assists, leading a relentless defensive effort that forced 23 Bulldog turnovers — good for 28 Tiger points.

The 2025 SWAC football season was defined by record-breaking offenses, dominant defenses, and a coaching resurgence that reshaped the league’s pecking order. Dynamic quarterbacks powered high-scoring attacks, while disruptive defenders authored game-changing plays each week. Special teams units electrified stadiums with precise kicking, booming punts, and breathtaking returns. Steely leadership on the sidelines sparked winning streaks and championship dreams. With league titles and postseason bids on the line, the year’s top offensive, defensive, and special teams standouts, along with a transformative coaching performance, set new standards for excellence in the SWAC.​

Texas Southern head football coach Cris Dishman voiced strong frustration this week over what he described as a growing issue of unqualified “street agents” attempting to lure his players away. Dishman said the problem has worsened as individuals posing as agents approach young players with false promises and unethical financial demands. “I call them street agents,” Dishman said Monday during the SWAC coaches virtual press conference.

Two first-year HBCU football head coaches who have turned around their programs are in the running for an award named for a Black College legend. Prairie View A&M's Tremaine Jackson and Delaware State's DeSean Jackson have been named finalists for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award, StatsPerform announced Monday. Tremaine Jackson came to Prairie View from Division II Valdosta State, where he took the Blazers to the 2024 NCAA Division II national championship game. So far in his first season as Panthers' head coach, Jackson has led PVAMU to the SWAC West title…

It doesn't appear that Andrew Body will play in the Turkey Day for Alabama State against in-state rival Tuskegee. Hornets head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. all but confirmed it on Monday that the redshirt junior will not suit up for the season finale on Thursday. "Body's coming along and I think the optimism was the SWAC championship game or the Celebration Bowl, but either way, like I told him, even if he could play this game, it wouldn't have made sense," Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr.

Florida A&M interim head coach James Colzie acknowledged uncertainty about his coaching future days after the Rattlers lost to rival Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Rattlers. When asked if he expected to return next season, Colzie said he hadn’t received clarity from university leadership. “I haven’t heard any conversation about that,” Colzie said on Monday during the SWAC coaches media call…

The HBCU football coaching carousel continues with a Division I school making a change. Hampton announced Sunday that football coach Trenton Boykin had been relieved of his duties immediately. "It is always difficult to make changes, particularly when it involves dedicated professionals and student-athletes," Hampton athletic director Anthony D. Henderson said in a statement released by the university. "Our commitment remains unwavering to ensuring Hampton football achieves the highest standards of excellence on and off the field.

In the Green Bay Packers' 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings, a familiar name in HBCU football had himself a big day in his first NFL start. Former Johnson C. Smith and Fort Valley State standout running back Emanuel Wilson produced his first career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 107 yards on 28 attempts, accounting for each of his team's touchdowns…

A year after reviving hopes across with their first FCS playoff appearance in over a decade, Tennessee State’s 2025 football campaign ended in disarray. The Tigers stumbled to a 2–10 overall record and went winless in Big South/OVC play, finishing 0–8, erasing much of the momentum that surrounded the program last fall during Eddie George's tenure before he was hired at Bowling Green in the offseason.

The first round of the Division II Football Playoffs has come and gone, bringing about mixed results for the five HBCUs selected to the championship field. Albany State 35, Valdosta State 30 Super Region Two number-one seed and SIAC champion Albany State survived a hard-fought battle with Division II powerhouse Valdosta State, coming away with a 35-30 win. This is the Golden Rams' fourth Division II playoff win in school history and their first since 2010. SIAC Offensive Player of the Year Isaiah Knowles finished with 264 passing yards on 24-of-37 passing and two touchdowns, adding 92 rushing yards on 16 attempts and a touchdown.

Michael Vick’s first season in charge at Norfolk State ended with another reminder of how far his rebuilding project has to go. The Spartans fell 44-15 to Howard on Saturday, closing a 1-11 campaign marked by a 10-game losing streak and continued growing pains. Howard (5-7, 2-3 MEAC) used a 23-point second quarter to take control and hand Norfolk State its latest lopsided defeat, outgaining the Spartans 434-323.

For the second consecutive season and fourth time in the last five seasons, Jackson State owns the SWAC East. The Tigers survived a fourth-quarter rally by Alcorn State to win 27-21 in the regular-season finale on Saturday. Freshman quarterback Jared Lockhart threw for one score and ran for another to pace the Tigers (9-2, 7-1 SWAC), who opened the game with 17 unanswered points.

