Grambling State found itself in the national spotlight once again, but perhaps not quite in the way it envisioned.
The fallout of this week’s Art Briles hiring flop shows how one of the most storied athletic programs among the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and indeed in all of college sports, is desperately pursuing a return to relevancy.
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The school hired former Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson to restore Grambling football back to prominence. Jackson’s failed attempt to bring on the embattled Briles as offensive coordinator, as well as the incentives in the head coach’s contract, obtained by Sportico, point to how intense that restoration effort has become, and not just at Grambling.
Jackson’s signing follows a recent wave of HBCU athletic programs making splashy head coaching hires, from Jackson State’s Deion Sanders to Tennessee State’s Eddie George. It’s providing a jolt for programs, with some moves…