Randall Barnes Articles - Page 4

HBCUs are often purveyors of culture, and this is especially true in the social media era. For decades, musical artists have performed on HBCU campuses and found their selections embraced by students and alumni. If you hear a song being embraced by the Black community, you can be sure to hear that same song played […]

Michael Vick shocked the football world when he was announced as a head coach for Norfolk State University, only three years removed from Deion Sanders’ time at Jackson State. The HBCU community has long expected another former NFL star to look to start their coaching career at this level, but the latest reporting from Pete […]

Edward Waters is arguably the hottest team in HBCU football. After beating CIAA Champion Virginia Union, the Tigers look to emerge victorious over Bethune-Cookman en route to continuing what is shaping up to be a historic season. The story of Edward Waters’ recent rise is a testament to the program’s resilience. Just for a refresher, […]

The fact that Michael Vick is even in serious consideration for the Virginia Tech head coaching job—just three games into his coaching career—shows that the “celebrity coach” era has officially lost its way. Virginia Tech made headlines over the weekend after firing head coach Brent Pry after an 0-3 start, the team’s worst since before […]

North Carolina A&T and Hampton University will be on a major stage during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. The two HBCU programs are set to face off in the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic, presented by AT&T, on Friday, February 13th. North Carolina A&T Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III and Hampton University Director […]

One of the biggest storylines of the young season is the emergence of Delaware State under new head coach DeSean Jackson. Though it’s only been a few games, the Hornets have looked formidable, a far cry from their struggles over the past few seasons. They secured an out-of-conference victory against Albany in week two and […]

Norfolk State struggled immensely against FBS opponent Rutgers University, and head coach Michael Vick is not happy with the outcome. Typically, in “money games” like this, FCS teams are simply happy to be in contention. Some even pull off hard-fought victories that become staple achievements in their program’s history. But a money game is what […]

Only three games into the football season, Michael Vick has emerged as a “wild card” to be a candidate for Virginia Tech’s open head coaching postion, per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. Feldman sees the potential of Vick as a recruiter for the Hokies, given his star power. “The Hampton Roads product from Newport News, Va. […]

Following his team’s 31-7 loss to Lamar University on Saturday evening, Texas Southern coach Cris Dishman did not hold back. In post-game comments obtained by HBCU Legends, Dishman called his team’s performance “disgusting to watch.” Coach Cris Dishman expresses extreme disappointment in his team’s recent football performance, calling it ‘disgusting to watch’ and ensuring that […]

Jackson State alumnus Tramell Tillman, who plays Mr. Milchick in Apple TV+’s acclaimed original series Severance, made history at Sunday evening’s Emmys. He won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first Black man to ever receive the award. Tillman’s portrayal of the menacing Mr. Milchick, a manager at […]

The Shawn Gibbs era is fully in effect at North Carolina A&T, as they notched their first Division I win since 2023 over Hampton University in a 33-30 thriller. The Aggies and Pirates were largely evenly matched, and it ultimately took overtime to determine the winner. A&T found themselves back in the game after an […]

The DeSean Jackson-led Delaware State Hornets are rolling to start the season, as they beat Bowie State 36-14 on Saturday afternoon. It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Hornets, who never trailed in the game. They quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead with just 12 minutes and four seconds left in the first quarter. […]

Both Florida A&M and Grambling secured victories on Saturday night against their Division II opponents, but each experienced significant struggles on the way to the win. In HBCU football circles, FCS teams are often expected to dominate their Division II opponents, largely due to the difference in talent and resources. However, more often than not, […]

In what is being hailed as a potential game of the year in HBCU football, Edward Waters picked up a stunning upset victory over reigning CIAA champion Virginia Union, 41-38. Edward Waters’ win was capped off with a game-winning field goal, a dramatic conclusion after Virginia Union had held the lead for a significant portion […]

In Michael Vick’s first game as a coach against an FBS opponent, Rutgers dominated Norfolk State from start to finish, securing a 60-10 victory on Saturday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights proved they were the better team, amassing 563 passing yards. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis led the charge, completing 18 of 26 passes for 309 yards and […]

The NCAA has opened an investigation into gambling violations, with North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State emerging as central figures in the inquiry, per a statement released by the governing body on Thursday. The investigation involves 13 former student-athletes from two HBCUs, as well as former student-athletes from Arizona State, Eastern Michigan, Temple, and […]

The Fort Valley State and Clark Atlanta football game was a thriller that deserved the national audience it received via ESPN2 on Thursday evening. It was a perfect showcase for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), proving that the fierce rivalry between these two teams has not lost its edge. With Teddy Keaton leading the […]

North Carolina A&T is making history once again. The Greensboro, North Carolina-based institution is already the largest HBCU in the nation, and they just got larger. The university reported that its enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is over 15,000 students. The exact enrollment figure is 15,275 students, which were reported to the institution in […]

Charlie Ward is set to begin his tenure at Florida A&M with an exhibition against his alma mater, Florida State. Per a report by the Tallahassee Democrat, the two Tallahassee-based hoops programs will face off in an exhibition game on October 26th. The game will be the first between the two institutions since December 1991. […]

Ahead of the Rutgers game, Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick revealed an interesting quarterback shakeup in his weekly press conference. Vick stated that Otto Kuhns will be the starting quarterback for the Spartans in Saturday’s game. “We’ll start the game this week with Otto. We’ll give him a chance to go out there and […]

