League enjoying time in spotlight
With so much speculation in the college football world concerning realignment and megaconferences, Southwestern Athletic Conference commissioner Charles McClelland said his league has reached that point.
“I already view us as a superconference. We have every major (FCS) Division I institution from Texas to Florida,” McClelland said Thursday in Birmingham, Ala., for the start of media day.
Two years ago, the striving SWAC brought in Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman. According to McClelland, the 12-team conference had its largest distribution of revenue on record in 202122 and is expecting unprecedented growth for this season as well.
“Based upon the partnerships and current agreements that we have, by 2030, we’re anticipating our revenue to surpass at least two FBS conferences,” said McClelland, who last week was elevated to chair the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee for the 2023-24 season.
“The strength of our league and the growth of our league has put us in position where we’re getting unprecedented exposure. And that puts you in that sweet spot of where you want to be on conference expansion.”
A number of highprofile head coaches are in the SWAC, including former NFL players Deion Sanders ( Jackson State) and Bubba McDowell (Prairie View A&M) and former NFL head coach Hue Jackson (Grambling State).
“Every week, we’re going to have all-star caliber student-athletes, all-star coaches going head to head,” McClelland said. “Our league is starstudded, and the nation has taken notice.”
On Thursday, more than 200 media outlets were in attendance in Birmingham.
Uplifted by Jackson State’s hiring of Sanders two years ago and his subsequent upgrade in recruiting, the SWAC in general has seen a revival in talent. Over the past two seasons, a number of highly touted players have cast their lot among the teams.
“I do see that there’s another level of athlete that we’re attaining, that we are going after,” Sanders said. “Once upon a time, SWAC teams wouldn’t dare go after five-stars. ‘Why would you allocate money to recruit him? We’re not going to get (him).’
“Some of my detractors said, ‘Well, Prime, you didn’t go to the SWAC.’ But they never recruited me. They didn’t think they could get me. Even though I wasn’t a four- or fivestar player when I came out of high school.”
The trend has shifted to where historically black colleges and universities are in the spotlight. Jackson State signed five-star cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter, considered by many to be the top-rated 2022 recruit. This month Hunter was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, along with Sanders and his quarterback son, Shedeur, the SWAC’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
“Right now, these kids want exposure, they want to play, and they want to have fun,” Deion Sanders said. “If we can advance to at least two out of those three, it’s a win-win. And once we get them on campus and come to a game, they understand what we can present for them.”
TSU set to travel a lot in early going
Texas Southern plays its first four games away from home and six of its first seven on the road. The Tigers’ first home game isn’t until Oct. 1 against Alabama State at PNC Stadium.
“It’s definitely going to be challenging from a standpoint of factoring in the travel,” said Tigers coach Clarence McKinney, starting his fourth season with the school. “We’re not looking at the schedule and saying we can’t win. We go into the season expecting to win home games as well as road games.”
TSU opens at Prairie View (Sept. 3), followed by games at North Texas (Sept. 10), in Arlington versus Southern (Sept. 17), and at UTSA (Sept. 24). Fortunately for the Tigers, that stretch of games will all be played in Texas.
PV doesn’t expect to go backward
Even though Bubba McDowell is in his first season as head coach at Prairie View A&M, he’s no stranger to the football program. The former Houston Oilers safety spent the past eight seasons on staff.
When Eric Dooley left in December to take the same post at Southern, it opened the door for McDowell. Last season under Dooley, the Panthers (7-5, 6-2) won the SWAC Western Division before losing to Jackson State 27-10 for the conference title.
“He left me in a good spot because these young men already know how to win,” said McDowell, who retained most of the staff.