The Southwestern Athletic Conference has a new Pro Football Hall of Fame coach. Weeks after Deion Sanders announced he was leaving the conference for the University of Colorado, Bethune-Cookman announced it agreed to terms to make Ed Reed its next head football coach.
Bethune-Cookman University Athletics has entered an agreement in principle with Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed to be its 16th head football coach.
More information will be forthcoming.#𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙨𝙂𝙤 | #𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨 | #𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙮𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧
— Bethune-Cookman Athletics (@BCUAthletics) December 27, 2022
The Wildcats finished the 2022 season near the bottom of the conference standings with a 2-9 overall record. For the past three years, Reed has served as the “Chief of Staff” for the University of Miami football team, the program he played for in college.
In April 2021, after Tennessee State hired former Heisman Trophy-winning running back Eddie George as its head coach, Sanders revealed to the media plenty of former NFL players were looking to get into college coaching, including Reed.
“Guys like Ray Lewis, – I know who’s tremendously interested – and Ed Reed are certainly guys that I truly know are interested in the love of the game and love kids,” Sanders said, according to the Clarion Ledger. “This could be a phenomenal thing.”
Reed is widely regarded as one of the greatest safeties ever, not just because of his ability to hit hard and snag interceptions, but his understanding of the game. He won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. Reed was one of six safeties named to the NFL 100 All-Time team in 2019.
so awesome to hear Ed Reed is now a HC
kids will learn so much from him
“the best free safety that has ever played” -Bill Belichick
“understood the game better than coaches” -Domonique Foxworth
“one of the greatest safeties I’ve ever seen” -Tom Bradypic.twitter.com/0ZivJfeKTJ
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 27, 2022
Reed has remained active in coaching youth camps and was once an assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills before joining the Miami staff. He’s also coached against Sanders in the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game.
A viral clip that resurfaces online often is a 2019 clip of Reed masterfully breaking down film on television of the time he fooled Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning into throwing an interception.
A reminder that Ed Reed fooled Peyton Manning and BIll Belichick called it "one of the best plays I have ever seen." 🤯pic.twitter.com/QYjbcNQM2R
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 27, 2022
There’s another clip of him explaining to his teammates that they could elevate to a championship level if they paid attention to the little things like cleaning up after themselves in the locker room. That was the season the Ravens, indeed, did win the Super Bowl.
Ed Reed to become the next head coach at Bethune-Cookman per @Brett_McMurphy.
One thing you can count on is they'll do the little things correctly.
Ed spoke here about how picking up trash led to a Super Bowl.
Love Ed Reed, worth a listen it's good. pic.twitter.com/9DyvUdVKjW
— Allan Bell (@AllanGBell) December 27, 2022
Now, Bethune-Cookman will receive his inspirational talks, on a consistent basis.
Another current notable HBCU football coach is Grambling’s Hue Jackson, the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
