The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC) is launching its second year of the Coalition Academy, which includes twelve rising prospects primed for upcoming head coaching opportunities in college football. The list includes several names with interim head coaching experience at Power 5 schools, including Larry Scott and Donte Williams, as well as, up-and-comers appearing on multiple “hot lists,” such as Dell McGee and Sherrone Moore. It also features a member from the NFL, with Carolina Panthers assistant Joe Dailey. The Academy is coming off an incredibly successful first year, highlighted by the hirings of Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Tony Elliott (Virginia), and Jay Norvell (Colorado State).
In its first year, the Coalition Academy helped to counteract the narrative that there is a lack of qualified minority coaches to fill available positions, and is helping to bring parity to the hiring process in college football. Which is why, the Coalition Academy is excited to announce the launch of its second year and the new members of its class. The participants in the 2022-2023 Coalition Academy include:
Athletic Directors (Mentors)
| First Name | Last Name | School | |
| 1 | Mikki | Allen | Tennessee State |
| 2 | Whit | Babcock | Virginia Tech |
| 3 | Greg | Byrne | Alabama |
| 4 | Jen | Cohen | Washington |
| 5 | Pat | Chun | Washington State |
| 6 | Jeremiah | Donati | TCU |
| 7 | Beth | Goetz | Ball State |
| 8 | Allen | Greene | Auburn |
| 9 | Joe | Karlgaard | Rice |
| 10 | Michael | Kelly | South Florida |
| 11 | Eddie | Nunez | New Mexico |
| 12 | Desiree | Reed-Francois | Missouri |
Coaches (Mentees)
| First Name | Last Name | School/Team | |
| 1 | Tim | Banks | Tennessee |
| 2 | Doug | Belk | Houston |
| 3 | Joe | Dailey | Carolina Panthers |
| 4 | Des | Kitchens | Virginia |
| 5 | Tem | Lukabu | Boston College |
| 6 | Van | Malone | Kansas State |
| 7 | Dell | McGee | Georgia |
| 8 | Sherrone | Moore | Michigan |
| 9 | Larry | Scott | Howard |
| 10 | Lance | Taylor | Louisville |
| 11 | Latrell | Scott | East Carolina |
| 12 | Donte | Williams | USC |
The Coalition Academy was started in 2021 as part of a series of initiatives spearheaded by Coalition founder and University of Maryland Head Football Coach Mike Locksley. This unique coaching academy remains a first of its kind program for the highest levels of college football, pairing influential athletic directors with rising minority football coaches. This unique and purposeful year-long program ties together mentorship, networking, and advocacy to help advance the next generation of minority head coaches.
The vast majority of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs with head coach openings in the past offseason worked with the Coalition Academy to vet potential minority candidates. In addition to athletic directors being able to speak on behalf and advocate for highly-qualified Academy coaches, the program built extensive analytical profiles (created through a partnership with Sports Source Analytics) that were shared with football programs based on the requirements and needs they set for their open head coaching positions.
After its inaugural year, the Academy saw three of its participating coaches receive new head coaching positions. Several other Academy coaches were interviewed for FBS head coach openings and were final candidates.
The inequity experienced by minority football coaches is heavily researched and well documented. The goal of this program is to counteract that imbalance and bring more parity to the hiring process. The Academy is not changing or challenging the system, but instead, serves as a platform for greater equity in the current hiring process. The NCMFC wants the best candidates selected regardless of color, race, or sexuality. However, its stated goal is to increase and diversify the head coaching application pools so college football programs have more highly-qualified minority coaches to consider.
NCMFC Founder and University of Maryland Head Football Coach, Mike Locksley, stated: “In a short time, the Coalition Academy has built a reputation for quality and persistence. Many college football programs with head coach openings were proactively reaching out to us to discuss our Academy coaches and review their profiles. This engagement helped open more doors than ever before and that’s what it is all about. We know these coaches are more than qualified, but they need to be given the opportunity to present themselves and prove they have the skillset to lead a top football program to success.”
Coalition Academy Chair and University of Missouri Athletic Director, Desiree Reed-Francois, stated: “Pairing top athletic directors with select minority football coaches has proven to have a positive impact on college football hiring practices. We had tremendous success this last year and will look to replicate it with this new Academy class of minority football coaches. They all have the experience and backgrounds to be head coaches. We hope the Academy will give them the edge to expand their reach and visibility – ultimately in the pursuit of becoming a head coach and molding the next generation of student-athletes.”
About the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches
Despite the vast number of minority football players at all levels, minorities are excluded from or limited in leadership opportunities at most levels disproportionately. The reason for their exclusion is inextricably intertwined with societal roadblocks that underrepresented individuals frequently face. These roadblocks create an unfortunate imbalance where minorities do not enjoy meaningful participation in available coaching opportunities to the same degree as their counterparts.
Established in June 2020, The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches (NCMFC) and its foundation are dedicated to preparing, promoting, and producing minority football coaches and administrators at all levels of football. Amid a global pandemic and a renewed focus on equity, there is now a significant movement in football led by some of the most prominent football coaches and executives through the NCMFC.
For more information about the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches, please visit: http://ncmfc.com/.
