Coaches and players are the key to reaching that level of success. Feggins wants to win now with the talent he has on the roster, but he also wants to develop players who are not ready to touch the field. St. Augustine University announced the introduction of the Junior Varsity football team in April.
“The JV program is going to be part of the development of our young athletes that are not ready. But I want young men that are ready to play right now. If they’re not able to play, they play on the JV team,” Feggins said. “We have five games this year and we’ll increase that next year to help develop and continue long-term to success.”
The JV team will be a unique way to develop and reload St. Augustine’s roster. Feggins explained that he is entering the season with 50 new players with half being transfers. JV players will be able to move up to the varsity team and earn scholarships that will help sustain roster stability in the program. Maintaining rosters has been an obstacle for many college football teams in the last few years. St. Augustine has overcome its own obstacle of having enough scholarships to sustain a roster, something Feggins credits AD Dr. Lin Dawson for.
“Well, the great part is with Dr. Dawson, initially, there was 25 full scholarships, as we know, 36 full in all Division II. Well, since he got there, we’re up to 30. And so he said, ‘Howard, I’ll get you six more,” Feggins said with a smile. “So it makes a difference. And again, you still got to go out and find the best athlete no matter what situation you are in.”
Maximizing the number of scholarships is another step in the right direction to turning the football program around as the Falcons have been on the wrong side of the standings in the last decade.
Feggins is taking over a program that has won four games in the last three seasons. St. Augustine finished 5-5 in 2017, but their last winning seasons were in 2012 finishing 6-4 and finishing 9-2 in 2010.
Feggins has a long road ahead of him to reach his destination of a national championship. He can’t look too far ahead because he must win at his first stop on September 2nd when St. Augustine’s University opens the season at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
I understand that coach Feggins has big big dreams which is admirable and inspiring in its own right but it’s insane to say what he’s saying will at all be obtainable for a program who never had a strong football history to begin with. In my opinion he could’ve kept and built on staying at Fayetteville State who has a much better footprint. His biggest challenge will be recruiting the type of players he needs to even have a winning season to start from a program who doesn’t even know what’s that like. For me that’s not a realistic approach to success how he’s going to get that kind of talent to come to St. Aug?