Who Will Rule The SWAC?

As the post-Coach Prime era begins, who will rule the SWAC in 2023?

HOUSTON — There is no clear dominant team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference — yet.  Deion Sanders has taken his IBelieve message to Colorado, appearing to leave the conference without a distinctive mouthpiece at the coaching level.  Finding someone to fill a void has become a challenge, but another will rise to the top.  Besides the 2023 SWAC Football Media Day and Florida A&M's controversies with the Real Boston Richey rap video and pulling out of the Orange Blossom Classic, the league's offseason has been relatively quiet without the loquacious Coach Prime.

And, speaking of prime. Who are the prime candidates to take over and rule the SWAC East and West division in 2023?  Is the time for Willie Simmons and the FAMU Rattlers to claim the East title?  Or, could we have one of the three rookie coaches lift their alma maters to the pinnacle of their respective divisions?  Last, could a leader rise from the shadows of Eric Dooley's two-year claim on the West title while he's been at Prairie View and Southern?

HBCU Legends polled several media professionals on who would be victorious in November to play for the 2023 SWAC Football Championship trophy.  Here are the results:

SWAC EAST

1. Florida A&M (4)
2. Jackson State (1)
3. Alabama State
4. Alabama A&M
5. Bethune-Cookman
6. Mississippi Valley State

SWAC WEST

1. Southern (4)
2. Prairie View A&M
3. Alcorn State
4. Texas Southern (1)
5. Grambling State
6. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

For a third-straight season, balloters project Florida A&M and Jackson State will contest for the SWAC East title and believe Coach Eric Dooley will lead another team to the SWAC West championship (Prairie View - 2021, Southern - 2022).

I am the lone dissenter in the SWAC West and cast my ballot for Texas Southern to win the division.  Why?  Both West and East teams were chosen because of their stability at quarterback. Andrew Body (15 games), Jeremy Moussa (11 games), and Dematrius Davis (9 games) are the elder statesmen of the SWAC signal callers.  As of a week before the 2023 MEAC/SWAC Challenge kickoff, only Florida A&M, Texas Southern, and Southern (QB Harold Blood) have settled on their starting quarterbacks.  Just as after Saturday's Alabama State scrimmage, head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. wouldn't officially name Davis as the Hornets' No. 1 quarterback.  You cannot underestimate the importance of naming your football team's critical leadership position early in the summer.

Andrew Body, Texas Southern Quarteback; Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU LegendsAug 27, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Florida A&M Rattlers quarterback Jeremy Moussa (8) throws a pass during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY SportsAlcorn State running back Jarveon Howard; Credit: Alcorn State Athletics

Andrew Body, Texas Southern Quarteback; Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU LegendsAug 27, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Florida A&M Rattlers quarterback Jeremy Moussa (8) throws a pass during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY SportsAlcorn State running back Jarveon Howard; Credit: Alcorn State Athletics

Andrew Body, Texas Southern Quarteback; Credit: Kyle A. Mosley, HBCU LegendsAug 27, 2022; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Florida A&M Rattlers quarterback Jeremy Moussa (8) throws a pass during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY SportsAlcorn State running back Jarveon Howard; Credit: Alcorn State Athletics

Next, I reviewed the coaches' records and consistency in winning.  For the moment, the edge would go to Eric Dooley (Southern) over Willie Simmons (FAMU).  However, we shouldn't count out veteran head coaches Fred McNair (Alcorn State), Cornell Maynor (Alabama A&M), and Clarence McKinney (Texas Southern) from having bounce-back years with their programs.  As in the 2022 season, second-year coaches Bubba McDowell (Prairie View A&M), Hue Jackson (Grambling State), and Eddie Robinson Jr. (Alabama State) are well-equipped to position their teams for a run at their respective division titles.

Finally, rookie head coaches T.C. Taylor (Jackson State), Alonzo Hampton (UAPB), Kendrick Wade (MVSU), and Raymond Woodie (Bethune-Cookman) hope to have productive seasons in their first year.  Only T.C. Taylor can boast a strong recruiting class, signing top talent in the transfer portal and assembling a solid coaching staff compared to the other first-year coaches.   Once again, Jackson State is in the running for the East division trophy due to these reasons.

Typically, the offenses and defenses would evolve during college football season.  Offensively, Florida A&M, Texas Southern, and Southern would have to be the odds-on favorite in the SWAC with the three gunslingers in Moussa, Body, and Blood.  Still, the crafty ball coach, Fred McNair, has the best running back in the conference with Jarveon Howard.  Defensively, Alabama State, Grambling, and Florida A&M will again field great talent this season. I wouldn't count out Jackson State in this category.

Only the mind of a Jedi Master has the clairvoyance to see the future of the Wacky SWAC!  Before it's all said and done, expect more tight races, quarterback drama, and coaching intrigue in the SWAC.  Who will rule the SWAC in 2023?

We shall see.