Supporters at North Carolina A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU, are reportedly making a serious effort to move on from Vincent Brown Sr. as football coach.
Multiple sources indicate to HBCU Gameday that there is a push from boosters to remove Brown as football coach after two seasons and they have identified Fort Valley State head coach and former NC A&T assistant Shawn Gibbs as their choice for the next head coach.
HBCU Gameday has reached out to North Carolina A&T as well as Gibbs, but received no response. Representatives for Gibbs’ agency declined to comment.
Vincent Brown’s short-lived tenure
Vincent Brown was appointed as the head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University on January 6, 2023. He succeeded Sam Washington, becoming the 22nd head coach in the program’s history. He signed a five-year deal with a base salary of $365k per year.
In his inaugural season in 2023, Brown led the Aggies through their first year in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The team concluded the season with a 1–10 overall record and an 0–8 mark in conference play. Its lone win came against fellow HBCU and former MEAC rival Norfolk State.
The 2024 season saw North Carolina A&T striving for improvement under Brown’s leadership. They secured a notable victory against Winston-Salem State University, winning 27–20 in overtime before a sellout crowd of 21,500. This game marked Brown’s first home win and was a significant morale booster for the team.
However, that excitement was short-lived as the program continued to stumble. Those stumbles included humbling losses including a 66-24 blowout by archrival North Carolina Central, a 45-25 thumping by South Carolina State and a humbling 59–17 homecoming loss to Hampton University, which intensified scrutiny of the program’s direction. Ultimately, the team came up with an even worse record of 1-11 during Brown’s second season.
Despite these setbacks, Coach Brown remained optimistic, emphasizing the importance of progress and development within the team. He expressed confidence in his coaching staff and the players’ commitment to improvement. Earl Hilton, the North Carolina A&T AD, expressed his confidence in Brown as the losses mounted. However, others in East Greensboro felt otherwise and began pushing for Gibbs.
North Carolina A&T would be a homecoming for Gibbs
Gibbs has gone 23-9 at Fort Valley State, a Division II HBCU in the SIAC, since being hired as it head coach prior to the 2022 season. However, he is no stranger to North Carolina A&T. The North Carolina Central product spent a decade helping A&T become the premiere HBCU football program of the second half of the 2010s. Serving as running backs coach under both Sam Washington and Rod Broadway, he helped the program establish a running game that was one of the best in FCS football. His prized pupil was Tarik Cohen, who starred at NCAT before getting drafted into the NFL and eventually becoming a pro bowler.
Ironically, Gibbs nearly took over at Florida A&M following the 2023 season. He was recommended as the candidate to replace Willie Simmons following his departure in January, but that never came to fruition due to internal pressures in Tallahassee.
HBCU Gameday will update as necessary.