The sports world woke up to a shocking rumor when it was reported that Baltimore Ravens legend Ray Lewis was expressing interest in becoming the head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Lewis was being floated as an option but conflicting reports immediately threw cold water on the talks. Yet, the conversation around Ray Lewis’s presence being announced as a coaching candidate sparks an interesting conversation in HBCU football.
Following Deion Sanders’s departure from Jackson State to become the head coach of Colorado, many HBCU alumni looked to find the next celebrity coaching hire that could possibly resemble Sanders’s success in the space. Fellow Baltimore Ravens legend Ed Reed was hired as head coach of Bethune-Cookman University, but his time at the institution was short-lived following an expletive-latent Instagram Live about the conditions of the campus.
But, Lewis’s name has been ubiquitous in conversations about open head coaching vacancies in the HBCU football space. While there isn’t reporting to trace if the rumblings turned into any significant action, many HBCU alumni looked to give a former NFL star the caliber of Lewis the opportunity to begin his coaching career at a black college.
With each coaching hire that came up, Lewis’s name was brought up by HBCU fans as an attractive option. Any conversations about South Carolina State, Morgan State, Texas Southern, Morehouse, and Grambling’s openings in the past two years featured a real conversation about whether Lewis could be a viable option.
The conversation itself isn’t necessarily fantasy, as even before these rumors were sparked today Lewis expressed an interest in coaching even before Sanders stepped in the space. Per comments in a 2017 article on the Baltimore Ravens website, Lewis said he’d been thinking about it.
“I’ve been asked that a lot. A few years out, a few years removed for me – I’m thinking about it a little bit.”
He added, “My sons are in college, and I’m living a good life right now following them around, seeing the things that they’re doing…I don’t know if I’ll go directly into it, but it’s something I’m definitely looking into.”
In a 2021 quote obtained by the Clarion-Ledger, Sanders himself indicated that Lewis looked to join the coaching profession.
“Guys like Ray Lewis, I know who’s tremendously interested, Ed Reed are certainly guys that I truly know are interested in the love, the game and love kids.”
The interest in Lewis’s candidacy as an HBCU football coach goes far beyond what would happen on the field. Sure, Lewis could convince highly-touted recruits to consider an HBCU again the same way that Sanders did and field a competitive team that could compete for conference championships and even an FCS Playoffs or Celebration Bowl birth if he coached at a Division I HBCU program. But, many HBCU fans look to bring back the level of attention that a high-profile name like Lewis could bring.
Deion Sanders’s time in the HBCU space was an economic driver, not just for Jackson State and the city of Jackson but for the entire sub-niche of HBCU athletics. Writers, YouTubers, social media influencers, and podcasters likely saw the pinnacle of their viewership success with Sanders in the space. Although some topics and conversations around Sanders’s time at Jackson State were polarizing and often toxic, that content drew viewers, readers and listeners and signaled a renewed interest in the sport.
Plus, the mainstream media’s interest in the story of an NFL legend coaching at an HBCU was piqued and led to a spotlight on HBCUs that had never been seen. But, would Lewis command that level of attention? Sure, he’s Ray Lewis but he isn’t Deion Sanders. Sanders is a figure only rivaled by Michael Jordan in his cultural caché for his era, his success in the NFL and MLB firmly fresh in the minds of sports fans of the 90s. While Lewis is arguably the best linebacker in NFL history, would he commandeer the culture in the same way as Sanders?
But, if Lewis were to become an HBCU coach, he must accept the role of being a coach and not the savior and provider of all 100+ HBCUs around the nation. HBCU football fans want an advocate, not a harsh critic. The light shone upon HBCUs with a hire the magnitude of Sanders and Lewis can be a double-edged sword, as false narratives can run abound that harm the image of HBCUs in an already stratified college athletics and even academic landscape.
But on-the-field factors must be evaluated in this conversation as well. The college football world of 2021-2022 when Sanders was at Jackson State isn’t the same as where it is now and where it will likely go in 2025 and beyond. The transfer portal and NIL have become an even bigger factor in the recruitment and retaining of players. Sanders came into Jackson State with his son Shedeur Sanders, a four-star quarterback, committed to his vision of dominance at Jackson State and eventually Colorado.
Sanders also pulled off the biggest recruiting flip of this generation, as Travis Hunter decommitted from Florida State to play for him at Jackson State. For Hunter, it was more than a decision on a team. He chose to play for Deion Sanders, one of his inspirations. Lewis could certainly get players who want to play for him, specifically on defense. But, would highly touted recruits the level of Sheduer Sanders and Travis Hunter want to leave NIL money and fame behind to play for Lewis at an HBCU?
Would his recruiting pitch differ from Sanders’s ambitious goal of changing the paradigm for HBCU football, thus making recruits think less about the greater good and more about self-preservation and what they deem would be the best path to be drafted to the NFL?
The NFL draft is certainly a topic that should be broached, as there were no HBCU players selected in the NFL Draft in 2021 and 2024. Although this deserves more context, as several HBCU players have found their place as Undrafted Free Agents, many recruits might weigh recent draft success for HBCU football programs into their decision.
But, ultimately, it wouldn’t be foolish for an HBCU to consider hiring Lewis. The blueprint has already been established at Jackson State and clearly Lewis has a desire to coach. It could be a great situation that could yield success for all parties involved and bring a great deal of attention back to the space.
But, all the factors must be weighed if this were to be considered a reality.
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