Over the past few years, HBCU football has found itself at the center of a national conversation driven by increased visibility, celebrity, and expectations.
Big names arrive.
Attention follows.
And too often, success is assumed.
During the HBCU Sports New Year’s Eve Pod-a-Thon, South Alabama assistant coach and former Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs offered a grounded perspective on why that assumption doesn’t always hold up.
“Just because you play the game at a high level does not make you an expert on the other side, which is the coaching side,” Fobbs said. “There’s a learning curve tied to every level.”
Rather than focusing on individual hires, Fobbs framed coaching as a profession, one that requires teaching, development, and a deep understanding of the level at which you’re working. High school, college, and the NFL may share the same field markings, but they are fundamentally different games, played under different rules, with athletes at very different stages of life.
The conversation also explored how resources can shape perception. Celebrity hires often bring immediate attention and funding, advantages that can temporarily mask deeper issues. But as Fobbs noted, when the playing field levels out, fundamentals matter most.
“When the resources are equal, it comes down to what you know, how you teach, how you develop, and how you coach,” he stated.
Beyond wins and losses, Fobbs emphasized player development, particularly for the majority of athletes who will never play professionally. In an era shaped by NIL and the transfer portal, he stressed the importance of building programs that prepare young men not just for Sundays, but for life after football.
This isn’t an argument against celebrity hires.
It’s a reminder that name recognition isn’t a substitute for expertise.