It’s that time of year where HBCU Gameday compiles a list of candidates we feel are suited to fill head coaching positions as the season has revealed the need for changes in head coaching positions in the HBCU sphere. These 11 coaches have qualities we feel are representative of what it takes to be a solid HBCU head coach. In the cases where there is a Division-II or NAIA sitting coach mentioned, our evaluation is that they are primed to be Division-I coaches.
To be transparent, HBCU Gameday has not contacted a single one of these coaches! This evaluation is made from our observation of HBCU football over the last several years and the performance of these individuals over that time. Coaches are listed ALPHABETICALLY in this story, with no priority ranking.
Names to watch in HBCU searches
Possibly the story of the year in HBCU football. Dickerson has guided Benedict College to an unblemished 7-0 season so far in 2025. Coming off an adjustment year after the departure of Chennis Berry, Dickerson has revived the program to its championship culture in a short period of time. Most did not see the resurgence to this caliber in such a short period after the absence of Berry, but the Tigers are in the mix in the SIAC. He came to Benedict after serving the previous two seasons at the University of West Florida, helping the Argonauts to back-to-back Gulf South Conference championships, a 20-6 record and a berth into the NCAA Division II national semifinals in 2022. He served as the UWF Offensive Coordinator and wide receivers coach last season, helping the Argos rank 17th in the nation in passing offense, and 20th in the nation in total offense. As the team’s wide receivers coach in 2022, he guided a passing attack that ranked fifth in the nation in passing yards per completion.
Virginia State’s defensive coordinator since 2022, Carlos Fields has authored top-10 and top-15 national rankings across third-down defense, passing yards allowed, passing efficiency defense, sacks, takeaways, and scoring defense. He’s coached multiple First-Team All-Conference talents, a CIAA Defensive Player of the Year (Willie Drew), and two Defensive Rookies of the Year (KJ McNeil, Marquis Edmond). Fields’ background blends elite playing pedigree—two-time CIAA Defensive Player of the Year and All-American at Winston-Salem State—with a diverse coaching runway (Alabama A&M, Thomasville HS) that sharpened his schematic breadth and recruiting eye. His 2023 unit finished sixth nationally in total defense; in 2024 VSU remained among the country’s most efficient, turnover-hungry groups. A former NFL linebacker who logged time with multiple franchises, Fields commands instant credibility in the locker room. He develops DBs and LBs, coordinates complementary pressures, and turns fundamentals into production—hallmarks of a head coach who can set identity and standard.
Now Florida State’s Director of Football Relations, Corey Fuller blends elite playing pedigree with transformative leadership. A Tallahassee native and Rickards HS star, he won a national title at FSU (1993) and played 10 NFL seasons as one of the league’s most feared, physical corners—152 games, 590 tackles, 17 interceptions. After the pros, Fuller returned home to coach, first assisting at Rickards, then rebuilding East Gadsden HS into a contender by pairing hard-edge accountability with compassionate mentorship. His defensive back expertise (he’ll also coach corners when assigned) and two-sport background at FSU (football/track) translate to speed development, technique, and competitive culture. Fuller was assistant coach at FAMU before taking the helm as interim head coach. Fuller’s credibility in living rooms, track record of player growth, and program-wide relationship skills make him head-coach material: he sets standards, connects alumni/NFL networks to current athletes, and upgrades toughness in the secondary—while modeling the character and community stewardship today’s CEOs of college programs must have.
Albany State’s head coach since December 2022, Quinn Gray has delivered immediate stability and upward trajectory: a 2023 SIAC title-game appearance, a 2024 6-2 league mark (6-4 overall), league-leading scoring offense (34.5 ppg), and 12 All-SIAC selections across two seasons. He’s produced back-to-back SIAC Freshmen of the Year and the 2024 SIAC Offensive Player of the Year at quarterback, while elevating academics (team GPA 2.82; 23 grads, four master’s). A former NFL quarterback (Jacksonville Jaguars; NFL Europe champion stint) and FAMU legend (school career records; MEAC and FAMU Hall of Fame), Gray marries pro insight with college development. Stops at Lincoln HS (rebuild), Alcorn State (QBs), and Memphis (senior offensive analyst) honed his CEO lens—culture, staff orchestration, and QB-centric systems. His program also places students into elite fellowships and internships. Gray is the full package: talent developer, motivator, recruiter, and face of a brand that wins and graduates.
North Carolina Central’s offensive coordinator since 2020, Matt Leone has engineered one of the MEAC’s most prolific attacks. NCCU led the league in scoring in 2022, 2023, and 2024, pairing balance (200+ rushing, 230+ passing at peak) with explosive efficiency. He helped develop two-time MEAC Offensive Player of the Year Davius Richard, a 1,000-yard rusher (J’Mari Taylor), multiple First-Team All-MEAC linemen, and an offense that dropped 40+ seven times in 2022 en route to a MEAC title share and Celebration Bowl berth. Before NCCU, Leone coordinated Southern’s offense to back-to-back SWAC West crowns, coached the program’s all-time passing leader, and fielded top-five FCS scoring in 2016. At alma mater Webber International, his offenses won a conference title and ranked top-five nationally in rushing. Leone’s head-coach case is clear: quarterback development, physical run game, adaptable systems, and consistent championship adjacency—plus culture roots through long-standing FCA/Youth for Christ service.
