Who’s in Control at Texas Southern? Regents to Vote on Ashley Robinson, Corey Lowery

HOUSTON — Texas Southern University’s Board of Regents will decide Wednesday whether to approve Ashley Robinson as vice president and director of athletics and Corey Lowery as head men’s basketball coach, two of the most consequential hires in the athletic department.

But one of President James W. Crawford III’s recommendations reaches the full board without the support of either committee that considered him.

According to sources familiar with the proceedings, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel matters, the Personnel and Litigation Committee and Athletics Committee unanimously recommended Ashley Robinson for vice president and director of athletics.

Corey Lowery, Crawford’s recommendation for head men’s basketball coach, received a dramatically different response.

Neither committee recommended Lowery.

Yet Lowery’s candidacy remains alive and will advance to the full Board of Regents during its special session Wednesday, Aug. 19.

That raises a significant question:  Who’s in control at TSU?

THE HIRING PROCESS AND QUESTIONS

Crawford recommends the candidates, but the president does not have a vote on the Board of Regents. The committees met to review the recommendations, working in an advisory capacity. The eight voting regents ultimately decide whether Robinson and Lowery will be hired on Wednesday.

With Lowery advancing despite failing to receive a favorable recommendation from either committee, attention now turns to Board Chairman James M. Benham and his role in the process.

One alumnus put the question more directly to HBCU Legends: “Who’s James M. Benham, and is he in control, making all of the decisions?”

Other alums and observers have raised similar questions: Is Texas Southern identifying the best candidates? How is the university funding two national searches? Does Crawford have the best interests of Texas Southern athletics in mind?

And one question continues to surface around the basketball search:

Who is Corey Lowery, and why is his candidacy still moving forward?

Everything points back to April 2025, when a series of events began reshaping the Texas Southern athletics department.

HOW TEXAS SOUTHERN REACHED THE AUG. 19 VOTE

Two of Texas Southern’s highest-profile athletics positions became vacant within a single academic year.

One followed allegations against an athletics director, a civil lawsuit, administrative investigations and an eventual termination.

The other came when the men’s basketball coach resigned on the opening day of the transfer portal.

Here is how Texas Southern reached Wednesday’s special session.

THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR VACANCY

Late April 2025 — A Texas Southern athletics department staff member alleged that then-vice president of intercollegiate athletics Dr. Kevin Granger made inappropriate comments, engaged in unwelcome physical contact and committed a groping incident.

The allegations became public weeks later in a civil court filing.

June 2, 2025 — Houston attorney Tony Buzbee filed a civil lawsuit in Harris County on behalf of the staff member, who remained employed by the university.

The petition sought more than $1 million in damages, penalties, costs and attorney’s fees. Granger denied the allegations through his attorney.

June 2025 — Texas Southern placed Granger on administrative leave. The university opened two external, independent administrative inquiries under Title VII and Title IX.

August 2025 — Crawford appointed Dr. Paula L. Jackson interim athletics director, shifting day-to-day operations to Jackson while Granger’s status remained unresolved.

February 13, 2026 — Texas Southern terminated Granger as vice president of intercollegiate athletics. He had led the department since February 2019.

The university kept his Hall of Fame status and student-athlete records intact.

Mar. 5, 2026 — HBCU Legends first reported that Granger’s retired No. 10 jersey banner was no longer hanging in the rafters at H&PE Arena and photographed the vacant space during the Prairie View A&M-Texas Southern basketball doubleheader.

A high-ranking athletics department administrator looked toward the rafters and told HBCU Legends, “I had no idea it was removed, and I’m here every day.”

Texas Southern has not publicly explained the removal or connected it to the lawsuit.

March 12, 2026 — Granger’s termination became public. HBCU Legends reported the firing, citing reporting by Terrance Harris of The Defender. The civil case remained active.

The allegations against Granger are drawn from civil court filings and public statements. The case is civil, not criminal. Granger has denied the allegations through his attorney and has not been charged with a crime. Legal proceedings are ongoing.

JOHNNY JONES LEAVES, AND ANOTHER SEARCH BEGINS

April 7, 2026 — Johnny Jones resigned after eight seasons as Texas Southern’s head men’s basketball coach to join Will Wade’s staff at LSU as an assistant.

Jones left Houston with more than 130 victories, three consecutive SWAC Tournament championships from 2021 through 2023, four NCAA Tournament appearances and two NCAA Tournament victories.

His resignation came on the day the transfer portal opened.

