Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- "rat poison" mentality: Andrew Body and coach Eddie Robinson Jr. call hype a trap, prioritizing internal standards over outside expectations.
- Alabama State carries momentum from its first 10-win season since 2004; Andrew Body returns wearing a shoulder brace.
- Hornets face marquee matchups: inaugural Birmingham Classic vs Southern University, plus Jackson State and Prairie View.
- Discipline and an in-house standard, not outside noise, are presented as the Hornets' most valuable asset for a SWAC title push.
Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body isn’t allowing the preseason buzz to get him all big-headed.
With the Hornets picked as the SWAC East favorites and Body himself on the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list, external expectations are soaring.
His response?
Call it what his coach Eddie Robinson Jr. calls it: “rat poison.”
“It’s rat poison,” Body told the Montgomery Advertiser prior to the start of fall practice. “Coach already said it’s rat poison. A trap. At the end of the day, that’s people’s expectations. We have our in-house standard, and that’s what we’re going by and living by rather than outside expectations and noise.”
That quote isn’t just a soundbite—it’s the operating system for Alabama State’s 2026 campaign.
Why “rat poison” matters in 2026
Coming off the program’s first 10-win season since 2004, Alabama State enters 2026 with real momentum—and real pressure. Body, the reigning SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, is back after flirting with the transfer portal. He led the conference in passing touchdowns (20) and quarterback efficiency (203.6) last season despite missing the final four games with a shoulder injury that now has him wearing a brace, according to reporter Jaeden Day, whose observed the Hornets in early workouts.
Now, with marquee matchups like the inaugural Birmingham Classic against Southern University and dates with Jackson State and SWAC champion Prairie View on the slate this season, the Hornets are squarely in the spotlight. Body’s “rat poison” line is a direct rebuttal to the noise that comes with that attention,
They know there is a big target on their backs and need to prove it can live up to the hype.
What this means for the hornets’ title push
Andrew Body’s 2026 outlook isn’t about Alabama State living up to the hype—it’s about living beyond it. By labeling external expectations as “rat poison,” he’s adding perspective.
In a season where the Hornets are expected to contend for a SWAC title, that discipline could be their most valuable asset.
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