Virginia Union’s head coach since 2017, Dr. Alvin Parker owns a 51-15 record (.813), consecutive CIAA championships, an NCAA Elite Eight run, and the program’s first playoff win—all while twice capturing the university’s top team GPA award. The 2024 Panthers averaged 45 points and nearly 500 yards per game, ranked No. 2 nationally in pass efficiency, and posted seven 500-plus-yard outings. In 2023, Parker earned CIAA Coach of the Year as VUU ended a 22-year title drought, stacked 11 All-CIAA picks, and returned to the NCAA playoffs. A 25-year coaching veteran with a scholar-practitioner profile (Ed.D., M.S., B.S.), Parker also serves as VUU’s associate AD and sits on the AFCA Board of Trustees—signals of broad leadership. His “PLAY411” philosophy blends standards, detail, and player development. Parker is a turnkey CEO: he recruits, staffs, fundraises, and wins—with academics, culture, and innovation as non-negotiables.
An assistant head coach and DBs coach at Florida A&M, Billy Rolle is a proven program builder whose head-coach résumé in Miami high school football is unmatched: four state titles, including championships at three different schools (Northwestern 1998, 2007; Killian 2004; Southridge 2016), plus a national title season. He’s developed pipeline talent to FBS and the NFL—headliners like Teddy Bridgewater and Amari Cooper—while maintaining classroom and character standards. A former FAMU defensive back under Hall-of-Famer Rudy Hubbard, Rolle also played in the USFL and CFL, bringing professional technique and mindset to his secondary rooms. Honors include National High School Coach of the Year (2008), multiple state and local distinctions, and induction into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame (2003). Rolle’s head-coach case is simple: he builds winners anywhere, maximizes DB play, and mentors young men. He understands south-Florida recruiting and how to convert talent into titles.
A U.S. Army retiree and eighth-year Virginia Union assistant, Diego Ryland has built head-coach credentials on development, discipline, and results. He’s mentored two Harlon Hill runners-up (Tabyus Taylor, Jada Byers) and stacked All-America and All-CIAA honors at running back and kicker. His offenses produced league-leading rushing attacks (2018–19, 2022) and point totals north of 40 per game, while his special teams became a national weapon—topping NCAA Division II in blocked kicks in 2021–23 and generating more than 100 points in 2022. In 2023–24, VUU captured back-to-back CIAA titles, advanced in the NCAA playoffs, and earned CIAA Special Teams Player of the Year (Brady Myers, twice). Ryland’s unit consistently marries explosive production with hidden-yardage mastery, a rare dual specialty for a future CEO of a program. Add formal training (B.S., M.A., pursuing Ed.D.) and NFL/NCAA Coaches Academy selection, and you get a proven builder who elevates players and phases across a roster.
Currently on Alabama State’s staff and set to coordinate the Hornets’ run defense, Terry Sims is a former Bethune-Cookman head coach (34-21) with four winning seasons in five years and a 2015 MEAC title (MEAC Coach of the Year). His B-CU teams finished top-25 nationally in multiple defensive metrics, beat FAMU seven straight years at one point, and produced NFL and CFL signees. Sims’ resume spans DFO duties, special teams, and secondary play, plus stops at Howard, Louisiana-Lafayette, Prairie View A&M, Texas Southern, Austin Peay, and Louisville (GA). He’s led through adversity—injury- and weather-disrupted 2016 turned into a late four-game win streak—and consistently recruited classes that reloaded rosters. Sims is a defense-first CEO who manages details, cultivates discipline, and wins close games. With broad contacts in Texas and the Mid-Atlantic and a history of postseason honors for his players, he’s prepared to lead a program again.
Johnson C. Smith’s associate head coach/defensive coordinator, Barry Tripp piloted a 2023 defense that finished No. 1 nationally in total defense, plus top-10 marks in rushing, passing, third-down, and first-down defense—an all-phases transformation. His track record travels: Fort Valley State (top-3 in TFLs, top-20 in sacks/TDs; three First-Teamers), Fayetteville State (No. 7 in pass-efficiency defense, three straight division titles, a stable of All-CIAA honorees), and Winston-Salem State (producing the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, plus multiple All-CIAA selections). Tripp’s units are disruptive without sacrificing structure—he layers front multiplicity with coverage answers and teaches situational mastery (red zone, third down). The result: points suppressed, chains stalled, and players elevated. A former WSSU PE graduate, he has built defenses that travel in November football and a culture that scales. His resume reads like a head-coach blueprint: program lift, staff collaboration, recruiting wins, and sustained statistical dominance.
A former Bowie State quarterback who overcame brain surgery to return and lead his team to a CIAA title game, Nyema Washington brings resilience, versatility, and modern offensive acumen to Delaware State as offensive coordinator. He’s coached at multiple levels—student assistant at Bowie, GA at West Virginia State, WRs at Bowie, then OC at Wheeling, where his 2022 offense averaged 30.5 points. Most recently, Washington spent two seasons in the NFL as the Cleveland Browns’ Bill Willis Diversity Coaching Fellow, working with running backs and tight ends—an apprenticeship in pro standards, staff operations, and multi-position teaching. His path shows a leader who elevates people and systems, communicates across rooms, and builds quarterback-friendly schemes rooted in efficiency and matchups. Pairing NFL process with HBCU ties and proven play-calling chops, Washington profiles as a rising head coach who can recruit authentically, develop staff, and install an offense that travels.
Tory Woodbury embodies the full spectrum of experience, leadership, and purpose that defines HBCU excellence. With nearly 20 years of coaching experience spanning the NFL, XFL, and collegiate levels, Woodbury has consistently developed players and produced elite results. His units at Howard ranked among the best in FCS special teams, while his time with the St. Louis Battlehawks produced an XFL Special Teams Player of the Year, and his tenure with the Los Angeles Rams culminated in a Super Bowl championship. A Winston-Salem State legend and CIAA Hall of Famer, Woodbury rose from walk-on to Black College National Player of the Year, giving him deep credibility in the HBCU community. Off the field, his long-running Tory Woodbury Foundation reflects his heart for service and commitment to uplifting others—qualities every HBCU program values in its leader.