For four seasons in Charlotte, the loudest voice on the Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) football sideline rarely belonged to the head coach on Saturdays. Instead, it echoed earlier—inside weight rooms, hotel ballrooms, and quiet devotional circles—long before kickoff ever arrived. That voice belonged to Kevon Fly. As of December 31, 2025, Fly has stepped away from his roles as JCSU’s Director of Football Performance and Defensive Line Coach, officially closing a chapter that helped reshape one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern HBCU football.
Entering 2026, Fly is exploring new coaching opportunities while continuing his work as a youth minister and performance consultant.
At JCSU, Fly was never just a strength or position coach. Instead, he became the voice of the rebuild. He connected belief to performance and discipline to identity. For many players, he served as a steady presence when winning was still unfamiliar.
And for viewers of Brick x Brick with JCSU Football, he was unmistakably the voice.
The Soundtrack of a Turnaround
Watch enough episodes of Brick x Brick, and you begin to recognize a pattern. Before the lifting starts, before the pads pop, before the team takes the field. There’s Fly.
“Champions do consistently what others do occasionally.”
The line appears so often throughout the HBCU Gameday docuseries that it becomes less of a quote and more of a guiding principle. Fly’s voice—raw, rhythmic, and faith-centered—threads through every season. His weekly devotions, pregame speeches, and weight room motivation form the emotional spine of the series.
In the Season 3 episode Love Yourz, Fly reframes what it means to love the game. Drawing from J. Cole’s lyrics and 1 Corinthians 13, he challenges players to examine conditional commitment.
“If we truly love it,” Fly tells the team, “we should be able to lay our lives on the line for it each and every day, no matter the circumstance.”
Moments like that were never scripted. They were simply Fly being Fly. However, they resonated because the results followed.
During his tenure, JCSU produced back-to-back No. 1 overall defensive rankings in the CIAA in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, the Golden Bulls finished No. 1 nationally in Division II total defense, followed by a No. 6 national ranking in 2024. The program also secured consecutive winning seasons for the first time in more than a decade.
The transformation was physical. But it was also psychological.
Training the Mind Like Any Other Muscle
Fly’s strength and nutrition program became one of the quiet engines behind JCSU’s rise. Rather than chasing shortcuts, his system prioritized consistency, accountability, and spiritual alignment.
At its core was a simple belief: the mind must be trained with the same intention as the body.
Fly’s faith-based performance model emphasized discipline, identity, and belief, especially when success was not guaranteed. That approach appears repeatedly throughout Brick x Brick.
Before JCSU’s historic upset of Valdosta State, Fly turned perceived pregame disrespect into affirmation.
“They may not believe that,” he told the team. “That’s cool though. We know who we are and what we’ve been through.”
It was not bravado. It was earned confidence.
The Chance Meeting That Sparked HBCU Hard Knocks
The Brick x Brick series itself began with a moment of chance.
In 2022, during pregame warmups for JCSU’s win over Elizabeth City State—Coach Maurice Flowers’ first victory—Brick x Brick creator Wali Pitt approached a coach on the sideline. He asked if he could film some behind-the-scenes locker room footage.
That coach was Kevon Fly. What began as a brief conversation turned into four years of unprecedented access. Fly did not just open doors. He held them open.
As a co-producer of the series, Fly served as the main point of contact. He coordinated schedules, flagged key moments, and ensured cameras were present when culture—not just competition—was being built. Without Fly, Brick x Brick does not exist.
In many ways, the show mirrors his coaching style. It is intimate, demanding, and, most of all, rooted in belief.
Leading Through Example, Not Just Instruction
Fly’s impact extended well beyond the athletes he coached. It showed up in how he lived.
Between 2021 and 2025, Fly documented a personal transformation that mirrored the one he demanded from his team. He lost more than 160 pounds, dropping from 395 to 228. His method was as disciplined as his coaching.
“One mile. One Bible verse. Every day.”
For an entire year, Fly committed to that routine publicly. In doing so, he invited accountability and modeled consistency. Players noticed. Many joined him on runs and workouts, turning personal discipline into shared commitment.
The message was clear: you cannot ask people to go where you refuse to go yourself.
A Résumé Built on Results and Purpose
A first-generation college graduate, Fly earned his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University before completing his M.Ed. in Education and Exercise Science at Tennessee Tech. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Before arriving at JCSU, Fly served as an assistant strength coach at Jacksonville, FL HBCU Edward Waters University and worked as a sports science intern with the University of Miami football program. Alongside his collegiate coaching career, he operates Fly Athletic Performance, which focuses on holistic athlete development.
Beyond HBCU football, Fly remains deeply committed to ministry and mentorship. In late 2025, he released a seven-day devotional titled BUILT FO4 MORE, continuing the same message that defined his work in Charlotte.
What Comes Next for Kevon Fly
Kevon Fly leaves Johnson C. Smith with more than just a CIAA championship. He leaves with language—words players will carry long after football ends.
“Great day to be great.” “Believe the man next to you.” “Champions do consistently what others do occasionally.”
Those phrases now live inside the program.
As Fly explores his next coaching opportunity, his impact on JCSU and HBCU football remains unmistakable. He did not simply help rebuild a defense. He helped restore belief.
Wherever he goes next, one thing is certain.
The voice will still be heard—long before the game ever starts.