The two most powerful leagues in college football began the 2025 season with a combined four Black head coaches out of 34 schools from coast to coast.
∎ There were no Black head coaches in the Southeastern Conference.
∎ In the Big Ten, there were four, including Sherrone Moore, the first Black head coach in Michigan history.
Four months later, only one remains — Mike Locksley at Maryland. The others were terminated, most notably Moore, who fell from grace in the kind of scandal that can unfairly affect perceptions of other Black coaches in ways that don’t affect white coaches after similar scandals, according to experts contacted by USA TODAY Sports.
“These Black coaches are often evaluated collectively, while white coaches, our peers, are evaluated individually,” said former San Jose State head coach Fitz Hill, who is Black. “That's the difference. And that's because when you look at minorities, you group minorities. That's just a rational cognitive process.”