In life, you always have to be prepared for any opportunity, and Collette V. Smith seized hers in 2017. Smith has lived a remarkable life filled with purpose and a deep love for football, which led her to play for the women’s professional football team, the New York Sharks. Often opportunity comes as a result […]

Mississippi Valley State University has officially canceled its 2025 women’s soccer season, citing the health and safety of its student-athletes as the primary concern. The decision was announced in a statement released by the institution on Wednesday afternoon, bringing an abrupt end to the season for the Delta Devils. The cancellation follows a string of […]

Following Southern University’s 30-7 loss to Alabama State, Terrence Graves has promoted Fred McNair to the co-offensive coordinator position alongside Mark Frederick. “(McNair will) be the play caller, coach Frederick will still be co-coordinator, and he’ll still be implementing things as well,” Graves said in a press availability on Tuesday in a quote secured by […]

A high school football announcer has been fired following a racially insensitive comment made during the most recent Christ Church Episcopal School game on Friday against Riverside. Per a report by Peyton Furtado of WIS-TV, the announcer compared HBCU students who attend South Carolina State University to criminals in the unspecified comments a day before […]

Social media personality Charleston White recently made a contentious appearance at an HBCU that led to his abrupt departure. White was a part of a discussion at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, that went viral on social media after several appearances of his clips circulated social media. While it’s not entirely clear why White was […]

Michael Vick and Norfolk State secured their first win of the season over Virginia State in an overtime thriller. The Spartans found themselves having to battle back into the game over the Division II contender and survived only because of a missed 48-yard field goal by Joshua Campbell at the end of the fourth quarter. […]

On Saturday, North Carolina A&T traveled to UCF and was beaten 68-7. However, the story of the cgame wasn’t the loss. Instead, it was the impact on the team’s outlook moving forward that drew the ire of new Aggie head coach Shawn Gibbs. Gibbs wasn’t a fan of playing the Golden Knights, seemingly becoming the […]

Following the announcement of the Tampa Bay Football Classic, Bethune-Cookman has made a huge announcement regarding the location of the matchup. The football program released a statement on Monday morning detailing that the matchup will be moving back to Daytona Municipal Stadium. The statement read: A positive fan experience is a critical part of Bethune-Cookman […]

A weather delay didn’t delay the inevitable, as DeSean Jackson and Delaware State beat Albany 37-32 to notch their first victory of the season. The Hornets withstood a competitive effort from the Great Danes, who successfully took control of the game before the first weather delay. But, Jackson and his coaching staff were ultimately able […]

Although Southern Miss was able to pull off the 38-20 victory over Jackson State, Charles Huff believes they left several points on the field. In post-game comments obtained by The Vicksburg Post, the former HBCU standout turned FBS coach believed that they were capable of 60 points on Saturday. “I think I read somewhere last […]

Norfolk State secured their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, defeating rival Virginia State University 34-31 in overtime. The Spartans, led by head coach Michael Vick, nearly escaped the Trojans, who played an incredibly strong game. Virginia State even jumped out to a significant lead and had the opportunity to win the game […]

In a thrilling game that suffered a long weather delay, DeSean Jackson and his Delaware State Hornets picked up their first victory of the season against the University of Albany. The Hornets weathered the storm to start the game, giving up a 75-yard touchdown thrown by Albany’s Jack Shields to Tavahri Grooves at the 14:18 […]

Ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup between Jackson State and Southern Miss, presidents of both institutions released a joint statement. This comes after a racist social media post from a Southern Miss account towards Jackson State fans.  The statement read as follows: We are excited about the football game today between Jackson State and Southern Miss […]

Johnson C. Smith made history on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bulls, who have enjoyed an immense turnaround in their football program under head coach Maurice Flowers, beat the 2024 Division II championship runner-up, Valdosta State University, 28 to 16. The Blazers traveled to Charlotte to play Johnson C. Smith on their home turf. They were […]

Alabama State and Southern University find themselves on opposite tracks as they meet to face off first the first time since 2023 on Saturday evening. Southern University has found themselves as the class of the SWAC West, winning the division crown for two of the past three seasons. Alabama State, meanwhile, have found themslves outside […]

A deeply disrespectful social media post circulated online ahead of the Jackson State vs. Southern Miss college football game. The post, which originated in the Southern Miss fan group “Eagle Post,” detailed offensive “rules” for JSU fans attending the game. This is actually crazy. This is what yall gotta put up with, JSU? pic.twitter.com/FaNYGzam9o — […]

Last Thursday, Norfolk State lost to Towson University 27-7 in Michael Vick’s first game at the helm of the program. Leading off with a First Take appearance on campus that morning, Vick was set to debut with much fanfare and the attention of the college football world. But ultimately, Norfolk State struggled to put a […]

The debut of Michael Vick as head coach of Norfolk State drew a lot of fanfare in the college football world. Vick had an electrifying career as a quarterback for the Falcons and Eagles, ultimately finishing his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. All eyes were on how he would turn around a Norfolk State program […]

New Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul is known for his HBCU philanthropy, and his latest move is set to give an amazing platform to several HBCU programs this Fall. The Chris Paul HBCU Classic, in partnership with the Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame, is moving to Atlanta and will be held on December 18th-19th. […]