Randall Barnes Articles - Page 5

Saturday marks the final full week of the regular season in HBCU football with the Florida Blue Florida Classic, pitting Florida A&M against Bethune-Cookman. Over the past few years, Florida A&M has taken control of the series, but Bethune-Cookman has emerged as a significant contender heading into this matchup, thanks to its high-powered offensive attack. […]

Tuskegee University alumna Olandria Carthen was recently shouted out by legendary actress Gabrielle Union, being named as her Woman Crush Wednesday. In the LinkedIn post, Union spotlights Carthen’s HBCU advocacy as well as the way she’s navigated fame. spotlight and criticism post-Season 7 of Love Island. The post read: “Olandria Carthen is the kind of […]

As the Norfolk State Spartans enter the final week of the season, Head Coach Michael Vick is about due for his first Division I victory. It has been a rough season, with the Spartans heading into the final week of conference play at 1-10 overall. Their only win came against Division II rival Virginia State […]

Reginald Ruffin has been promoted to a major role at Tuskegee University. The Golden Tigers Athletic Director has joined the president’s cabinet as Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, while continuing in his current role as Athletic Director, per a statement from the institution.  He’s set to continue developing the Tuskegee University athletics department and to […]

The upcoming clash between DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State Hornets and Chennis Berry’s South Carolina State Bulldogs is far more than just the final game on the schedule; it is the de facto MEAC Championship. While the MEAC, with only six teams, does not officially host a title game, the champion has always been determined by […]

Sports fans generally disagree on almost everything, but one unanimous consensus across the college football world is that hiring James Franklin at Virginia Tech was a steal. For 11 seasons, Franklin led Penn State, turning the program into a perennial national championship contender and a hotbed for highly touted recruits. Despite being on the cusp […]

Southern University could be the latest HBCU to hire a former NFL star as head coach. Rumors have swirled in HBCU circles that, following the Jaguars’ firing of Terrence Graves earlier this season, Faulk was in the mix to be Southern University’s next head coach. Prominent HBCU Media Personality Scottay of Offscript TV indicated, via […]

Florida A&M University president Marva Johnson recently explained the reassignment of former Athletic Director Angela Suggs as Special Assistant to the President and as an advisor for intercollegiate athletics in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. In addition to Suggs’ reassignment, FAMU announced that John Davis will assume the position of Vice President of Athletics. […]

Tuskegee University is entering a significant legal battle to maintain the accreditation of its historic College of Veterinary Medicine. The university has submitted two federal lawsuits against the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), seeking to prevent the veterinary school’s accreditation from being stripped, according to records obtained by Al.com. In its complaint, Tuskegee alleges that […]

Five HBCUs are making history this postseason at the Division II level. For the first time in history, five Historically Black Colleges and Universities have clinched a bid to the NCAA Division II Playoffs: Albany State University, Benedict College, Kentucky State, Johnson C. Smith, and Virginia Union. Each institution enters the postseason having delivered a […]

Norfolk State Head Coach Michael Vick was visibly unhappy following his team’s close 35-28 loss to Morgan State on Saturday. The defeat marks the Spartans’ tenth loss of the season and their ninth consecutive defeat since their overtime victory against rival Virginia State University on September 6th. Heading into the final week of the season, […]

Johnson C. Smith football is once again at the top of the CIAA. The Golden Bulls secured the conference championship in a resounding 45-21 victory over the reigning champions, Virginia Union University, snapping a 56-year title drought. This is the team’s first conference championship since 1969. The team’s rapid success is largely attributed to Head […]

Bethune-Cookman competed well against Jackson State, staying in striking range of a victory the entire game. But, ultimately, Jackson State proved to still be the best team in the SWAC and secured a huge victory that all but seals their ticket to the SWAC Championship. Bethune-Cookman, which entered the game boasting the third-best offense in […]

The family of Mari Creighton, a slain Albany State volleyball player, has been awarded a $66.5 million settlement. This comes after a May 2024 shooting at the Elleven 45 Lounge in Buckhead, a suburb of Atlanta. The settlement is to be paid by the nightclub’s owner. The alleged gunman, Karanji Reese, was arrested in June […]

Florida A&M announced in a statement on Friday that John Daivs has been appointed as Vice President of Athletics. This comes after a leadership shake-up that sees current Athletics Director Angela Suggs appointed as special assistant to university president Marva Johnson and advisor for Intercollegiate Athletics. “It is an honor to take the role of […]

The moment the broadcast went live on ESPN2, the clash between South Carolina State and North Carolina Central simply felt big. This was more than just a game; it was the inevitable showdown that would determine who controlled the destiny of the MEAC Championship race. The physical intensity between these two evenly matched teams was […]

North Carolina Central secured a huge recruiting win with the commitment of 2026 three-star edge rusher Rob Lange Jr. to the team. Lange Jr. announced his commitment to the Eagles on Wednesday, choosing the program over offers from major institutions, including Arkansas, Mississippi State, Georgia Southern, and James Madison. He released a statement following his […]

A couple of weeks ago, I was incredibly excited about this Bethune-Cookman versus Jackson State matchup. Heading into the Las Vegas HBCU Classic, Jackson State looked unbeatable. Sure, Alabama State got within one successful goal-line play of beating the reigning HBCU champions, but Jackson State had been clicking in all three phases of football. They […]

The Division II football season has concluded for many programs, and several top stars are now entering the transfer portal. Earlier this week, Bowie State defensive back Elijah McKenzie-Jackson announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal, according to a report by Pete Nakos of On3. “Bowie State CB Elijah McKenzie is entering the portal, […]

