Courtesy of South Alabama Athletics
MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama head football coach Major Applewhite has announced the hiring of Broderick Fobbs as the program’s new running backs coach. Fobbs was an HBCU football head coach at Grambling State University from 2014-2021.
No stranger to the Sun Belt Conference, Fobbs comes to South Alabama by way of ULM where he coached the Warhawks’ running backs in 2023 and 2024. Fobbs’ star pupil at ULM was running back Ahmad Hardy, who was named the 2024 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. Hardy ranked 12th in the nation and first in the conference with 1,351 rushing yards, and his 13 rushing touchdowns were the most in the league.
Prior to his time in Monroe, Fobbs was the head coach at Grambling State for eight seasons. In 2017, Fobbs led Grambling State to an overall record of 11-2, ending the season with an appearance in the Celebration Bowl. The Tigers repeated as SWAC Champions, beating Alcorn State, 40-32, and enjoyed classic wins over Clark Atlanta, Prairie View A&M and rival Southern. The four-time SWAC Coach of the Year and three-time Fritz Pollard award winner led the Tigers to a final ranking of 14th in the FCS Coaches Poll and 16th in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll.
In 2016, Fobbs led the Tigers to an overall record of 12-1, ending the season as SWAC Champions, Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl Champions and HBCU National Champions. After repeating as SWAC Western Division champions, winning the 2016 SWAC championship game and defeating North Carolina Central University 10-9 in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl, the Tigers were recognized as one of the top teams in FCS football. Grambling finished the 2016 season on an 11-game winning streak, earning the program’s 25th SWAC title (the first since 2011) and 15th HBCU Football National title – its first since 2008. The Tigers finished the 2016 season ranked 15th in the final FCS Coaches Poll and 16th in the final FCS STATS poll.
In his first three years as a head coach, Fobbs won three SWAC Coach of the Year awards and led the Tigers to a 25-2 regular-season conference record – including back-to-back undefeated conference regular seasons. In addition to being named SWAC Coach of the Year in 2016, Fobbs was also named the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, HERO Sports FCS Football Coach of the Year, BOXTOROW Co-Coach of the Year, 3x Fitz Pollard Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the FCS Eddie Robinson Award.
In 2014, Fobbs was named SWAC Coach of the Year, Louisiana Sports Writers Coach of the Year, Black College HOF Sports Writers Coach of the Year, and Sheridan Broadcasting Network Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and was named a FCS Eddie Robinson Award Finalist. The success continued into Fobbs’ second year at Grambling as he guided the team to an undefeated regular season conference record (9-0) – the first undefeated regular-season record by a SWAC school since Grambling finished 7-0 in 2008 – and a western division championship.
Before earning the head coaching job at Grambling, Fobbs was the tight ends coach at McNeese State in 2013 before working there as the co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach from 2007 to 2011. Between stints with the Cowboys, Fobbs spent the 2012 campaign at Southern Miss as receivers coach.
Fobbs started his coaching career at Louisiana as a graduate assistant in 2000. He then earned his first full-time job at Northwestern State as a tight ends coach in 2003. Fobbs spent two seasons in that role before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2005. During his time at NSU, Fobbs completed an NFL Minority Internship with the Buffalo Bills.
Fobbs was a two-time team captain at Grambling, where he won the 1992 HBCU National Championship, defeating Florida A&M 45-15 in the Heritage Bowl. Grambling State was also a co-champion of the SWAC in 1994. He led the conference in yards per carry, averaging 7.1 yards/carry his senior year. He racked up more than 1,500 rushing yards during his college football career. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Grambling in 1997.
Fobbs is married to the former Kimbia Jones. The couple has two children, Kyndal and Rylee.
THE BRODERICK FOBBS FILE
PERSONAL
Born: Aug. 2, 1974
Hometown: Monroe, La.
Education: Grambling State, 1997
Wife: Kimbia
Children: Kyndal and Rylee
PLAYING CAREER
College: Grambling State (Running Back)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2000-02: Louisiana (Graduate Assistant)
2003-04: Northwestern State (Tight Ends)
2005-06: Northwestern State (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2007-11: McNeese State (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2012: Southern Miss (Wide Receivers)
2013: McNeese State (Tight Ends)
2014-21: Grambling State (Head Coach)
2023-24: ULM (Running Backs)
2025: South Alabama (Running Backs)