HBCU Football:

   Home of Second Chances

                 Hampton QB, David Legree originally suited up for Syracuse

HBCU football is increasingly becoming the “home of second chances” for many former BCS-linked athletes.

In 2011, FCS college football standouts, Casey Therriault, Marquis Jackson, Christian Thompson, Micah Pellerin, Corey Hart and Nigel Carr, amongst others, have had reformational careers, after initially attending, or intending to attend, BCS schools to play college football.

• Marquis Jackson, DL, Texas Southern was supposed to follow in his brother’s footsteps at perennial PAC-10 power, University of Southern California, but wound up at Texas Southern instead. A 2010 SWAC Champion, Jackson heads into his senior season with a handsome resume and reputation as a “force” to be reckoned with in the SWAC.

• Adrian Moore, RB, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff only played one season in the SWAC after stints at BCS, Troy University and Oklahoma State, but showed enough to receive an invite to the HBCU All-star Bowl.  With several bigtime performances under his belt, (132yd vs. Prairie View, 165 yds. vs Alabama A&M, 141 yds vs. Southern).  Moore should get a chance to play on Sunday.

• Christian Thompson, S, South Carolina State Bulldogs transferred from SEC power, Auburn University, to the MEAC Champion Bulldogs in 2009.  He did not miss a beat, helping SC State capture part of the 2010 MEAC Co-Championship and a 2010 FCS Playoff birth. The St. Thomas Aquinas High, FL graduate is blessed with a complimentary set of size, speed and aggression. Thompson, an excellent tackler, has big play ability and is one of only two, HBCU players invited to the 2012 NFL combine in Indianapolis.

• Micah Pellerin, S, Hampton Pirates is another former BCS player, Southern Mississippi,  that found a home after transferring to the MEAC. Pellerin stated, “Going to Hampton is the best decision I ever made in my life, all my NFL dreams remained in perspective, while I gained a sense of community that I’ve never experienced.”As the only other HBCU invitee to the 2012 NFL Combine, Pellerin is set to soon join fellow Hampton Pirates in the NFL – New York Jet, Kendrick Ellis; Miami Dolphin, Kendall Langford and Detroit Lion, Justin Durant.

At the DII level, Fort Valley State University was bubbling with excitement over the much anticipated debut of hometowners, and former BCS players, Antonio Henton of Ohio State and Chris Slaughter of Auburn. 

• WR, Chris Slaughter was awarded 2011 SIAC Newcomer and All-SIAC recognition, while QB, Antonio Henton, battled a knee injury sustained in an early season shoot-out with FAMU. When healthy, and combined with SIAC Freshman of the Year, Travis Richmond, both Slaughter and Henson should make their mark on the SIAC.

HBCU football is reaping the incidental benefit of an infusion of uber-talented student-athletes, by simply being “my brother’s keeper”.

• In an ESPN article on Casey Therriault, Jackson State, Coach Rich Comegy opined, “Guys are going to make mistakes when they’re young, …[n]ot one of the guys on our football team hasn’t had an incident in their life, that they don’t regret.”

HBCU’s, through open-door policies, are improving their on-field product, transforming lives and developing a win-win formula by providing second chances, all at a time, when many major college programs are increasingly reneging on athletic scholarships.

Perhaps, with a heightened awareness of the rich history of HBCU football, an increased capital investment in facilities,  and a welcoming HBCU academic culture, some of these uber-athletes will choose HBCU’s first, rather than post-calamity.