By Mia Berry
There will be a lot of new and familiar faces on the sidelines of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
Over the last several weeks, several historically Black colleges and universities have filled leadership vacancies in their football programs with coaches who possess extensive HBCU or professional NFL experience. Here are the new coaching hires to watch.
New head coach Sam Shade isn’t a stranger to winning collegiate programs and has strong ties to the state of Alabama. He was a member of the University of Alabama’s 1992 national championship roster. As the head football coach at Miles College last season, he led the program to a 10-3 overall record and won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Under Shade, the Golden Bears also earned their first-ever Division II playoff win, defeating Carson-Newman University in November. Alabama A&M won the spring 2021 SWAC championship but has tallied just one winning season since then.
Delaware State University
New coach: DeSean Jackson
Former coach: Lee Hull
Delaware State has been at the bottom of the MEAC standings for the last two seasons and has a combined record of 2-22 overall, 0-10 MEAC. Jackson, a former NFL All-Pro receiver, brings some coaching experience to the Hornets after finishing last football season as a wide receivers coach for Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. Jackson has strong personal and recruiting ties in California and has offered several of his former players scholarships to join the Hornets.
Mississippi Valley State University
New coach: Kyle Williams (interim)
Former coach: Kendrick Wade
Kyle Williams is Mississippi Valley State’s third head coach in four seasons. Williams, a holdover from Wade’s staff, has been on the recruiting trail to fill gaps in the roster after players such as All-SWAC receiver Nathan Rembert transferred out of the program. Williams has extensive FCS coaching experience and was a defensive coordinator for East Texas A&M University. Mississippi Valley State finished last season 1-11 overall (1-7 SWAC) with an upset win over then-reigning Celebration Bowl champion Florida A&M University.
Norfolk State University
New coach: Michael Vick
Former coach: Dawson Odums
Former NFL Pro Bowler Michael Vick made national news when he accepted Norfolk State’s head coaching job in December despite not having previous collegiate head coaching experience. Vick has already hired several coaches onto his staff and has begun recruiting efforts. He wants to bring a winning culture to Norfolk State and turn the Spartans, who finished last season with a record of 4-8 overall (2-3 MEAC) for fourth place in the conference, into a championship contender.
North Carolina A&T University
New coach: Shawn Gibbs
Former coach: Vincent Brown
Shawn Gibbs finally got his Division I coaching promotion. The former Fort Valley State University head coach, who spent more than a decade as a position coach for the Aggies, was welcomed back in December. Gibbs was on the coaching staff under Sam Washington and Rod Broadway when North Carolina A&T won four Celebration Bowl titles. Gibbs boasts a 22-9 record over the last three seasons at Fort Valley State. The Aggies have finished 2-21 over the last two seasons and were winless in the CAA.
Prairie View A&M University
New coach: Tremaine Jackson
Former coach: Bubba McDowell
Less than 24 hours after Valdosta State University’s appearance in the NCAA DII national championship game, head coach Tremaine Jackson accepted the Prairie View head coaching job. Jackson played football at Texas Southern University before ultimately graduating from the University of Houston. He is familiar with coaching in the SWAC after spending four seasons with Texas Southern as a position coach (2008-2011). Jackson posted a 30-9 record in three seasons at Valdosta State and was named the American Football Coaches Association’s National Division II Coach of the Year in December. Prairie View finished last season 5-7 overall (3-5 SWAC) and hasn’t been to the SWAC championship game since 2023.
Other movement
Former Shaw University head coach Adrian Jones was announced as the new head football coach for Elizabeth City State University. Miles announced Chris Goode as its new head coach. Kenneth Ray was hired as the interim head coach for Fort Valley State, replacing Gibbs. After Greg Ruffin declined Shaw’s head coaching job due to health concerns, the university hired Lamar Monigo.