Clark Atlanta football under Teddy Keaton was one of the best stories in HBCU football last season. A year later, Keaton’s time at CAU is over.
Clark Atlanta University announced it has parted ways with head football coach Teddy Keaton after two seasons leading the Panthers. The school announced its decision on Tuesday.
The decision ends a short but eventful tenure for Keaton, who was hired in December 2023 and quickly made an impact in his first season. In 2024, Clark Atlanta posted a 7–3–1 overall record and finished 6–2 in SIAC play. The team tied for second place in the conference standings. That campaign culminated in a championship game appearance, signaling momentum for a program that has worked to regain consistency within the league.
However, the 2025 season brought a sharp turn. Clark Atlanta finished 3–7 overall and 2–6 in conference play, falling back into the middle of the SIAC pack. Following the season, the university elected to move in a different direction. It thanked Keaton for his service and contributions while indicating that further details about the program’s future leadership would be shared in the coming days.
Keaton’s departure from Clark Atlanta adds another chapter to a long coaching career rooted in the HBCU and small-college football landscape. He first rose to prominence at Stillman College, where he coached from 2011 to 2015. During that stretch, Stillman went 27–26 overall and 16–15 in conference play, with multiple winning seasons and a share of a division title in his first year.
After a brief gap, Keaton took over the program at Allen University. His time there included a rebuilding phase as the program was reborn as an NAIA program. It eventually moved up to Division II and had a breakthrough 7–3 season in 2023 that helped reestablish Allen as a competitive SIAC program. Across his time at Allen, Keaton compiled an 18–28 overall record.
In total, Keaton leaves Clark Atlanta with a 10–10–1 record. It reflects the highs of a strong debut season and the struggles that followed. Despite its prime location, the Clark Atlanta program has consistently been at the bottom of the SIAC. Last season under Keaton seemed to be the beginning of a new era, but is now just a footnote in history.
As Clark Atlanta prepares to begin a new search, the program joins a growing list of HBCU programs looking for coaches. Even at the D2 level, HBCUs are navigating coaching turnover amid shifting conference dynamics, resource challenges, and heightened scrutiny. Keaton, meanwhile, exits with a résumé that includes multiple program turnarounds and championship-level experience. He is positioned as a familiar name should another opportunity arise.
Should another opportunity arise??? I’m confused. HBCU programs need Coach’s like Keaton. Not shiny New Objects like Vick etc. They need real Leaders of our young Men. Our boy’s are bouncing around from school to school, like bubble gum in a Machine. Absolutely no direction, except to be seen on ABC and CBS. I’d take Coach Keaton over any of those Newly selected Coaches recently hired by HBCU’S!
Why fire a coach who had a good season just because it was followed by a bad season? Two years doesn’t seem to be a reasonable window for making that kind of decision. What is the story not telling us?