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 coachĀ Sam ShadeĀ isnāt a stranger to winning collegiate programs and has strong ties to the state of Alabama. He was a member of the University of Alabamaās 1992 national championship roster. As the head football coach at Miles College last season, he led the program to aĀ 10-3Ā overall record and won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. Under Shade, the Golden Bears also earned theirĀ first-everĀ Division II playoff win, defeating Carson-Newman University in November. Alabama A&M won theĀ spring 2021 SWAC championshipĀ but has tallied just one winning season since then.
Delaware State University
New coach:Ā DeSean Jackson
Former coach:Ā Lee Hull
Delaware State has beenĀ at the bottom of the MEAC standingsĀ for the last two seasons and has a combined record ofĀ 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 aĀ wide receivers coachĀ 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:Ā Kyle Williams (interim)
Former coach:Ā Kendrick Wade
Kyle WilliamsĀ is Mississippi Valley Stateās third head coach in four seasons. Williams, a holdover from Wadeās staff, has been on the recruiting trail to fill gaps in the roster after players such asĀ All-SWACĀ receiverĀ Nathan RembertĀ transferred out of the program. Williams has extensive FCS coaching experience and was aĀ defensive coordinatorĀ for East Texas A&M University. Mississippi Valley State finished last seasonĀ 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:Ā Michael Vick
Former coach:Ā Dawson Odums
Former NFL Pro BowlerĀ Michael VickĀ made national news when he accepted Norfolk Stateās head coaching job in December despite not having previous collegiate head coaching experience. Vick has already hiredĀ several coachesĀ onto his staff and has begun recruiting efforts. He wants to bring aĀ winning cultureĀ to Norfolk State and turn the Spartans, who finished last season with a record ofĀ 4-8 overall (2-3 MEAC)Ā forĀ fourth placeĀ in the conference, into a championship contender.
North Carolina A&T University
New coach:Ā Shawn Gibbs
Former coach:Ā Vincent Brown
Shawn GibbsĀ 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 underĀ Sam WashingtonĀ andĀ Rod BroadwayĀ when North Carolina A&T wonĀ four Celebration Bowl titles. Gibbs boasts aĀ 22-9Ā record over the last three seasons at Fort Valley State. The Aggies have finishedĀ 2-21Ā over the last two seasons and were winless in the CAA.
Prairie View A&M University
New coach:Ā Tremaine Jackson
Former coach:Ā Bubba McDowell
Less than 24 hours after Valdosta State Universityās appearance in the NCAA DII national championship game, head coachĀ Tremaine JacksonĀ 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 aĀ 30-9 recordĀ in three seasons at Valdosta State and was named the American Football Coaches Associationās National Division IIĀ Coach of the YearĀ in December. Prairie View finished last seasonĀ 5-7 overall (3-5 SWAC)Ā and hasnāt been to the SWAC championship game sinceĀ 2023.
Other movement
Former Shaw University head coachĀ Adrian JonesĀ wasĀ announcedĀ as the new head football coach for Elizabeth City State University. Miles announcedĀ Chris GoodeĀ as its new head coach.Ā Kenneth RayĀ was hired as the interim head coach for Fort Valley State, replacing Gibbs. AfterĀ Greg RuffinĀ declinedĀ Shawās head coaching job due to health concerns, the university hiredĀ Lamar Monigo.
