North Carolina A&T football looks to bring a championship culture and swagger in its first year in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Aggies, led by head coach Vincent Brown, now compete in the CAA after a two-year stint in the Big South.

Brown is already familiar with the CAA conference after serving as a member of William & Mary's coaching staff for four seasons. Vincent spoke about his excitement for North Carolina A&T football to join the conference at CAA's Media Day held virtually on Tuesday.

“It allows us to compete against some of the very best teams in the conference and are in the country. And if you want to compete for a national championship you got to be able to play with, and amongst some, of the best. So we're excited in that regard,” Vincent shared.

The Aggies are no stranger to facing off against the best teams in the country. North Carolina A&T football, under the direction of legendary coach Rod Broadway and his successor Sam Washington, was one of the most successful HBCU football programs in history.

The Aggies had eight consecutive winning seasons starting in 2012 and won four Celebration Bowls, including the first one in 2015 and three straight from 2017 to 2019. They also pulled off upset wins against FBS and out-of-conference FCS opponents such as Jacksonville State (then in the Ohio Valley Conference), Kent State, and East Carolina. The team also had three former players selected in the NFL draft such as Tarik Cohen in 2017, Brandon Parker in 2018, and Daryl Johnson in 2019.

North Carolina A&T football left the MEAC in 2021 and joined the Big South. After a disappointing first season in the conference, the Aggies went 7-4 and 6-1 versus Big South opponents in 2022. A 35-27 loss against Gardner-Webb prevented them from winning their first Big South Championship.

Although The Aggie's last season in the Big South was successful, Brown wants his players to be ready for the challenge ahead in the CAA.

“As I've said to our kids before…the CAA is a conference in which there is tremendous, tremendous parity in terms of the talent. Like every week you're going to have to bring your A-game to win the game. You're not going to go out and completely dominate opponents,” Brown said to a reporter at the virtual media day.

He added, “So, the messaging has been, Look. This is a whole different animal. We are talented. We can compete, but we're working towards creating a new standard of what success looks like in the Coastal versus the conference that they had previously been in.”

The Aggies start the 2023 season against the University of Alabama Blazers on Thursday, August 31st at 8 PM EST.