The announcement that South Carolina State Head Coach Chennis Berry was awarded the MEAC Coach of the Year honor over Delaware State's DeSean Jackson has sparked considerable outrage among HBCU football fans. While Berry is the preeminent coach in the conference, leading his team to a second consecutive title and Celebration Bowl berth, many argue that Jackson's story of rapid transformation should have secured him the award.
Let me be totally clear: Jackson absolutely deserves massive credit. Delaware State was picked to finish last in the conference, behind both Howard and Norfolk State. Jackson took a team that had won only two games in the previous two seasons and transformed them into a contender just one win away from the MEAC Championship. He orchestrated one of the biggest upsets of the year by beating North Carolina Central during their homecoming and boasted one of the best rushing attacks in the FCS. Jackson's turnaround was nothing short of amazing, and a strong case can be made that he should have won the award.
However, it is not outrageous that Berry won, because while his narrative might not be as stunning as Jackson’s, his challenge was defined by sustaining excellence amid systemic turnover. South Carolina State was picked to finish first, presumably because they won the MEAC Championship the year before. But Berry lost a considerable amount of the core players from that title team and added 44 new players: 32 transfers and 12 freshman recruits. He was faced with a litany of expectations but a depleted roster that needed wholesale changes to remain competitive.
He lost his starting quarterback, Eric Phoenix, star wide receivers like Caiden HIgh, and four out of five starting offensive linemen. Berry was not walking into a ready-made championship roster. he had to systematically rebuild and instill his culture within a significantly reloaded system. The ability to manage that large of a roster turnover, successfully plug crucial holes, and still dominate the conference speaks volumes about the level of talent development and system efficacy within the Bulldogs' coaching staff.
Berry had to “pay the cost to be the boss.” He and his staff had to coach their new players to success and build upon weaknesses that were evident early in the season, such as unconvincing performances against teams like Wofford, Charleston Southern and North Carolina A&T. But they flipped the switch entirely in conference play.
South Carolina State decisively beat the teams they were supposed to, withstood competitive challenges from Morgan State and North Carolina Central, and ultimately neutralized the insurgent offensive attack of Delaware State in Saturday's de facto MEAC Championship game.
It isn't outrageous that Berry won MEAC Coach of the Year. He faced the immense pressure of defending a title while integrating nearly half a new roster. He had to navigate expectations, as many in the HBCU world, including me, questioned if this year's roster was truly capable of competing with the best in HBCU football.
While Jackson created a winner from scratch, Berry dominated and stayed number one with a new cast of characters in an era of football where one year you're at the top, and the next year you're at the bottom. The story of the sustained winner echoes just as much as the scrappy underdog who turned nothing into something. Both feats are extraordinary, but Berry's proven ability to systematically sustain top-tier performance against high expectations makes his honor well-deserved.
