In recent years there has been a debate as to whether or not HBCU football is essentially a developmental tool for the big leagues.
That debate should be over. All of college football is a developmental hub for the higher levels of the game. Look no further than the story behind the transfer of Marquis Gillis.
Gillis committed to Arizona State this week after a brilliant season at Delaware State. In a recent interview on 247 Sports revealed that Gillis initially was ready to commit to another Big Ten school, but then it signed two other backs.
“I thought that’s where I was going,” Gillis told 247 Sports. “Then they took two other backs. The transfer portal is crazy.”
When Arizona State reached out on Monday, Gills jumped at the chance. He told the coaches he would sleep at the airport to meet them.
“I don’t do this for clicks,” he said. “I need to feed my family. I have a 5-year-old at home.”
HBCU star in fall, blue collar worker in summer
Gillis has been a star since arriving at Delaware State in 2022 as he was named MEAC Rookie of the Year. But every offseason he would work cutting and installing insulation in homes for money. That’s not just his story — it has been the story of athletes forever.
When his HBCU hired DeSean Jackson, and Jackson brought Clinton Portis with him. The former NFL All-Pro is one of the Gillis’ bigger fans.
“He’s just a dog, man,” Portis said. “Mentally, you look at most kids’ maturity level, and he’s way beyond that. He has motivation, work ethic, everything you could want and more already deployed. You don’t have to tell him what to do because it’s already done. If coaches show up at 6:15 in the morning, he’s already been there for an hour working since 5:15.”
Gillis flourished in 2025 with a MEAC-high 1,195 yards on 187 carries with eight touchdowns this season. He did this while sharing carries with James Jones (958 yards, 9 TDs, 9.8 yards per carry).
Portis told Gillis that he shouldn’t have to coach him for more than one year. And that has come to fruition. Gillis has now landed at an Arizona State program that found success with another FCS transfer recently in Cam Skattebo.
“I don’t think he could have found a better situation,” Portis said. “I instantly thought of Skattebo. It was just like, ‘This is where he needs to be.’ I don’t even think they know what they got, either. It’s like getting a little box instead of a big box and then you look in the little box and it’s some car keys and a certificate for a vacation package.
“He’s an every-down back. He’s a downhill runner, every down back. I don’t even think we exposed how talented he is in the passing game because we had so many backs.”
The reality for HBCU sports going forward
Indeed, Portis’ backs wreaked havoc for Delaware State, rushing for better than 3,480 yards and 34 touchdowns. The top two — Gillis and Jones — are now on to greener pastures. Even if they wanted to stay at Delaware State, it would be hustling backwards financially in a profession where every day matters.
The coaches understand the economy of the college football world. Look at Livingstone College being raided by Division I schools looking for talent. Some coaches have hinted at the fact that their biggest recruiting proposition is that they can get players to the next level. And they aren’t talking about the NFL. They are talking about from D2 to D1, or from the FCS to the FBS/Power Four.
As much as we as HBCU alumni and fans may love our alma mater or favorite team, we have to be real with ourselves. We live in a capitalistic society where money is the driving force, and we just don’t have it to give. We never have had it. The only thing somewhat helping us was the NCAA’s unwillingness to allow a free market approach to the sport — including year-to-year transfers. Now that it is gone, we are left to do what we have always done — make the most of what we have.
We know that HBCU graduates can — and have — changed the world. And we know that they are as good as anyone else. But we would be fooling ourselves to expect athletes to continue working multiple full-time jobs making less money when they can get with the right opportunity. The players know it. The coaches know it. And it is time that we learn to make peace with it and enjoy them while they are on our campuses and wear our colors. That doesn’t make our brand of sports or our institutions any less significant. It just means we will continue to carry out our mission of providing a way up for those who may not otherwise have those opportunities.