Historically black college football programs have had a lot of attention. At an all-time high, interest is at an all-time high. The same sentiment could be said for the coaches of HBCUs. Career advancement before or after integration has always been hampered by coaching at HBCUs. Two seasons into Coach Prime's transformation of Jackson State football, a number of Power 5 programs are seriously considering him for their openings. He is not a normal person.
Mainstream college football athletic directors don't pay much attention to Division I HBCU football. The NCAA has no Rooney Rule. HBCU head coaches who are shut out of the coaching carousel are more likely to get stepping-stone opportunities. Higher salaries, larger staffs, more resources, a higher caliber of talent, and increased scrutiny are some of the things that come with a promotion to a Football Bowl Subdivision job. It is rare for coaching talents without Prime's cachet.
In the last decade, over a dozen head coaches have been hired for head coaching positions from the lowest level of collegiate athletics. One of the few black coaches to graduate from the lowest level of football to the highest level has Syracuse with a perfect record. Minority coaches from HBCU conferences are outnumbered by the number of coaches who have moved up from Division II or Division III to the highest level of collegiate athletics.
The hiring of Lance Leipold from Wisconsin-Whitewater has been a huge success. Brian Kelly was plucked away from LSU by Central Michigan.
They have to go outside the walls of the SWAC and MEAC Conferences to get noticed. It's possible to take a demotion. BrennanMarion's "Go-Go" offense put him on the track and has become one of the most studied schemes in the nation. He hasn't gotten an offensive coordinators position. Last season, he was the wide receiver coach at Pittsburgh and this season he is the passing game coach at Texas. By now, he should be an offensive assistant.
We should slam shut the discussion on race and coaching now that Todd Bowles has left Morehouse and Grambling State to become the head coach of the Bucs. The Eddie Robinson Award is given to the best college football coach in the country. Since the integration of college football, programs at PWIs have taken up the talent that used to play at HBCUs, but have not hired them.
Alcorn State's Jay Hopson was the only head coach from a Historically Black College or University in the last 60 years. The person is Jay Hopson.
The hiring of Hopson as the first white head coach in the history of the SWAC Conference caused a lot of attention. After four years, 32 wins, and 17 losses, Hopson was taken up by Southern Miss.
Rod Broadway was the winning coach on the other side of the field at Alcorn State. He's never been linked to an opening at the highest level.
Willie Simmons is the most popular HBCU coach not named Deion but he has hit a wall. Simmons was in the running for the Florida International job. Simmons compiled a 45-21 record, won 24 of 34 games at the Rattlers, and led the No. 1 defense in the country. Simmons has a lot of connections in the South Florida area. It was a good fit. Mike MacIntyre was passed over by FIU for a retread.
Simmons will be offered an FBS job in the near future. He shouldn't be the last.
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