Alabama State head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. isn’t running from the disappointment of missing out on the 2025 SWAC East title.
The Hornets, if they were to beat Tuskegee today in the Turkey Day Classic, would finish the regular season with 10 wins — the most for the program since the SWAC championship team in 2004.
But that accomplishment wouldn’t ease the regret of not qualifying for postseason opportunities.
Speaking candidly about the Hornets’ narrow miss in the division race, Robinson offered a philosophical take on what many coaches would spin into excuses.
It’s life, you know what should have happened, happened,” Robinson said this week. “So I think you accept it.”
Alabama State’s lone blemish in conference play was a four-point loss at Jackson State in October. That defeat left the Hornets chasing JSU for the remainder of the season. And despite winning out and posting the second-best record in the conference, Robinson and his team will prepare for the offseason.
Robinson, now in his fourth season at Alabama State with a 20-14 overall record, described a personal ritual that begins once the immediate sting of the season fades. After this week, he’ll retreat to a local coffee shop with his notes and start the real work of rebuilding.
“I’m going to a coffee shop, get my notes, kind of write down everything in my journal, talk to myself about what I could have done better, how we can improve,” Robinson explained.
The process isn’t about replaying losses or pointing fingers—it’s about creating an honest inventory of missed opportunities, strategic missteps, and roster gaps that kept the Hornets from reaching the SWAC Championship Game.
The Hornets have finished in a tie for second in the SWAC East for three consecutive seasons under Robinson, a pattern that suggests the program is close to breaking the glass ceiling.
“You start working at trying to win a championship next year,” Robinson said. “And I think that’s just, that’s just how it goes. It’s just the cycle of football.”
Robinson’s acceptance doesn’t signal resignation; it reflects a coach who knows how razor-thin the margin is between contending and conquering in the SWAC. Alabama State has demonstrated that it belongs in the upper echelon of the conference.