The most interesting HBCU football stories of 2025

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The most interesting HBCU football stories of 2025

Randall Barnes, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jan 1, 2026 ·

8 min read

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So I'm going to do something a little bit different to start off the new year. Typically, I deal with what's in front of me. But there was a lot that occurred in 2025 that I have to recap. So, let's recap the most interesting HBCU football stories of 2025.

These stories are not obscure; they're very popular. You might also have found these stories interesting, but my viewpoint on them might be a little different.

#4: Michael Vick was down, DeSean Jackson was up

Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson started their college football coaching careers this fall, and we saw that DeSean Jackson coaching career was up and Michael Vick's was down. The reason why was because it seemed as if, at Norfolk State, Michael Vick and the Spartans were trying to find an identity. Did Michael Vick want to have a quarterback that can be a dual threat, like he was back with the Falcons? Do you want that type of quarterback that can be a playmaker in that offense?

Or do you want to go with Otto Kuhns, who is an established, experienced quarterback that can lead a heavy pass attack and get you in the end zone to score touchdowns—or at the very least, get you field goals? Pick your poison. Vick, unfortunately, was indecisive for too long and lost several winnable games.

DeSean Jackson and his coaching staff built an identity from the moment they set foot at Delaware State. They knew their goal was to get to the Celebration Bowl, and they built a contender with a dedicated rushing attack. The features of this offensive attack was Marquis Gillis, James Jones , and Kaiden Bennett. Bennett leaned into being more of a running quarterback than passing the ball.

The results were stunning. They were putting up monster offensive numbers with a dedicated running attack that it only seemed Damon Wilson at Morgan State was able to figure out and stop. That led to immense success for Delaware State, but Norfolk State wasn't able to replicate it.

I believe if Michael Vick is good at his job and turns Norfolk State into a winner, HBCU football will be better for it. But my money is still on DeSean Jackson to continue to build a winning program, and I think he's probably going to beat Michael Vick again in the "Battle of the Legends" next year.

#3: Chennis Berry is the winner we all thought he was

If you listen to HBCU Pulse Radio or read my articles on ClutchPoints, you know that I'm a huge fan of Chennis Berry. He was dominant at Benedict; he dominated Division II football and got two first-round byes in the Division II football playoffs in 2022 and 2023. He won back-to-back SIAC championships, and of course, with Chennis Berry being the head coach of Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, it was so clear he was going to get that call to Orangeburg to be Buddy Pough's successor at South Carolina State.

A lot of people didn't think that Chennis Berry's winning was going to be sustainable, and I was telling people, "Yes, it is." Chennis Berry is a winner. He has a philosophy of rough and rugged defensive lines, stout offensive lines, and great offensive weapons. I knew that style was going to translate well to Division I. What did you see in 2024? He swept the MEAC and made it to the Celebration Bowl, losing his first HBCU game since 2021 to a dominant Jackson State team.

People thought Berry was done and called him a "playoff dropper." I always thought that viewpoint was a bit absurd because we don't have a large enough sample size to even say that. Then Chennis Berry comes into this season expected to have the best team in the MEAC. But a lot of people missed this: he had to bring in 44 new players to South Carolina State—32 transfers and 12 incoming freshmen. He lost Eric Phoenix, who was the HBCU Pulse Quarterback of the Year. He lost Kaden High, his star receiver. He lost four of his five starting offensive linemen and several key players on that defense.

But South Carolina State not only onboarded these new players and integrated them into the culture, they dominated again. They beat North Carolina Central and this new contender that DeSean Jackson created at Delaware State. They made it to the Celebration Bowl and went down 21-0 at halftime. Everything looked horrible in that first half against Prairie View A&M. And what happened? They came back out and went on a run that ultimately led to them winning 40-38 in a four-overtime classic in Atlanta, watched by 2.3 million people.

Chennis Berry is the winner we all thought he was. He knows how to win, how to recruit, and how to develop. He picked up right where Buddy Pough left off. And, he'll continue to win into the new year so be prepared.

#2: Don't Count Out Tremaine Jackson

Tremaine Jackson led Valdosta State to the Division II National Championship in 2024. The same day they lost to Ferris State, he officially announced he was headed to Division I to coach at Prairie View A&M. Prairie View has had some winning in the past, but they're not a blue blood; they haven't dominated the SWAC in a long time. You had Jackson State trying to repeat, and you had Andrew Body coming back from his injury to lead Alabama State. Everyone thought the SWAC title would run through them.

But Tremaine Jackson brought a swagger to Prairie View A&M. He says what he feels and he doesn't care if it hurts your feelings. He literally sang about how Atlanta was the "land of purple and gold," saying his goal was to make it to the Celebration Bowl. And he made it there, which sort of shocked the world. We all thought Jackson State was poised to go back, but they ran into issues when Jacobian Morgan suffered an injury in the Las Vegas HBCU Classic.

Quietly, Prairie View A&M built the best defense in HBCU football and one of the top defenses in FCS football. That was able to power them past the SWAC West. Then they go to Jackson State and win the SWAC with that dominant defense and Cam Peters making plays. He built an amazing foundation and who's to say he won't build upon it in 2026?

Tremaine Jackson knows how to recruit and develop players. He has a very strict transfer portal protocol; he is not playing with folks who just want money or clout. I believe Prairie View A&M is going to be right back at the top of the SWAC. I want to see a regular-season matchup between Jackson State and Prairie View in October or November, because I believe that's going to determine the balance of the SWAC.

I also think in 2026, we're going to see more coaching rumors swirl around Tremaine Jackson—whether as a coordinator or a head coach elsewhere—because schools in the FCS and FBS are going to come calling.

#1: Quinn Gray was the hottest HBCU football free agent

My number one most interesting story of 2025 is Quinn Gray being the hottest HBCU football free agent on the market. Who would've thought? I thought it would have been another celebrity like Ed Reed or Ray Lewis would get an opportunity. Maybe an FBS assistant looking to land his first HBCU coaching gig. But I was wrong, because the hottest free agent was Quinn Gray.

Quinn Gray started off at Albany State and changed the tide there. Before Gray Albany State was not a flashy passing team; they were rough, rugged, and ran the ball proficiently. That was their identity. But, Gray changed the tide completely and led them to heights they'd never seen this past season.

Heading into the end of the season, we knew that Florida A&M was going to move off of James Colzie III—it simply was not working. Quinn Gray is a FAMU legend, so we knew that was a job for him. But what I didn't know is that Quinn Gray would be linked to the West Georgia job, and that Hampton would shoot their shto at him before they landed on Van Malone. Quinn Gray was the hottest free agent; the brother had options.

Now he's at FAMU, and he has a lot of fanfare. He has Billy Joe, his former coach, endorsing him. I think Quinn Gray is going to have the same effect that Chennis Berry had at South Carolina State. I believe Quinn Gray might be good enough to challenge Jackson State in his first year. I know it sounds crazy now, but the success of both Berry and Jackson shows that anything is possible.

He's probably going to bring some of his former Albany State players over, and he has his pipelines in the Florida area. Who's to say they can't win the SWAC in Year One? I believe at his alma mater, he's going to "show and prove."

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