Subscribe
Follow Us
Chennis Berry has reportedly accepted the job as head coach at South Carolina State and the Bulldog community is fired up. Per a report by local affiliate WLTX, students and alumni are excited at the prospects of what the football program will look like under Berry in a post-Buddy Pough era.
Delano Wittfield, who serves as Mister South Carolina State for the 2023-2024 school year, said of the hire, “It makes us at the university feel more comfortable that we have somebody that understands not only our community but understands the importance of pushing and teaching young men, especially young black men in America.”
Student Jahad Henderson spoke about the enthusiasm that the students feel in the future of the program with the hire of Berry ad feels as if more students will be even more fired up to support the team, saying, “We pick and choose which games we go to. But I feel like with a better football team, we'd be willing to travel to more games that aren't here.”
Chennis Berry had a track record of success before joining the South Carolina State staff. He has extensive experience as an assistant coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at several stops including Howard University, Southern University and former MEAC member North Carolina A&T. He accepted the position as head coach at Benedict College in 2020 and led the Tigers to a 5-5 record his first year that included an upset over reigning SIAC Champion Miles College. The next year, the team took off.
The 2022 season saw Benedict have its first undefeated season and SIAC Championship after dominating the conference. They then made their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs as the top-ranked team in NCAA Super Region II, losing to Wingate in the second round of the playoffs.
They duplicated their success in the 2023 season but got even better, boasting the top defense in Division II football for a large majority of the season. They soundly beat Albany State to win their second straight SIAC Championship and once again were the top-ranked team in NCAA Super Region II. This year, they faced Lenoir-Rhyne but lost the game after leading for the majority of it.
Now, Berry is tasked with continuing the greatness of a South Carolina State program that thrived in the past 22 years under head coach Buddy Pough. The Bulldogs won the 2021 Celebration Bowl over Jackson State but have struggled the past two seasons. Berry looks to bring his “1-0” mentality to South Carolina State and create a new level of excellence. The Bulldog community is certainly ready for the journey.