Following the January dismissal of Reginald McDonald, former Tennessee State Aristocrat of Bands director, new reporting by The Tennesseean details excessive spending by McDonald on band activities, particularly on security services and lavish travel. McDonald, who had been the band director since 2015 and worked for Tennessee State for 24 years, was placed on paid […]

I think we can all agree that the brawl between Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman on Saturday should not have occurred. An otherwise great game between two SWAC contenders looking to elevate their programs was marred by a skirmish that led to the ejection of nine players and, ultimately, the suspension of 27 players by the […]

In a recent episode of his House of Action podcast with fellow former NFL star and Hornet coach Clinton Portis, Delaware State head coach DeSean Jackson weighed in on the brawl between Grambling and Bethune-Cookman on Saturday. For Jackson, he says that the incident reminded him of his childhood. Delaware State head football coach DeSean Jackson was […]

On Tuesday, Alabama State channeled the high-scoring momentum of its football program, which nearly upset UAB earlier this season, as Head Coach Tony Madlock pushes for the same winning trajectory on the hardwood. The Hornets secured a dramatic early-season victory against the University of Alabama at Birmingham, winning 77-75 in a contest defined by back-and-forth […]

Cam Newton had a lot to say about the brawl between Bethune-Cookman and Grambling in their Saturday matchup that resulted in 27 players being suspended. He took to his 4th & 1 podcast to air his issues with what occurred, expressing that he believed the incident “set us back”. “You should look at this and say to […]

Former Jackson State head coach Tomekia Reed is set for an intriguing early-season test for her Charlotte 49ers as she faces off against Kim Mulkey and LSU for the third time in her coaching career. The matchup itself carries significant weight, as Reed previously led Jackson State to a near-upset over the then-unranked LSU Lady […]

As the college football season draws to a close, arguably the biggest game on the MEAC schedule is upon us: South Carolina State versus North Carolina Central. For years, the path to the conference title and the Celebration Bowl berth has run squarely through Orangeburg and Durham, with these two teams winning the MEAC championship […]

Delta State head coach Todd Cooley issued a hefty condemnation of Kentucky State on Monday during his weekly press conference, alleging that the HBCU program backed out of an already scheduled game with the Statesmen. Kentucky State, the third-ranked team in the SIAC, is set to play Shorter University on Saturday. NEWS: Kentucky State backs […]

Grambling State is off to a phenomenal start in the Patrick Crarey II era, as the Tigers won a close, back-and-forth contest against MEAC contender Howard University, 73-70, in Washington D.C. The victory served as an immediate test for Crarey, who spent the previous year as head coach at Florida A&M, and it signals his […]

After hosting the historic coaching matchup between Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, the Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly interested in playing host to the MEAC clash again. Per a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles are all in on the game becoming an annual matchup. “The Philadelphia Eagles have shared that they look forward to […]

Following an altercation between Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman players on Saturday, the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) has suspended 27 players total from both institutions. The conference issued a statement about the decision on Monday afternoon. “We’re extremely disappointed by the events that transpired during halftime of the Bethune-Cookman at Grambling State football game,” SWAC Commissioner […]

In an inbox flooded with thousands of pitches daily, one stuck out: an email about a new fictional HBCU novel, Nostrof University, written by author Chanese Jaa. The premise immediately grabbed attention, chronicling the daily life of HBCU students, campus politics, student leadership, and the intricacies of Greek life and athletics—a narrative rarely seen fully […]

Netflix has officially given a series order to the reboot of the iconic HBCU comedy, A Different World, following a rare pilot order earlier this year. The new series is set to follow Deborah Wayne, the daughter of original stars Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne, as she becomes the latest generation of the family to […]

Two HBCU basketball players are among the six players banned by the NCAA for their participation in illegal gambling schemes. The NCAA announced the findings of its investigation, which flagged Mississippi Valley State players Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic as engaging in game manipulation during the 2024-2025 season. Per the report, Sanders and Stredic were […]

Michael Vick and the Norfolk State Spartans arguably played their best game of the season Saturday, mounting a serious challenge in a close 31-28 loss to the North Carolina Central Eagles. The Spartans leaned heavily on their passing attack, a significant strategic pivot that nearly resulted in a huge upset over a championship contender. NCCU’s […]

Though I have covered Fort Valley State fervently this season, today marked my first time attending the Fountain City Classic since I graduated in December 2019; the years since have seen a combination of COVID-19 and work responsibilities keeping me away. This year, my family and I braved the road to Columbus, Georgia, excited to […]

DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State Hornets ultimately pulled out a tight victory against Morgan State after a missed field goal in the final seconds, but the 14-12 final score reflected far more than a typical win. In a game where the Hornets were held to arguably their worst offensive output of the season, Morgan State crafted […]

Heading into Week 11 of the college football season, few would have predicted that Florida A&M and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff would share the exact same 3-5 record. Yet, here we are. This meeting in Tallahassee on Saturday, however, finds the Rattlers and the Golden Lions on two totally different paths equally […]

Only months after Michael Vick was announced as the head coach at Norfolk State, BET announced it would chronicle his journey in a forthcoming docuseries. The series is set to be produced by SMAC Entertainment, a company co-founded by HBCU alumnus and Super Bowl Champion Michael Strahan. The series marks Vick’s return to BET, as, in […]

Alabama State has had a phenomenal season, driven primarily by the transcendent play of Andrew Body. Historically, the Hornets competed on the back of their defense under coach Eddie Robinson Jr., capable of holding high-powered offenses like Jackson State and FAMU in check, though he never beat them at their respective heights. A key reason […]