MIAMI, Fla. — Tuesday night’s FIU-Kennesaw State matchup makes the first time two former HBCU head coaches faced each other as head coaches at the FBS level. Willie Simmons is head coach at Florida International University and Jerry Mack has taken over Kennesaw State University. It’s a matchup rich with symbolism, shared journeys, and deep HBCU roots.
Adding another layer to the historic moment, Kennesaw State’s athletic director, Milton Overton, once served in the same role at Florida A&M University, further linking the programs and their paths.
The HBCU-to-FBS Pipeline
To date, only six coaches have made the rare leap from HBCU head coach to FBS leadership:
• Willie Jeffries (South Carolina State to Wichita State)
• Jay Hopson (Alcorn State to Ole Miss)
• Deion Sanders (Jackson State to Colorado)
• Willie Simmons (Florida A&M to FIU)
• Jerry Mack (North Carolina Central to Kennesaw State)
• Eddie George (Tennessee State to Bowling Green)
Long stigmatized as a dead-end for ambitious coaches, HBCU football has often been unfairly dismissed as lacking FBS-caliber coaching talent. But the presence of four active FBS head coaches with HBCU roots — and the historic Simmons-Mack showdown — proves that perception is changing. While Jeffries, Hopson, Sanders, and George made direct jumps to FBS head coaching roles, Simmons and Mack took a more traditional route, rising through Power Four assistant ranks before earning their current opportunities.
Parallel Paths From HBCU to FBS
Willie Simmons, a former Clemson quarterback, guided Florida A&M to the 2023 Celebration Bowl championship before accepting a position as running backs coach at Duke University. Encouraged by mentors like Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban, Simmons made the leap to FBS leadership when FIU called.
Jerry Mack’s ascent followed a similar arc. After leading North Carolina Central University to three MEAC titles and a 2016 Celebration Bowl appearance, he joined Rice University as offensive coordinator, then spent time at Tennessee and in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being hired as Kennesaw State’s head coach in 2024.
Conference USA Battle
Both coaches now find themselves in the same league — Conference USA — where their teams are taking divergent but promising paths.
Kennesaw State (4-2, 2-0) sits atop the conference standings after a gritty early season. The Owls nearly upset ACC power Wake Forest in a narrow 10–9 loss before rebounding with four straight wins, including two conference victories.
Florida International, meanwhile, continues its steady rise under Simmons. After a dominant season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman, the Panthers battled No. 1-ranked Penn State before earning a marquee victory in the Shula Bowl against FAU. Following setbacks to Delaware and UConn, FIU bounced back with a statement win over Western Kentucky, then the league leader. It is currently 3-3 overall with a 1-1 conference record.
Jerry Mack’s HBCU Legacy
Before his FBS success, Jerry Mack built a powerhouse at North Carolina Central, compiling a 23–15 record from 2014–2017. His Eagles captured three straight MEAC titles (two of which were later vacated) and made the program’s first Celebration Bowl appearance. That season, NCCU shattered school offensive records, earning Mack the 2016 HBCU Coach of the Year honors from Black College Sports Page and The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C.
Earlier in his career, Mack was offensive coordinator at Arkansas-Pine Bluff and receivers/tight ends coach at Jackson State, where his offenses ranked among the best in the SWAC and won the 2007 conference championship.
Willie Simmons’ Coaching Legacy
Before his move to FIU, Simmons spent six seasons transforming Florida A&M into a national FCS contender. From 2018 to 2023, he posted a 45–13 overall record (.776) and an astonishing 34–5 conference mark (.872) across the MEAC and SWAC, earning back-to-back AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year awards and the 2023 SWAC Coach of the Year title.
Under Simmons, FAMU finished each of his last four seasons ranked in the national top 25 — including a No. 5 ranking in 2023, their highest since 1998. Before that, Simmons led Prairie View A&M to three straight winning seasons, becoming the school’s first coach in over five decades to accomplish that feat.
His offensive mastery traces back to his tenure as coordinator at Alcorn State, where he helped the Braves capture the 2014 SWAC title and Black College National Championship.
Bigger than FIU-Kennesaw State
Elsewhere in the FBS, fellow former HBCU coaches are making their mark. Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes recently stunned No. 22 Iowa State, 24–17, in a field-rushing victory that cost the school a $50,000 fine. Meanwhile, Eddie George’s Bowling Green Falcons sit at 3–4, including key wins over Toledo (28–23) and Liberty (23–13).
As Simmons and Mack continue their ascent, their matchup represents far more than a game in the broader sense. It’s a celebration of HBCU excellence, perseverance, and proof that the coaching pipeline once ignored is now impossible to overlook.