Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Brock Morgan joins FOX54 in Huntsville as an anchor and reporter covering sports and news.
- He balanced Division I football at Howard University while studying broadcast journalism; graduated magna cum laude and attended Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.
- He proactively secured 11 NIL deals by pitching businesses directly, showing entrepreneurial initiative and earning the NABJ Dr. Sheila Brooks Entrepreneur Scholarship.
- His HBCU experience helps him authentically cover Alabama A&M University and local teams, with mentor Mo Carter supporting his newsroom growth.
A former Howard University student-athlete is turning persistence into his next opportunity after submitting 223 job applications in pursuit of a career in television journalism.
Brock Morgan, a former Howard football player and broadcast journalism student, announced that he is joining FOX54 in Huntsville, Alabama, as an anchor and reporter covering both sports and news.
For Morgan, the opportunity brings together two major pieces of a résumé he began building while attending the Washington, D.C. HBCU: athletics and journalism.
“Glory to God!” Morgan wrote in announcing the move on LinkedIn. “After 223 applications, I look forward to joining FOX54 as an Anchor/Reporter covering sports & news!”
The Kannapolis, North Carolina native arrives in Huntsville after completing graduate studies at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. But much of the foundation for his career was established at Howard, where Morgan balanced Division I football with academics, journalism and an early introduction to the business of college athletics.
Morgan came to Howard as a linebacker while studying broadcast journalism.
His time with the Bison coincided with one of the program’s strongest stretches in recent years.
Morgan was part of Howard’s 2022 and 2023 MEAC championship teams and earned a spot on the MEAC Football All-Academic Team in 2023.
He eventually saw game action during the 2024 season.
Morgan appeared in two games and recorded six tackles, including four solo stops. Against Morgan State that November, he also registered a quarterback hurry and pass breakup.
His work in the classroom was even more substantial.
Morgan graduated from Howard magna cum laude in 2025, completing a college experience that prepared him for a career extending far beyond the football field.
Is it just the nature of the business
Morgan received plenty of support online but some fellow journalists balanced it with their take on the industry, saying his journey is more typical than some might think.
“New reporter here! That’s really how the industry goes. Applied to 200 internships before getting one at FOX, then 100 before getting a job in Green Bay. Then only like 25 before where I am now. That’s the nature of the industry, but keep pushing,” wrote Instagram user Noah Cornelius.
Howard student-athlete learned the NIL business early
Morgan was also developing another skill set during his time at Howard.
As college athletes adjusted to the emerging name, image and likeness era, Morgan became proactive about creating his own opportunities.
According to a 2023 report by WSOC-TV, Morgan secured 11 NIL deals over approximately one year.
Rather than waiting for companies to approach him, Morgan reportedly went directly to businesses with proposals.
The initiative provided an early glimpse of the persistence that would later define his professional job search.
It also earned recognition.
In 2025, Morgan received the National Association of Black Journalists’ Dr. Sheila Brooks Entrepreneur Scholarship, a $2,500 award supporting his development in journalism.
From The Hilltop to Northwestern
Morgan wasn’t waiting until after football to begin his journalism career, either.
While attending Howard, he wrote sports stories for The Hilltop, the university’s historic student newspaper.
That gave the former linebacker an opportunity to experience sports from both perspectives — participating in Division I athletics while learning how to report and tell the stories surrounding them.
After graduating from Howard, Morgan continued his education at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, pursuing a master’s degree in journalism with a concentration in sports media.
His graduate-school assignments took him to some significant stages.
Morgan reported from Super Bowl LX in the San Francisco Bay Area, covered WNBA All-Star Weekend and worked on stories surrounding the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. His reporting also included a story involving a new entrance at Wrigley Field.
Those experiences helped Morgan build a portfolio covering both sports and general news — the same combination he’ll now be asked to handle professionally in Huntsville.
A city rich in HBCU tradition
Morgan will be able to put his HBCU cache to work immediately in Huntsville, the home of Alabama A&M University. His time as a student-athlete at Howard University will give him the insight necessary to authentically cover the Bulldog program, as well as other university coverage.
He’ll also be joined in the newsroom by a great potential mentor, Mo Carter, the Sports Director at FOX 54. Carter is a former football player and alum of Southern University. He’s one of the leading sports voices in the market and is a fixture on SWAC TV broadcasts during football and basketball season.
Anything Morgan encounters as he launches his new career, Carter will surely be a great source for advice.
223 applications later, Morgan gets his opportunity
The impressive résumé didn’t make breaking into television automatic.
Morgan says it took 223 applications before landing his opportunity with FOX54.
That number may ultimately become one of the most compelling parts of his story.
Morgan had been a Division I athlete. He won conference championships. He graduated magna cum laude from an HBCU, attended one of the country’s most prominent journalism graduate programs and accumulated reporting experience at major national events.
He still had to keep applying.
Now that persistence has taken the former Howard linebacker to Huntsville, where he’ll get the opportunity to cover the subjects he has spent years preparing to report.
Morgan ended his announcement with a message for his new home.
“#RocketCity? Lets work!”
For a former Howard student-athlete who learned to pursue opportunities rather than wait for them, application No. 223 finally delivered the yes he was looking for.
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