HBCU Gameday

Jackson State quarterback Jared Lockhart enters the 2026 season as one of the most intriguing players in HBCU football, but the foundation for his success was laid years before he arrived in Jackson. Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lockhart had an opportunity that few young quarterbacks ever experience. He learned firsthand from former NFL MVP Cam Newton, the former Carolina Panthers superstar whose influence continues to shape the Tigers’ sophomore quarterback today.

ESPN trumpeted the next era of its HBCU football platform during the MEAC-SWAC Challenge took center stage Wednesday in Atlanta. Officials, coaches, athletic directors and band leaders gathered to preview the game of Alabama A&M and Howard while celebrating the continued growth of one of college football’s signature events. The annual press conference highlighted the Aug. 29 season opener between Howard and Alabama A&M. It also delivered significant news for the future of the event. John T.

The ESPN and SWAC partnership will continue well into the next decade after the two sides announced a new media rights agreement extending their relationship with the HBCU league through the 2030-31 academic year. The announcement, made Wednesday during SWAC Football Media Day, ensures the conference’s premier football and basketball events will remain on ESPN’s family of television and streaming platforms.

Virginia Union enters the 2026 season as the favorite to win the CIAA championship after being picked first in the conference’s predicted order of finish, released Wednesday during CIAA Football Media Day in Durham. The Panthers received the top spot after advancing to last season’s CIAA championship game. It fell to Johnson C. Smith in that game.

The CIAA will add a No. 3-versus-No. 4 game, giving the HBCU league another path toward the Division II playoffs. Conference officials confirmed the expanded format Wednesday during CIAA Football Media Day in Durham. The announcement confirms HBCU Gameday’s previous reporting from the conference’s spring board meetings. The new contest will be called the Friday Night Blitz Game. It will kick off at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

When Morehouse College went looking to reshape its HBCU football program, it wasn’t searching for just another playmaker. It needed someone who could change the identity of its offense. That search has landed the Maroon Tigers one of the most intriguing additions in HBCU football this offseason, as former Texas, Nevada, and Sacramento State running back Savion Red has committed to Morehouse for his final season of college eligibility.

Pepsi is bringing its premier HBCU band showcase to the home of the Dallas Cowboys beginning in 2027. The Pepsi National Battle of the Bands announced Dallas as the new home of its annual August event. Activities will take place during the weekend of Aug. 27, 2027. The event is being held in Houston this year. AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will serve as the centerpiece of the weekend. The venue sits within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and is home to the Dallas Cowboys.

Forty years after the Walter Payton Award was established, the legacy of one of the greatest players in HBCU football history continues to shape the Football Championship Subdivision. The 2026 Walter Payton Award preseason watch list was released Tuesday, featuring 30 of the nation’s top offensive players, including two standouts from HBCU programs: Alabama State quarterback Andrew Body and North Carolina Central wide receiver Chance Peterson.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has announced the student-athletes who will represent each of its six football programs during the 2026 MEAC Football Media Day, scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The annual event will feature each MEAC head football coach alongside two student-athletes as the conference officially kicks off the 2026 football season.

The Texas A&M System is launching a new competition that will put HBCU member Prairie View A&M in the spotlight during the opening weekend of the 2026 college football season. The Texas A&M System announced Monday that the new Chancellor’s Cup will debut on Aug. 29 when Prairie View A&M travels to face Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. The season opener will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and air nationally on ESPN2.