Courtesy of NC A&T Athletics
GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T has a new head football coach and a new schedule. A&T’s 2025 schedule has been released, and newly minted head coach Shawn Gibbs will make his Division I-FCS head coaching debut on Saturday, August 30, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn., against historic HBCU football rival Tennessee State.
Here is a breakdown of the remaining 2025 football schedule. No game times have been announced except for 1 p.m., Saturday, October 11, versus HBCU foe South Carolina State University (SCSU) in the Greatest Homecoming On Earth.
North Carolina A&T at Tennessee State
Date: August 30, 2025
Series: Tennessee State leads, 19-6-1
Breakdown: These two HBCU squads who play in non-HBCU conferences will meet for the first time since the Tennessee State Tigers defeated A&T 37-7 in the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. The last time the two teams played in Nashville was November 27, 1999, when the Aggies defeated the Tigers 24-10 in the first round of the NCAA Division I-FCS playoffs.
The Tigers were the No. 1 team in the nation at the time, and the game still stands as A&T’s only playoff win.
North Carolina A&T at UCF
Date: September 6, 2025
Series: First meeting
Breakdown: A&T’s game against the University of Central Florida Knights will stand as the Aggies lone game against a Division I-FBS opponent. The Aggies had some success with FBS programs when he served as the Aggies running backs/special teams coordinator from 2011-21. During that span, the Aggies beat Kent State, Charlotte, and East Carolina.
Hampton at North Carolina A&T
Date: September 13, 2025
Series: Hampton leads, 29-18-2
Breakdown: The Aggies have struggled against the Hampton Pirates since leaving the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Aggies are 0-3 against the Pirates since both HBCU institutions left the MEAC, including one loss in a Big South Conference game and two in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) contests. Hampton defeated the Aggies 59-17 during the 2024 homecoming game, the most points ever scored in the series.
This season’s game will stand as A&T’s home and conference opener between the CAA’s only HBCU members.
N.C. Central University (NCCU) at North Carolina A&T
Date: September 20, 2025
Series: A&T leads, 54-37-5
Breakdown: Two head coaches might not know each other better than Shawn Gibbs and NCCU head coach Trei Oliver. The two were teammates at NCCU in the mid-90s. They were on the same staff at Grambling State from 2007-10 and the same staff at A&T from 2011-15. They will face one another for the first time as head coaches when the historic HBCU rivalry occurs at Truist Stadium on the east side of Greensboro. In the forefront leading to the game that week will undoubtedly be NCCU’s 66-24 win over A&T in 2024.
North Carolina A&T at Maine
Date: September 27, 2025
Series: First Meeting
Breakdown: These two schools have absolutely zero history together. It will, without doubt, be the Aggies’ farthest trip north in the more than 100 years of the program’s history. After playing the Black Bears on the 27th, there will still be three teams the Aggies have yet to play in the CAA – Stony Brook, UAlbany, and New Hampshire. They have played Monmouth and Bryant, but not as CAA opponents. They played both of those opponents in Big South Conference games. They will take Stony Brook off that list later in the season.
North Carolina A&T at William & Mary
Date: October 4, 2025
Series: William & Mary leads, 1-0
Breakdown: The Tidewater area is way more familiar to the Aggies than Maine, without question. Even though A&T has spent plenty of time in the area playing the likes of Norfolk State and Hampton, they have never traveled to Williamsburg, Va., to play at William & Mary’s Zable Stadium. In the first-ever meeting between the two teams during the 2024 season, William & Mary ran for 213 yards in a 45-7 win at Truist Stadium.
S.C. State University (SCSU at North Carolina A&T
Date: October 11, 2025
Series: SCSU leads, 32-24-2
Breakdown: The SCSU Bulldogs emphatically ended a seven-game losing streak to the Aggies with a 45-25 win at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium last season. In 2025, the Bulldogs will visit the Greatest Homecoming On Earth. Two former A&T football assistants will match wits when reigning MEAC coach of the year Chennis Berry faces first-year Aggies head coach Shawn Gibbs. Berry served as an assistant in Aggieland from 2003-05 and 2009-10. The Bulldogs will come in as the defending MEAC champions. The Aggies will try to end a three-game homecoming game losing streak.
Campbell at North Carolina A&T
Date: October 25, 2025
Series: Campbell leads, 2-1
Breakdown: The schedule gods gave the Aggies a week away from competition after homecoming. Plus, it will allow fans and alums to regroup before playing consecutive home games. The Fighting Camels will make their third trip to Truist Stadium in four years. The last time Shawn Gibbs saw the Camels was part of an epic comeback during homecoming in which the Aggies overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to win 45-38. Campbell has won the last two meetings over the Aggies, including last season’s 21-7 win at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek, N.C. Gibbs will be the third different A&T head coach to have faced the Camels in the series.
Towson at North Carolina A&T
Date: November 1, 2025
Series: Towson leads, 2-0
Breakdown: A&T has not succeeded much against the Tigers since joining the CAA. In their two meetings, the Tigers have scored 73 points and compiled 949 yards of offense. The last time Towson came to A&T, they defeated the Aggies 42-32 during the 2022 Homecoming Game. The Aggies have never led against the Tigers in their two previous meetings. Like against other CAA teams, the Aggies will look for a better result against Towson this season.
North Carolina A&T at Stony Brook
Date: November 8, 2025
Series: First meeting
Breakdown: A&T will get their first shot at the Stony Brook Seawolves, leaving the Aggies with only two CAA opponents they have yet to face – New Hampshire and UAlbany. The Seawolves made one of the best turnarounds in Division I-FCS last season, going 8-4 and falling just short of making the NCAA playoffs. Stony Brook went a combined 2-19 in 2022 and 2023, including 0-10 in 2023 before its dramatic turnaround. That should give hope to the Aggie fans looking for a positive step in the right direction during the 2025 season.
Monmouth at North Carolina A&T
Date: November 15, 2025
Series: Monmouth leads, 1-0
Breakdown: Monmouth returns to the schedule and Truist Stadium in 2024. The last time the Aggies faced the Hawks was during the 2021 A&T Homecoming Game, and it counted as a Big South Conference game as Monmouth drove away from the east side of Greensboro with a 35-16 win. In 2025, the two schools will face each other as CAA schools for the first time. Monmouth went 6-6 last season but ended the season on a two-game winning streak against two nationally-ranked teams – Villanova and Stony Brook.
North Carolina A&T at Elon
Date: November 22, 2025
Series: A&T leads, 8-6
Breakdown: The Aggies will end the regular season against Elon for the second straight season. The Aggies are 0-2 against the Phoenix since joining their Piedmont brethren in the CAA. Elon is another team that ended the 2024 season on an impressive winning streak. The Phoenix won its final four games a year ago, including a 31-13 win at Truist Stadium against A&T in each team’s season finale. The series could get fun and become a rivalry if both Piedmont teams are playing for something like a playoff berth or a championship at the season’s end.