Eddie Robinson: A New Era for Alabama State Football Begins

Read Time:4 Minute, 23 Second

Alabama State named Eddie Robinson as their new head coach on Nov 26th. The former Alabama State alum and 11-year NFL veteran emerged as a top candidate according to the school’s Athletic Director. Robinson was a walk-on linebacker at ASU playing from 1988-1991. Later, he became a star linebacker as he earned All-SWAC honors and was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year twice, in 1990 and 1991. He also helped the team win the 1991 SWAC Championship.

But let’s talk about the current state of ASU. The school’s last conference championship was in 2004 and has not even sniffed the playoffs since. Regardless of the records over the years, the Hornets have had at least three-plus loss seasons since that last championship. Everyone knows that college football is tough and how you can only lose maybe one game to have a real shot at getting in the postseason. So why hasn’t ASU brought in a coach that can really change the program?

A perfect example is Deion Sanders. In just two seasons with Jackson State (one shortened because of the 2020 pandemic), he guided the Tigers (11-1, 8-0 in the conference) to their first winning record and first conference championship game appearance since 2013. From Michael Strahan having custom suits made for the team in their season opener, to eight out of 11 of Jackson State’s games being broadcasted on ESPN. Even the attendance at the games felt electric. JSU’s team averaged 42,293 fans in attendance for the home games in 2021. Most recently, Sanders was able to persuade the No. 2 cornerback in the country Travis Hunter to flip from Florida State to Jackson State, shocking the sports world.

Now there is no doubt Robinson has great knowledge of the game as a player but that doesn’t always translate well in coaching. Just look at Mike Singletary. He was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2009 until the 2010 season, during which time the 49ers went 14-18-0 and he was relieved of his coaching duties.

Another reason why Robinson might not work out as head coach is his Alabama State ties. Throughout football, there are examples of coaches not winning championships who were former players with these teams. From college to the professional level. Jason Garrett, the former backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s, never made it to the NFC championship game or the Super Bowl with the team during his 10 seasons as head coach.

With Grambling State, hiring Hue Jackson as their new head coach and Eddie George over at Tennessee State, HBCUs are seeing a surge in exposure.

The last point would be staying relevant. How can Alabama State stay relevant in recruiting when they have to compete with Deion Sanders, Hue Jackson, and Eddie George. 16, 17, and 18-year-olds have seen these men on national television and know what they have done. They can walk into any household and recruit with ease. Unlike ASU where the school’s Board of Trustees can’t keep up with the times.

A candidate that they should have made a hard push for would’ve been Jim Caldwell. Caldwell was the head coach for the Colts from 2009-2011 and the Lions from 2014-2017. Five of his seven seasons were above .500 records, He led the Colts in his first season to a 14-2 record and a Super Bowl appearance, plus an 11-5 record in his first season with the Lions with a playoff appearance as well. Another accolade is him being the offensive coordinator for the Ravens during the 2012 and 2013 seasons helping them win Super Bowl 47 one year.

There are too many reasons why he would be a good fit for the team. He could come and be a part of the HBCU surge, bringing in that added attention that is much needed to Alabama State. The school has one of the top football facilities and stadiums in the SWAC.

But only time will tell with Robinson who has no coaching experience whatsoever and his first job is a college head football coach competing against a growing Jackson State and soon-to-be-growing Grambling State team.

ASU’s motto is “opportunity is here.” Well if you want to compete in the conference and improve the school, then you need to ask yourself these questions: A. Can this person have a strong impact on young players in recruiting and getting transfers? B. Does this person have strong coaching experience in knowing how to get players to buy-in? And the most important one is C. How big of an impact will this person make on our program?

Change is always good, sometimes great, and getting outside thinkers is what’s needed. Just look at the Netflix series Last Chance U. Both EMCC and Independence Community College got coaches with no ties to their programs, out-of-the-box thinkers, and strong recruiters along with strong coaching experience to turn their programs around. That’s what Alabama State needs to do if they want real change.