Alabama A&M head coach Connell Maynor is one of the most compelling personalities in HBCU football and his latest antic at a recent press conference adds to his legacy of hilarity. During a recent press conference, Maynor’s phone went off with an ESPN notification. Instead of disregarding it, he picked it up and acted as if former president Barack Obama was contacting him.

“Hold on, hold on…Obama listen man: you’re not the president no more. You can’t be calling me anytime alright? Alright, I’ll hit you back. I’m doing an interview. Later,” Maynor said with the seriousness of a seasoned actor, per a video by Fox54 News’s Nick Kuzma.

This isn’t the first time he’s turned his media availabilities into a comedy show. Connell Maynor went viral last September in an interview with Fox 54 Sports Director and Southern University alumnus Mo Carter as he Maynor spoke about how excited he was for his squad to match up against Southern University.

“Man, I’m very excited man…we’re Bulldogs and we’re ready to bite,” he said before he started barking like a dog to emphasize his point. “You see? I’m excited man. I’m ready to go. It’s game week, it’s conference week and this is gonna rub off on my team.”

When Carter was asked if he was scared when Maynor decided to randomly bark, he responded, “No, not at all. I’ve worked with and covered Coach Maynor for several years now. I learned a long time ago to expect the unexpected with Coach Maynor.”

Connell Maynor is perhaps most known for his feud with Deion Sanders while he was head coach at Jackson State. The feud between the two coaches started after he said that Sanders should “recruit more five-stars” after their Spring 2021 win over 52-43 win over Jackson State.

“I’d have told him to recruit some more 5-stars,” he said to a question asked by The Alabama A&M Review host Ted Dixie about advice he would give to Sanders after the victory. “He’s talking about all them four- and five-stars he recruits. You’re not the only one recruiting five-stars- and four-stars; we do, too. Let’s go. We got guys coming back next year, too. Everybody waiting for next year.”

Sanders responded in another interview, saying, “It’s a little rivalry. It’s a little (bad) blood,” he said. “The coach (Maynor) said something about me but I won’t shoot back because I don’t do that. I’m really good at that. I don’t choose to that. I’m on this high road right now. I take the high road — I’m a different dude. Everyone is waiting for that at the conclusion of this matter. We will just have to sit and see.”

He also joked about Sanders’s use of a scooter after he had two of his toes amputated.

“You got an extra scooter for me? Maynor asked rhetorically ahead of the Bulldogs’s 2021 homecoming game against the Tigers. “If you got an extra scooter, send me one down here. Thank you.”

Sanders got the last laugh, as Jackson State decimated Alabama A&M 61-15 in their 2021 matchup. Before departing Jackson State, Sanders and Maynor appeared to reconcile and there were no hard feelings. But, Maynor is prepared to take his season seriously as the Bulldogs enter conference play.

Maynor’s squad faces off against Austin Pey on September 21st at 7 PM. The Bulldogs then start their conference slate against the defending SWAC and Celebration Bowl champion Florida A&M Rattlers.