Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) football spent decades chasing the moment it finally reached last November. Now the Golden Bulls have to leave it behind.
JCSU enters the 2026 HBCU football season as the reigning CIAA champion, a nationally ranked HBCU program and one of the most compelling turnaround stories in all of Division II football. Yet head coach Maurice Flowers has spent the final days before kickoff delivering a much less sentimental message.
“No one cares about ’25,” Flowers said. “Let’s get ready to go for ’26.”
There is little danger of JCSU getting caught looking backward. The Golden Bulls will open the season Saturday against Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. It is the beginning of a four-game stretch featuring two NCAA playoff teams, two CIAA rivals and three games away from home.
Three years ago, Flowers does not believe JCSU would have been ready for that type of opening.
“We couldn’t do this three years ago,” Flowers said following the Golden Bulls’ final preseason scrimmage. “Our program was not ready.”
It believes it is ready now.
JCSU football leaves 2025 behind
The transformation of JCSU football has been captured through Brick x Brick with JCSU Football, HBCU Gameday’s behind-the-scenes series documenting the program’s climb from longtime underdog to CIAA champion.
The first three seasons are available on Prime Video. A new two-part championship event chronicling JCSU’s historic 2025 postseason is expected to arrive on streaming platforms early this fall.
That story culminated with the Golden Bulls winning their first CIAA championship in 56 years. JCSU then hosted an NCAA Division II playoff game for the first time in the history of both the program and the City of Charlotte.
Flowers understands the significance of what his team accomplished. He also understands the danger of allowing one championship to become the program’s finish line.
“Our goals in ’26 are the same goals we had in ’22 (Maurice Flowers first season),” Flowers said. “That’s really how we stay focused and stay grounded. There’s always work to be done.”
JCSU lost 30 seniors from the team that broke through in 2025. That group formed Flowers’ first recruiting class after taking over the program in 2022.
Its departure created what Flowers described as a “changing of the guard.” Some returning players initially appeared to be resting on the success of the previous season. The coaching staff addressed that during a difficult February.
“I felt that there were folks in the program that were resting off of ’25,” Flowers said. “I’m glad we worked those things out of the program.”
The message has been reinforced through a new team motto. After breaking down on “Not Done Yet” during the championship season, the Golden Bulls have adopted “Still Not Done” for 2026.
“It fits our program,” Flowers said. “It fits where we are, it keeps the complacency away.”
A schedule built for an HBCU contender
JCSU will not have the luxury of slowly settling into the season.
Benedict went 10-3 in 2025 and advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs. The Tigers also reached the SIAC Championship Game and will host Saturday’s Battle of the Border Classic.
The matchup places North Carolina against South Carolina and the CIAA against the SIAC. It also matches two Division II HBCU programs that have grown accustomed to competing beyond their conferences.
“They’re talented. They’re well coached,” Flowers said. “We know that we’re going to have to have a good game.”
The opener marks the start of a demanding first month.
JCSU will face Albany State in Canton, Ohio, one week later. The Golden Bulls will then visit Winston-Salem State for a night game before hosting Fayetteville State in the Eddie McGirt Classic.
First-month gauntlet
A bye week follows the Fayetteville State game. Flowers already expects it to be needed.
“It takes a mature team to be able to go on the road like that and play top teams,” he said. “We just feel like our program has grown to where we have earned the ability to have that type of schedule.”
The strategy reaches beyond creating attractive HBCU matchups. JCSU wants to build a résumé capable of earning favorable positioning in the Division II postseason.
The Golden Bulls finished 2025 with the strongest strength of schedule in Super Region One, according to Flowers. Their 2026 schedule reflects the program’s intention to compete nationally rather than protect its record.
“The ultimate goal, of course, is to compete for the CIAA championship,” Flowers said. “But as we saw last year, it doesn’t stop there.”
Benedict offers an immediate test
Before JCSU can think about Canton, its rivalry games or another championship run, it must survive an opening weekend in Columbia.
Flowers expects the South Carolina heat to become a factor. The atmosphere inside Charlie W. Johnson Stadium could present another challenge for a roster featuring 35 freshmen and approximately 17 transfers.
“There’s nothing like the first game,” Flowers said. “When adrenaline’s flowing and the crowd is going, the band is going to be playing, we’re going to have some guys that get tired that normally don’t.”
JCSU has attempted to prepare for those conditions by practicing in the heat. Its depth could be equally important.
The Golden Bulls return four starters on the offensive line, including All-American Jamari Mason, the reigning CIAA Offensive Lineman of the Year. Marcus Andrews, Robert Early, Michael Hughes and Charlotte native Sedca Griffin round out the projected starting unit.
That experienced group will protect new starting quarterback Parker McQuarrie, who emerged from JCSU’s preseason competition after joining the program during the summer.
The Golden Bulls will not ask their new quarterback to carry the offense alone. JCSU expects to lean on its offensive line, running game and a defense that has consistently ranked among the best in Division II.
“We’re going to hang our hat on our defense, and we’re going to hang our hat on our running game,” Flowers said.
That formula helped JCSU reach the top of the CIAA. Greater depth could determine whether it stays there.
From homecoming opponent to measuring stick
JCSU’s rise has changed how opponents approach the Golden Bulls.
Flowers recalled a time when schools regularly scheduled Johnson C. Smith for homecoming. JCSU was viewed as a manageable opponent and, too often, an expected victory.
That reputation has disappeared.
“Now we’ve built our program to where we’re a measuring stick for people,” Flowers said. “We really came from the bottom of the conference, and now we’re at the top of the conference.”
Benedict has selected Saturday’s matchup as a whiteout. Flowers sees that attention as another sign that JCSU has become what he calls “the big ticket.”
That is the new reality for a program carrying a championship, a national ranking and larger expectations into 2026. JCSU has reached a stage where winning is no longer the surprise. Sustaining it is the challenge.
Flowers describes program building in four stages: losing big, losing close, winning close and winning big. He believes JCSU has entered that final stage.
The work now is proving it can stay there.
“Our focus isn’t on the start,” Flowers said. “It’s the finish line.”