North Carolina A&T

North Carolina A&T's golden age began under head coach Rod Broadway, who arrived in 2011 and transformed the program into a MEAC power. The peak came in 2017 when the Aggies finished 12–0 undefeated, won the MEAC championship, and defeated Grambling State in the Celebration Bowl—claiming the national HBCU title. That season remains the program's best by record and proved that A&T could compete at the highest level of black college football.

When Sam Washington took over in January 2018, he inherited a championship-ready roster. His first season (2018) produced a 10–2 record and a Celebration Bowl victory. In 2019, Washington guided the Aggies to a 9–3 record, a second straight MEAC title, and a second consecutive Celebration Bowl championship. Over his first two seasons, Washington compiled a 19–5 record—the most decorated two-year stretch in modern A&T history. The Aggies won four Celebration Bowls total between 2015 and 2019, more than any other program in the bowl's history, establishing themselves as the premier HBCU football program of the era.

Tarik Cohen, the program's defining individual talent, set a MEAC record with 5,619 career rushing yards and became a 2018 Pro Bowl selection with the Chicago Bears—proof of A&T's ability to develop NFL-caliber players. Cohen's success elevated the program's national profile and demonstrated that Greensboro was a pipeline for elite FCS talent.

The program's trajectory shifted sharply with institutional realignment. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic, North Carolina A&T left the MEAC—their historic home since 1971—for the Big South Conference in 2021, then moved to the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023. These moves severed A&T's connections to peer HBCU programs like Howard and North Carolina Central. Sam Washington parted ways in December 2022 after five seasons, and Shawn Gibbs took over as head coach in 2025. The Aggies finished 2–10 in Gibbs' inaugural season, marking a difficult transition and raising questions about whether A&T can rebuild in a non-HBCU-dominated conference while maintaining the identity that made them champions.