Grading the offseason’s head coaching hires

As we count down toward the beginning of a new year, one of the questions that we can look forward to answering is how the new HBCU football coaching hires will pan out in their new homes.

Of the 11 vacant head coaching jobs at the season’s conclusion, six have since been filled.

Here we will take a look at each of those coaching hires and grade them, along with the five remaining vacancies once announced.

Albany State: David Bowser

Grade: A-

The 2025 season was a historic one for the reigning SIAC champion Albany State Golden Rams, finishing with a 12-2 overall record, setting a new school record for wins in a season.

After winning their first SIAC championship since 2021, the Golden Rams then went on to have an extended run in the Division II Playoffs, advancing to the Regional Final.

Albany State found itself in the coaching market at the season’s conclusion, with Quinn Gray departing after three years to take on the vacant position at Florida A&M.

Taking Gray’s place is longtime HBCU football coach David Bowser, marking his first coaching stint away from the CIAA after over 20 years in the conference.

This will be Bowser’s second career head coaching job, previously serving as head coach of the Saint Augustine’s Falcons, compiling a 2-16 overall record.

Before embarking on the role of head coach at Saint Aug, Bowser spent 20 seasons in various roles. These include Assistant Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, and Recruiting Coordinator.

In his time with the Broncos, the longtime coach helped the team get to seven CIAA championships, coming out on top three times.

Bowser has spent the last two seasons as the Defensive Coordinator at Johnson C. Smith, helping guide the team to its first CIAA championship in over half a century.

His tenure at Saint Augustine’s notwithstanding, Bowser has shown to have a championship pedigree, establishing a system that maximizes the talent around.

Being allowed to work for an administration with structure and a dedication to winning will give him a chance to show his true worth as a head coach.

Florida A&M: Quinn Gray

Grade: A+

Speaking of Albany State, its former head coach Quinn Gray is making his way to Tallahassee, looking to revitalize his alma mater after a tumultuous past two years.

Following the departure of head coach Willie Simmons, who led the team to a Celebration Bowl win in his final season, a controversial coaching search ended with the Rattlers landing on James Colzie to fill the position.

Florida A&M went on to have its worst two seasons since joining the SWAC, combining for a 12-12 overall record, and a 9-7 conference record.

This included a 2025 season in which they finished 5-7, marking the team’s first losing record since 2017 (the year before they hired Coach Simmons).

Looking for a new spark, the Rattlers have turned to a campus legend who is coming off a historic tenure at Albany State.

In his three seasons as the Golden Rams’ head coach, Coach Gray compiled a 24-11 overall record, going 20-4 against the SIAC.

He led the team to two SIAC championship appearances, winning the conference title this past season.

Coach Gray is about the best possible option Florida A&M could have gotten to be its next head coach.

He is a program legend with adequate coaching experience that will do wonders for attracting top talent in the lucrative South Florida market.

Hampton: Van Malone

Grade: B+

After just two seasons under head coach Trenton Boykin (one as full-time head coach), Hampton decided it was time for a change.

The Pirates put up their worst performance in a season in quite some time, finishing 2-10 and a winless 0-8 against the CAA.

Seemingly traveling  further away from championship contention by the year, having not posted a winning season since 2018, Hampton turns to a longtime college assistant for a solution.

Coach Van Malone brings 23 years of college coaching experience to the Pirates, including 15 years at the Power Five level.

Malone was notably named the Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2017.

The longtime coach undoubtedly has the credentials to lead the Pirates program. The question is will it be enough to turn their fortunes around.

Savannah State: Thomas Howard

Grade: B

A coaching change was needed for Savannah State after previous head coach Aaron Kelton stepped down after four seasons.

In his tenure, the Tigers finished with a 16-24 overall record, going 11-20 in SIAC competition.

Filling in the role of head coach for Savannah State is Thomas Howard who is no stranger to helping guide turnarounds for HBCU programs.

A former Morehouse student-athlete, Howard brings 20 years of coaching experience to the table.

This includes a five-year stop as Linebackers coach at North Carolina A&T from 2015-2019 in which the team had its most successful run in school history.

Most recently, Howard served as the defensive coordinator of Fayetteville State, helping the team improve from the eighth-ranked defense in the conference the year before to the second-ranked defense this past season.

Howard is very much deserving of a head coaching opportunity with all eyes on his next move once he officially steps into his role on January 6.

Southern: Marshall Faulk

Grade: B-

In an effort to return to championship glory, the Southern Jaguars have called on Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk to turn the program around.

The 2025 season was a disaster to say the least for Southern, finishing with a 2-10 overall record and a 1-7 conference record.

In addition to being the team’s worst record in 15 years, it featured a nine-game losing streak that takes over as the longest in school history.

Faulk will be the third full-time head coach Southern has had since 2022.

He comes to the Jaguars with limited coaching experience, having served as a running backs coach for Colorado this past year.

A native of Louisiana, Faulk’s fast tracked road to becoming head coach at Southern could be a cause for concern.

This season, we got two great examples, on different edges of the spectrum, of NFL greats taking over as HBCU head coaches with little to no coaching experience.

Only time will tell if Faulk defies expectations and brings Southern back to prominence, or if struggles will persist in Baton Rouge.

Winston-Salem State: Tory Woodbury

Grade: A+

Florida A&M is not the only team that turned to a program legend to be its next head coach, as Winston-Salem State did just that in an effort to get back in the championship picture.

The Rams moved on from Coach Robert Massey who finished with a 4-6 overall record in his final season.

In his four seasons as full-time head coach (served as interim coach in first two years), Massey compiled an 18-21 record.

This included a 7-3 mark in the 2024 season which proved to be the team’s first winning season since 2018.

Set to take his place as head coach of WSSU is former star quarterback Tory Woodbury who brings a wealth of coaching experience to the table.

For the past 15 years, Woodbury has put together an impressive coaching portfolio that includes multiple stops at the college and pro levels.

His most notable achievement came as the assistant special teams coach for the Los Angeles Rams, helping the team make two Super Bowl appearances, and winning the Lombardi trophy in 2021.

This was a home run for a Winston-Salem State team desperate to snap its 10-year drought without a CIAA title.

Woodbury has the knowledge needed to rebuild a WSSU program that has a deep rooted history of winning.