WS Chronicle

Recently, I came across some information that honestly shocked me. I was scrolling and noticed a headline that said Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Penn State’s James Franklin have the opportunity to make history as the first Black head coach to take a team to the national championship game.

Initially, I thought it was a fake headline as I thought surely there had been a Black head coach in a national championship game previously. It’s 2025 and it’s hilarious that we are still “making history” when it comes to Black head coach accomplishments in a sport that is dominated by Black players.

Currently there are only 16 Black head coaches out of 134 FBS football programs in the country. Yeah, you read that right; there are only 16 Black head coaches in college football, which makes zero sense. Back in 2007, we had our first Super Bowl matchup featuring Black head coaches with Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith and at that time, there were only six head coaches in college football, so at least we have seen a little progress.

“I know some people will say, ‘Well, that’s not a huge increase,’ but it is an increase,” said Franklin. “At the end of the day, does this create opportunities for more guys to get in front of athletic directors? Does this create opportunities for search firms? I hope so. I think at the end of the day, you just want an opportunity, and you want to be able to earn it through your work and through your actions. I take a lot of pride in it.”

In a sport where more than half of the players on the FBS level are Black, why are there still such a small number of Black head coaches? I am a Florida State Seminole fan but if I am being honest, I will be rooting for either Franklin or Freeman to make it to the national championship game. No, I am not rooting for them simply because they are Black, but more so because one will make history this year, and it will show other Black coaches it is possible. Plus, it will also put another “first” to bed for Black head coaches.

Freeman, who is half Korean and half Black, says he understands the significance of the moment and what it could mean for others.

“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for so many others that look like you, and I don’t take that for granted,” Freeman said. “I’m going to work tirelessly to be the best version of me, and it’s great, because even the guys in our program can understand, ‘Don’t put a ceiling on what you can be and what you can do.’

“Now, with that being said, it’s not about me. It’s about us. More than anything I want to achieve team glory with this program.”

I know there are people out there that will say ‘we don’t care about race’ or ‘we only care about if the coach can win or not,’ which is fine, but for Black people it shows that the accomplishment is possible and needs to be celebrated.  

It was important that we celebrated Doug Williams being the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. It was important we celebrated Dungy as the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl. It was important to celebrate Bob Johnson as the first Black majority team owner. It was important to celebrate Venus Williams as the first Black woman to hold the #1 rank in tennis. These are just a handful of important firsts for Black people in sports and it would be great to add Franklin or Freeman to that list.

Freeman knows how this accomplishment can positively impact other young coaches who are witnessing him on the brink of history.

“If you want to impact the young people in this profession, you probably should do things to help them, and those are things that maybe after the season I could focus on trying to do,” Freeman said. “I want to be a representation.  But that’s not enough. If you want to truly help some people, then you gotta be one to make decisions and actions that truly help people.”

It’s important to highlight the moment because we never know what coach, player or kid this accomplishment will inspire. I honestly hate when people say we shouldn’t focus on race as if Black men and women chose not to be head coaches voluntarily, which is totally not the case.  You can’t restrict a group from something for decades and then get angry when that group celebrates something that has never been done before by that group. Maybe instead of criticizing, you should join in on the celebration.

For Franklin, who has been criticized for not being able to win the “big game,” a trip to the national championship game would do wonders for him. I think he realizes that, but he is such a class act he just says he is just honored to coach against Freeman in the semifinal.

“I’m honored to be able to compete against Notre Dame. Most importantly, I’m honored to represent Penn State and the young men in that locker room,” said Franklin. “For me to sit here and say it’s not important, it’s not significant, that would not be accurate.”

No. 6 Penn State will face off against No. 7 Notre Dame on Thursday, Jan. 9, in the Orange Bowl, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.