In a particularly shocking announcement, the Alabama State Hornets and North Carolina Central Eagles will be playing in the 2024 Orange Blossom Classic. Since its establishment in 1933, the Orange Blossom Classic has always featured Florida A&M since it was founded by the son of the university's president, J.R.E. Lee Jr. The game takes place at Miami Gardens in Florida, but this time, it will feature two out-of-state teams.

The story was first broken by prominent media personality Scottay of Offscript TV last week during his “Outspoken” show with Southern alumnus Perry White and several other HBCU sports outlets & journalists reported the story Tuesday. Both White and Scottay were skeptical of the decision to feature Alabama State and North Carolina Central.

 

“I like the matchup football-wise,” White said. “Alabama State last year reminds me of a team like Howard and some of those MEAC teams. They struggle offensively, but you don't want to see them defensively. I like the matchup football-wise, but fan-wise? Not at all. I don't think either one of these teams can get 30,000 people in that stadium… Don't expect to get too many crowd shots.”

Scottay, on the other hand, was critical of both the matchup and the location.

“I think this is a bad matchup,” he said. “Football-wise, fan-wise: I hate it. I absolutely hate it. NCCU is in a full rebuild. You don't even have Davius Richard to sell tickets... Andrew [Body] is going to draw some eyes because he's Andrew… I think this game would've worked – you should've brought [North Carolina] A&T. You should've found a way to bring A&T down to Miami. NCCU, as much as they've been winning, they're not that… I would've done FAMU and A&T. If you could've pulled off a FAMU and North Carolina A&T in the Orange Blossom Classic, you are talking major bucks and major eyes, even with North Carolina A&T's rebuild.”

A simple search on Google Maps points directly to Scottay's argument. Alabama State is a near 10-hour drive from Miami Gardens, and North Carolina Central is even further at 11 and a half hours. Furthermore, while Alabama State is on the rise with transfer quarterback Andrew Body, North Carolina Central is reeling from losing tons of players to graduation and the transfer portal. Both universities will have to try their best to encourage fans to make the pilgrimage to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.