Category: SWAC

SWAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll Is Out: Southern Picked No. 1, But Alabama A&M Is Right Behind Them

Brandon King

image via Alexis Blue/SWAC The votes are officially in. The Southwestern Athletic Conference has released its 2026-27 Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish, and the preseason race already has plenty of intrigue. Southern has been picked to finish first, but the reigning SWAC regular-season champion Alabama A&M is right on its heels. The Lady Jaguars received 234 points and 10 first-place votes, while Alabama A&M collected 229 points and eight first-place votes — just a five-point difference between the top two teams. That sets up an intriguing season between the…

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BCU SHOCKS ALABAMA STATE 16-10 BEHIND RASHON BROWN JR.’S MONSTER RUSHING PERFORMANCE

Brandon King

image via Bethune-Cookman Athletics Bethune-Cookman 16, Alabama State 10 Bethune-Cookman opened SWAC play with a statement. The Wildcats knocked off Alabama State 16-10, leaning on a punishing rushing attack and a defense that came through with the biggest stops when the game was on the line. The win also snapped BCU’s five-game losing streak against Alabama State. RASHON BROWN JR. PUT THE WILDCATS ON HIS BACK The biggest story of the night was Bethune-Cookman running back Rashon Brown Jr. Brown exploded for: 31 carries | 266 rushing yards | 1…

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UAPB TAKES IT TO SOUTHERN, 41-10

Brandon King

BATON ROUGE, La. — The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff didn’t just spoil Southern University’s homecoming. The Golden Lions took over. UAPB erased an early 10-7 deficit and scored 34 unanswered points, rolling past Southern 41-10 Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Southern entered the game looking to protect home turf, but UAPB completely flipped the script after the first quarter. The Golden Lions scored in every quarter after the opening frame and shut Southern out over the final three quarters. (UA Pine Bluff Athletics⁠) 🦁 GARRISON DAVIS PUT…

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Grambling State Erases 17-Point Deficit, Stuns Alcorn State 63-59 in Wild Shootout

Brandon King

GRAMBLING, La. — Grambling State just pulled off one of the wildest comebacks of the HBCU football season. The Tigers erased a 59-42 fourth-quarter deficit to stun Alcorn State 63-59 Saturday at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in a Homecoming thriller that featured 122 combined points. And somehow, Grambling still needed one more score after all of that. FOURTH-QUARTER CHAOS Alcorn appeared to have the game under control. The Braves opened the fourth quarter with Ernest Temple’s 4-yard touchdown run to extend their lead to 45-35. Grambling answered with an…

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Daeshun Ruffin Is BACK at Jackson State

Brandon King

Reigning SWAC Player of the Year Daeshun Ruffin will return to Jackson State for the 2026–27 season, the school announced Thursday. Ruffin is coming off one of the most productive individual seasons in the country, averaging 23.3 points, 5.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 42.6% from the field and 84.3% from the free-throw line. His 23.3 points per game ranked fourth nationally during the 2025–26 season. He also scored at least 30 points eight times and became one of only three Division I players nationally…

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Marshall Faulk Responds to UAPB Coach Alonzo Hampton’s Homecoming Comments

Brandon King

Southern head coach Marshall Faulk has responded to UAPB head coach Alonzo Hampton’s comments surrounding Pine Bluff being selected as the Jaguars’ homecoming opponent. And Hampton’s point wasn’t simply about using homecoming as motivation. It was about what being selected as someone else’s homecoming opponent says about how that program views UAPB. Hampton pointed to UAPB repeatedly being picked near the bottom of the SWAC preseason projections and the Golden Lions’ history of appearing on opponents’ homecoming schedules. “When you sign up people for homecoming, I think you probably got…

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Grambling State QB RJ Johnson III Out; Jacobe Robinson Set to Start

Brandon King

Grambling State will be without starting quarterback RJ Johnson III for the foreseeable future due to an undisclosed health issue. According to the Ruston Daily Leader, Johnson will miss Saturday’s matchup with Alcorn State as the Tigers make another change at quarterback. Head coach Mickey Joseph confirmed that Jacobe Robinson will start, with Ashton Frye also expected to see action. Johnson did not play in Grambling State’s 21–14 loss to Prairie View A&M last Saturday. Robinson handled the majority of the snaps in that game, completing 9 of 18 passes…

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Florida A&M Men’s Basketball Set for 2026 Showdown in St. Pete

Brandon King

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M men’s basketball is heading to St. Petersburg this November for the 2026 Showdown in St. Pete, giving the Rattlers another opportunity to compete on a national stage. The four-day event is scheduled for Nov. 11–14 at the McArthur Center on the campus of Eckerd College and features five NCAA Division I programs: Florida A&M, George Mason, Bradley, Kansas City and Coppin State. FAMU’s Showdown Opener The Rattlers will open the event on Veterans Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, against Kansas City. Date Time Matchup Location Nov.…

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BREAKING: Senate Passes Protect College Sports Act, 77-22; Bill Now Heads to House

Brandon King

The U.S. Senate has taken a major step toward creating a national framework for college sports. The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act, 77-22, on Monday, sending legislation designed to establish federal rules governing NIL, athlete compensation, transfers, eligibility and other aspects of college athletics to the House of Representatives. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and has advanced through the Senate after months of negotiations. Now comes the more uncertain part of the process: the House. The House is not…

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Senate Rejects $5 Million Salary Cap for College Coaches

Brandon King

The U.S. Senate has rejected an amendment that would have placed a $5 million annual salary cap on college coaches, leaving the issue of escalating coaching compensation outside the current version of the college sports legislation. The amendment was introduced by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) as part of the debate surrounding the Protect College Sports Act. The proposal would have prohibited an institution from providing more than $5 million per year in compensation to a coach of a varsity sports team.  The proposed cap would have…

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