Albany State didn’t just release its 2026 football schedule this week — it quietly set the table for one of the most compelling early-season matchups in all of HBCU football. Buried within the Golden Rams’ schedule announcement was a reveal that hasn’t yet been made publicly by the event itself. Albany State will open the 2026 season in the Black College Hall of Fame Classic at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. And the opponent? Johnson C Smith University (JCSU).
If the Black College Hall of Fame Classic is designed to celebrate legacy, culture, and excellence, this matchup checks every box — and then adds a layer of modern HBCU intrigue that few games can match.
Champion vs. Champion, Tradition vs. Momentum
Albany State enters the 2026 season as the reigning SIAC champion after a 12–1 campaign that carried the Golden Rams to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. JCSU, meanwhile, is fresh off a historic CIAA championship — the program’s first in more than five decades — completing one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent HBCU football memory.
The pairing mirrors a familiar theme for the Black College Hall of Fame Classic. Just last season, the event featured a CIAA champion vs. SIAC champion showdown, reinforcing the game’s growing role as a true measuring stick for Division II HBCU powers.
Now, the Classic doubles down on that formula — but with even more juice.
David Bowser vs. The Brick x Brick Blueprint
What elevates this matchup from marquee to must-watch is the man on Albany State’s sideline.
David Bowser, the Golden Rams’ new head coach, will be facing the very program he helped rebuild.
Before taking over in Albany, Bowser served as Special Assistant to the Head Coach, Director of Player Personnel, and Linebackers Coach at JCSU. His fingerprints were everywhere during the Golden Bulls’ championship rise. From roster construction and recruiting strategy to daily operations and academic accountability.
All of it was part of Bowser’s work.
Now, he inherits a program already operating at championship altitude and brings that same blueprint with him to Albany State. Facing JCSU in Canton won’t just be another nonconference opener — it will be a collision between two versions of the same vision.
A Classic Built on Legacy — and Culture
The Black College Hall of Fame Classic has quickly become one of the most meaningful Labor Day weekend stages in HBCU football.
Founded in 2019 and played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the game coincides with the permanent home of the Black College Football Hall of Fame inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Established by NFL pioneers James “Shack” Harris and Doug Williams, the Hall honors the players, coaches, and contributors who shaped the Black college game long before it received national recognition.
The Classic itself has grown into more than a game. It’s a weekend-long cultural celebration — complete with tailgating, marching bands, concerts, and community events — designed to spotlight the full experience of HBCU football.
Past matchups have included:
- 2019: Alabama A&M vs. Morehouse
- 2021: Grambling State vs. Tennessee State
- 2022: Central State vs. Winston-Salem State
- 2023: Virginia Union vs. Morehouse
- 2024: Virginia State vs. Benedict
- 2025: Virginia Union vs. Miles
Now, Albany State vs. Johnson C Smith slides seamlessly into that lineage.
Built for the Modern HBCU Spotlight
There’s another reason this game feels different.
With Bowser returning to face his former staff and players, and with both programs coming off championship seasons, the matchup is widely expected to be featured during Season 4 of Brick x Brick with JCSU Football. The acclaimed HBCU Gameday docuseries that has chronicled JCSU’s rise from rebuild to champion.
If that happens, Canton won’t just host a kickoff game. It will host the next chapter of a long-form HBCU football story that blends culture, accountability, pressure, and purpose in a way few programs allow cameras to capture.
A Season Opener With Meaning
Albany State is no longer chasing respect in Division II HBCU football. It has it. Johnson C. Smith is no longer a feel-good story. It’s a standard bearer.
The Black College Hall of Fame Classic was created to honor the past. In 2026, it may do something more important — define the present.
Before the event itself has even announced the teams, Albany State’s schedule release has already turned Canton into a destination game.
And for HBCU football fans, that’s a story worth breaking first.