April 7, 2026 — Texas Southern named longtime assistant Shyrone Chatman interim head coach and said a national search would begin immediately.

Chatman, 47, previously served in assistant roles at Memphis and UMass.

June 3, 2026 — Texas Southern confirmed to HBCU Legends that it hired DHR Global to conduct the men’s basketball coaching search.

Managing partner Glenn Sugiyama leads the Chicago-based firm’s sports practice. The university said it would make no further public comment until a sole finalist was named.

CRAWFORD MAKES HIS RECOMMENDATIONS

August 11, 2026 — Crawford said he had identified the candidates he intended to recommend to the Board of Regents for vice president and director of athletics and head men’s basketball coach.

He did not publicly identify them.

The special-session agenda reviewed by HBCU Legends identifies both positions but does not name the candidates.

Those names subsequently emerged.

Crawford’s choice for athletics director was Robinson, Jackson State’s vice president and director of athletics since 2018 and the former athletics director at Prairie View A&M.

His recommendation for men’s basketball coach was Lowery, a Seton Hall assistant and former Lincoln University head coach.

Then came the committee meetings.

ROBINSON GETS UNANIMOUS COMMITTEE SUPPORT, NOT LOWERY

According to sources familiar with the Aug. 14 proceedings, the Personnel and Litigation Committee and Athletics Committee unanimously recommended Robinson.

Lowery did not receive a favorable recommendation from either committee.

That distinction is significant.

According to the board’s bylaws, as amended April 1, 2026, Texas Southern maintains seven standing committees whose members serve two-year terms and are appointed by the board chairman. The Personnel and Litigation Committee oversees hiring and compensation policies, employee complaints, and litigation. The Athletics Committee oversees program quality, participation opportunities, conference and NCAA compliance and the athletics budget.

Neither committee makes the final hiring decision. They can recommend candidates, but the authority to approve a hire rests with the full board.

Despite the committees’ opposition, Lowery remains Crawford’s recommended candidate and will be considered by the full Board of Regents on Wednesday.

Crawford cannot provide Lowery with a vote.

The president recommends candidates to the Board of Regents but is not one of the eight voting regents who will decide whether the appointments are approved.

That shifts attention from the president’s recommendation to the board members who have the authority to turn that recommendation into a hire.

And it raises another question:

Who is carrying Lowery’s candidacy forward?

WHAT ROLE DOES BENHAM PLAY IN LOWERY’S CANDIDACY?

James M. Benham serves as chairman of the Texas Southern University Board of Regents.

Crawford selected Lowery as his recommended candidate, but the president cannot vote for him.

On Friday, neither of the two committees that reviewed Lowery’s candidacy recommended him for the position.

Yet Lowery is still headed to the full board for consideration and a vote.

HBCU Legends has not independently established whether Chairman Benham is advocating for Lowery or how Benham or any individual regent intends to vote Wednesday.

The distinction is important.

Crawford has the authority to recommend Lowery.  The committees have the authority to advise, but only the voting members of the Board of Regents have the authority to approve the hire.

HOW THE TEXAS SOUTHERN BOARD OF REGENTS VOTE WORKS

The full Board of Regents will decide Wednesday whether Crawford’s recommendations become Texas Southern’s next vice president and director of athletics and head men’s basketball coach.

Eight regents have voting authority; the student regent does not vote.

Each recommended candidate must receive a majority vote from the voting regents to secure approval for hire.

That means Robinson’s unanimous support from the committees does not automatically make him Texas Southern’s vice president and athletics director.

Likewise, the committees’ refusal to recommend Lowery does not automatically eliminate him.

The final authority rests with the Board of Regents.

For Lowery in particular, the Aug. 19 proceedings could reveal whether sufficient support exists on the full board to overcome the opposition his candidacy encountered at the committee level.

TEXAS SOUTHERN PROPOSES $3.5 MILLION IN BASE COMPENSATION

The financial commitment attached to the two recommendations is also significant.

According to a copy of the proposed contracts reviewed by HBCU Legends, each agreement carries a base salary of $350,000 annually over a five-year term.

That represents $1.75 million in base compensation per position and $3.5 million in total over five years, before additional benefits, incentives, or other compensation.

The proposed contract, reviewed by HBCU Legends, does not document a direct reporting relationship between the men’s basketball coach and the athletics director. That could be a simple omission, but it raises a governance question as Texas Southern attempts to install new leadership in both positions simultaneously.

The investment raises another question surrounding the searches:

What does Texas Southern expect in return?

