With a record of 1-6, Southern University has fired football head coach, Terrence Graves, and has promoted the team’s co-offensive coordinator, Fred McNair, to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
According to Sports Illustrated, the move was announced by the school’s athletic director, Rom
an Banks, after Southern’s latest loss against Prairie View A&M Oct. 18, 24-3. Just two years ago, in his first season as coach, Graves led the university to the 2024 SWAC Championship Game with a record of 7-1, but the team has had a record of 9-11 overall.Graves may have been blindsided by the decision because on Oct. 20, he informed reporters that he is still the head coach at Southern.
“As of right now, I’m the head football coach at Southern University. It’s business as usual. Until something changes, I’m going to keep doing what I do,” he stated during a media session.
Banks explained that elevating McNair at the start of the season was supposed to give the team some spark. However, after a record of 1-6, he decided it was time for a change at the top of the coaching ranks.
“Promoting Coach McNair to co-offensive coordinator, I was hoping that we could get some energy in the room. But it seemed to not be working,” Banks said. “Coaching is funny. You can have success in one place and not another… it’s about finding the right person for Southern University.”
Banks has
won several division titles during his time as head coach at Alcorn State. He led the team from 2016 to 2023, posting a 48-33 record, while winning two consecutive SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) titles (2018, 2019) and five division championships.HBCU Gameday reports that McNair joined the Southern University coaching staff in the fall of 2024. When he arrived at the school, he took on the role of the team’s tight ends coach before being promoted to quarterbacks coach during the season. He was then named co-offensive coordinator this season, along with Mark Frederick.
McNair makes his debut as head coach against Florida A&M Oct. 25 at home.
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