South Carolina State continues to win the big games. The Bulldogs forced two early Delaware State turnovers and turned the clock forward to midnight on the Hornets’ Cinderella story with a 28-17 win. The victory gives South Carolina State (9-3, 5-0 MEAC) their third Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and third trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl in the last five seasons.

In one of the wildest finishes of Saturday, Benedict College pulled off a stunning rally to shock Wingate University 25-24 in the first round of Division II playoffs. What looked like a comfortable Wingate victory, up 24-0, quickly turned into chaos as Benedict’s defense tightened and its offense found rhythm in the fourth quarter. Down 24-19 with 3 seconds left in regulation and 85 yards from the endzone, quarterback Jackson Jensen completed a pass to wide receiver Charle Simmons.

The postseason has arrived in the Division II ranks with Saturday seeing the kickoff of the first round of the National Championship tournament. This year will be a historic affair as five HBCU teams will compete in the Division II playoffs, the most seen in a single year in the tournament's 52-year history. This comes a year after Virginia Union and Miles won their respective first round matchups, marking the first time two HBCUs advances past the opening round in the same year. Here is each HBCU Division II playoff team's Biggest Key to Victory in the opening round of the National Championship tournament.

The Bowie State Bulldogs have entered the head coaching market after announcing they will not renew the contract of current coach Kyle Jackson. "On behalf of Bulldog Athletics, I want to extend out sincere gratitude to Coach Jackson for the meaningful impact he has made on our football program both as a player and as a dedicated coach over the last 11 years," said Bowie State University Athletic Director Clyde Doughty.

The Florida Classic this year might be a toss-up. Florida A&M enters the 2025 Florida Classic riding a four-game winning streak over Bethune-Cookman, but the Wildcats might be in the best position to finally topple the Rattlers. Bethune-Cookman’s explosive offense gives the Wildcats real upset potential if the game turns into a shootout, but their defensive inconsistencies are hard to hide over four quarters.​

Lucky Week Number 13 of HBCU Football promises to be a special one; five Division II HBCUs are in postseason action, the MEAC title will be decided and the SWAC will likely know who plays in the championship game by the close of business Saturday.  The games aren’t as plentiful, but the importance has multiplied, so your friendly neighborhood HBCU football prognosticator takes this week’s picks very seriously.Before we look at the key matchups, let’s review Week 12’s numbers.

Delaware State is embracing the “love of the grind” as the Hornets prepare to host South Carolina State on Saturday in the de facto MEAC championship game. Delaware State (4-0 MEAC) enters championship week after a hard-fought win, 26-13 over Howard, a program that had frustrated the Hornets in recent years. Jackson’s team forced three turnovers, including a pick-six, and regained its offensive rhythm in what he admitted could have been a “trap game.” “Every game from here on out is going to be a trap game,” head coach…

The South Carolina State football team has won all nine of their MEAC games since Chennis Berry took over as head coach last season. The coach himself as a personal winning streak that triples the above amount. Berry, who led Division II Benedict to consecutive SIAC titles in 2022 and 2023, is focused on winning another week as his Bulldogs travel to Delaware State this coming Saturday to decide the MEAC championship.

Could Jackson State quarterback JaCobian Morgan be under center for the Tigers with the SWAC East division championship on the line? Morgan has been out since sustaining an injury to his left foot on Oct. 26 versus Grambling State in Las Vegas. Head coach T.C. Taylor on Monday addressed Morgan’s status at his weekly press conference, confirming that the junior signal-caller was on the practice field this week.

Southern University’s search for a new head football coach has once again brought an NFL name to the forefront: Marshall Faulk. HBCU media YouTube personality Scottay of Offscript TV first reported on a live stream broadcast of the show that Faulk spoke with school officials and is "the leading candidate" for the job. Kevin Batiste, a sports reporter with WAFB in Baton Rouge, also indicated university officials…

Langston University announced Tuesday that head football coach Quinton Morgan will not return next season, ending a decade-long tenure leading the Lions program. “Coach Morgan’s service, dedication, and commitment to Langston University over the past 10 years have been greatly appreciated,” said Director of Athletics Donnita Rogers in a statement. “We thank him for his leadership and contributions to LU football.”