Prairie View A&M, SWAC Attracting Most FBS Talent
One year ago when the Black College Sports Page chronicled the number of former FBS players transferring to play for black college FCS teams, new Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson brought in 24 such players – the most among all FCS programs.
Three of those new Panthers – offensive lineman Calvin McMillan, wide receiver Jyziah Rockwell and defensive back Travor Randle – ended up as first team all-SWAC performers. Defensive end Malik Gucake made the second team. Those players came over from Memphis, Sam Houston State, ULM and San Diego State respectively.
When the dust cleared from the 2025 season, the Panthers were SWAC champions, defeating defending champ Jackson State 23-21 in the league’s title game. It was PV’s first league title since 2009 (under then head coach Dr. Henry Frazier) and earned the program’s first-ever trip to the season-ending Celebration Bowl.
Well, in our 2026 list of FBS to black college FCS transfers (see THE STAT CORNER), taken again from a list of 565 FBS to FCS transfers compiled by Sam Herder of Hero Sports (https://herosports.com/2026-fcs-to-fbs-transfers-bzbz/), Jackson is back with 19 FBS transfers, again the largest haul among FCS programs. Herder’s 2025 list had 800 FBS to FCS transfers.
In 2026 however, many of Jackson’s SWAC head coaching brethren have joined the fray. According to the compilation, head coach Sam Shade of Alabama A&M has 14 FBS transfers coming in while Jackson State head coach T. C. Taylor has 13. Shade had two a season ago while Taylor had nine.
While those coaches have double-digit hauls this season, Grambling State head man Mickey Joseph added nine, Raymond Woodie of Bethune-Cookman has seven as does Cris Dishman of Texas Southern. New Southern head coach Marshall Faulk has six and new Florida A&M head man Quinn Gray has five.
Those numbers contrast greatly with their counterparts in the MEAC. Morgan State head man Damon Wilson tops the MEAC list with just six players coming over. Second-year head coach Michael Vick brought in four at Norfolk State as did Trei Oliver at North Carolina Central. Chennis Berry at MEAC and Celebration Bowl champ South Carolina State has three.
Second-year head man Reggie Barlow has four FBS transfers joining him at Tennessee State while second-year North Carolina A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs has just two. New Hampton Head Coach Van Malone has just one on the list.
None of these transfers are likely to be on hand as the SWAC (July 15 in Birmingham), the MEAC (July 21 in Baltimore), the OVC (July 17 in Nashville) or the CAA (virtually, July 22-23) hold their preseason Football Media Days as head coaches usually prefer to feature returning players.
None of these transfers put up particularly gaudy numbers at their previous stops. But don’t be surprised if some figure prominently in who comes out on top of their conference races.
Players to Watch from the Transfer Portal
Just as the four transfers to Prairie View were significant contributors to the Panthers’ run to the 2025 SWAC title, there are plenty of the 112 names on the 2026 FBS to black college FCS list likely to have a similar impact.
Bethune-Cookman head coach Raymond Woodie has an intriguing trio that should help the Wildcats improve on a 6-6 overall and 5-3 SWAC mark.
At the top of that list is former Florida State and Georgia State defensive back Sam McCall (6-1, 190). He was one of highest ranted DBs to sign with Florida State and was an Under Armour All-American coming out of high school. Running back Jaylen Johnson (5-9, 195) was a contributor during three years at South Florida as was wide receiver Nathaniel Johnson (5-9, 170) at Boston College.
Perhaps the name garnering the most attention is former four-year Vanderbilt running back Chase Gillespie (5-10, 200) who will be suiting up at Florida A&M. Gillespie had multiple starts against SEC competition but battled injuries in 2025 that limited him to just two games.
Playing at Grambling State this season will be Davon Mitchell, a 6-3, 260-pound tight end who transferred in after just one redshirt freshman season at Louisville. Mitchell is a former 5-star recruit and Top-25 national prospect. He played in only two games for the Cardinals last season.
Also on the roster for Mickey Joseph’s G-Men is Southern Miss transfer QB Jacobe Robinson who started his career at Boston College before playing last season at Southern Miss.
Three promising players with juco backgrounds are joining T. C. Taylor at Jackson State. Six-one, 220-pound linebacker C. J. Barney, an Ole Miss transfer, safety D. J. Hill-Smith, coming over from New Mexico State and 6-6, 320-pound offensive lineman Jaekwon Bouldin joins from Mississippi State. They are among six of the JSU lands with Power Four or established Group of Five experience. They make Taylor’s haul of 13 transfers perhaps the best group among the HBCUs.
New Southern head coach Marshall Faulk will have Louisiana native and former Texas A&M running back Ronnie Crosby III (5-10, 200) wearing Jaguar Blue.
Two quarterbacks coming to the black college ranks merit mentioning.
Bekkem Kritza is an intriguing 6-5, 199-pounder who spent just one season at Penn State and now joins Sam Shade at Alabama A&M.
Cameron Edge (6-1, 220) did not see action last season at Eastern Michigan after spending three years at Maryland. The former Delaware high school player of the year will now join Damon Wilson at Morgan State hoping to solve the Bears’ QB problems.
Significant Moves up from Div. II Players to the FCS
In addition to the over 112 players moving from the FBS to the black college FCS ranks, there are some outstanding players moving up from NCAA Div. II programs to join them.
New Florida A&M head coach brought four players who played for him last season at SIAC champion Albany State. Quarterback Isaiah Knowles (2,151 passing yards, 18 TDs, six interceptions, 470 rushing yards, 9 TDs) is the best known after leading the Golden Rams to last year’s SIAC title and a deep run in the Div. II playoffs. Knowles will appear with Gray at Wednesday’s SWAC Media Day in Birmingham.
Three others could be just as impactful on the Rattlers’ fortunes.
Tight end Xavier Herndon (6-3, 245) had 31 catches for 485 yards and seven touchdowns for ASU in 2025. He was a first team all-SIAC selection in 2023. Defensive lineman Isaiah Morrison posted 37 tackles, 17 solos including 3 sacks for the Golden Rams in earning second-team all-SIAC honors. Wid receiver Corey Petty (5-11, 190) had 26 catches for 389 yards and three scores.
Gray is also getting Chowan linebacker Omari Kinsler who had 52 tackles, 35 solos, 3 intercptions and nine passes defended last season.
Joining head coach Michael Vick at Norfolk State this season is prolific former Johnson C. Smith pass catcher Brevin Caldwell (5-10, 160). Caldwell led the CIAA in receiving in 2024 with 85 receptions for 1,090 yards and 8 TDs. He totalled over 2,000 receiving yards in his first three seasons at JCSU before only playing in one game last season because of an injury.
Former Winston-Salem State quarterback Daylin Lee (6-4, 190) is bringing his prodigious talent to Tennessee State and head coach Reggie Barlow. Lee threw for 2,046 yards and 23 TDs with only 7 interceptions for the Rams last season and was a three-year starter for the Rams.