WHO WERE THE OTHER CANDIDATES?

Sources told HBCU Legends that the leading candidates for Texas Southern’s men’s basketball position included:

•   Corey Lowery — Seton Hall assistant and former CIAA Coach of the Year

•   Shyrone Chatman — Texas Southern interim head coach

•   Sam Mitchell — Former NBA head coach and current analyst

•   John Lucas — Former NBA player and coach with deep Houston connections; who turned down the interview.

•   Earl Boykins — Former NBA player and assistant coach

Sources identified Robinson and Texas Southern alumnus and former NFL executive Tony Wyllie among the leading candidates for vice president and director of athletics.

Former Bethune-Cookman assistant Chris Pompey was considered for the basketball position, although he was not formally interviewed, according to another source.

WHO IS COREY LOWERY?

Lowery has spent the past four seasons on Shaheen Holloway’s staff at Seton Hall, where the Pirates won the 2024 NIT championship.

He has over 16 seasons as a head coach, posting a 322-90 record, most of it in high school basketball.  His college head-coaching experience came at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where he led the Lions for two seasons.  

The first ended early. Lincoln opened 3-0 in 2020-21 before the CIAA canceled the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The following season produced the strongest result on his college head-coaching résumé. Lincoln finished 18-10 and placed second in the CIAA Northern Division after a preseason poll projected the Lions 10th. Lowery was named CIAA Coach of the Year.

He would arrive at Texas Southern with one full season as a head coach at the Division II level and four seasons as a Division I assistant.

His profile is what Crawford is recommending, and what both committees declined to endorse.

Questions have also surfaced about whether Lowery communicated with current Texas Southern players before receiving board approval. HBCU Legends has not independently established whether those communications occurred as described or whether any NCAA rule was violated.

WHY ASHLEY ROBINSON COULD BRING ATHLETIC DIRECTOR STABILITY

Robinson’s candidacy presents a considerably different picture.

He has served as Jackson State’s vice president and director of athletics since 2018 after previously leading the athletics department at Prairie View A&M.

His tenure at Jackson State included the September 2020 hiring of Deion Sanders as head football coach and an unprecedented period of national attention surrounding the Tigers’ football program and athletics department.

Robinson has experience hiring coaches, managing an HBCU athletics department, and operating inside the SWAC.

Those qualifications could provide Texas Southern with experienced permanent leadership after a turbulent period.

Sources also told HBCU Legends that Crawford is recommending Robinson retain interim athletics director Jackson on his staff if Robinson receives board approval.

The unanimous support Robinson received from both committees also creates a stark contrast with the basketball recommendation.

The central uncertainty Wednesday may not be Robinson. It may be Lowery.

WHAT HAPPENS AUG. 19?

Texas Southern’s Board of Regents will convene Wednesday in a special hybrid session with final authority to approve or reject Crawford’s recommendations.

Eight regents have voting authority. Crawford does not.

Each recommended candidate must receive a majority vote to be approved for hire.

The board could approve both candidates, approve one and reject the other, or reject both recommendations.

Neither of the recommended candidates currently works for Texas Southern. Robinson remains at Jackson State, and Lowery at Seton Hall; either institution could counter Texas Southern’s offer.

If Robinson receives the necessary votes, Texas Southern could finally install permanent leadership atop an athletics department that has operated under interim direction for approximately a year.

Lowery faces a different path.

His candidacy reaches the full board without a favorable recommendation from either committee that considered him.

That leaves Lowery’s future entirely in the hands of the eight voting regents.

Because his candidacy continues despite the committees’ opposition, Benham’s role as chairman will be one of the elements worth watching in Wednesday’s proceedings.

If Lowery receives the necessary majority, the Board of Regents will have approved Crawford’s preferred candidate despite the lack of committee support.

If he does not, Texas Southern could be forced to reconsider its basketball search with the 2026-27 season approaching and Chatman still serving as interim coach.

The decision extends beyond two five-year employment contracts worth a combined $3.5 million in proposed base compensation.

Texas Southern is determining who will oversee its athletic department and who will lead one of its signature programs.

And after allegations, litigation, a termination, the disappearance of a retired jersey banner from the H&PE Arena rafters, a coaching resignation, two national searches and a recommended candidate advancing without committee support, another question has become increasingly difficult to ignore:

Who’s in control at TSU?

On Aug. 19, the eight voting members of the Texas Southern University Board of Regents may provide the answer.

This story will be updated following the Board of Regents vote on Aug. 19.

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