Edwards Waters Elevates Coach Brian Jenkins As Tigers Thrive Under His Leadership

Coach Jenkins has the interim tag removed as Edward Waters has its best start in over 60 years.

Edward Waters Promotes Coach Brian Jenkins | Edward Waters, Vaugh Wilson - Mega Ace Productions, HBCU Gameday

Ashley Conner, interim vice president of intercollegiate athletics at Edward Waters, quickly decided to remove the interim tag from Brian Jenkins, promoting him to full head coach of the Tigers football program.

"Coach Jenkins has proven in just a short period of time that he is the right leader to guide Edward Waters football into the future," said Interim Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, Ashley Conner. "His passion, his vision for this program, and the results speak for themselves. We are proud to remove the interim tag and officially name him our head football coach."

Jenkins has given the Edward Waters program a 3-0 beginning to a season, the first in over 60 years. It's an excellent accomplishment for Jenkins, who was almost one of the forgotten heroes of HBCU coaches when he ruled the MEAC with four titles. Fortunately, he has overcome past infractions and allegations, now trending the Tigers to a winning season.

"I am humbled and honored to be officially named head coach of this program," Jenkins said. "This about more than football — it's about our young men, our university, and our community. I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far, but we know the job is just beginning. Our best football is still ahead of us."

Following the sudden resignation and departure of previous head coach Toriano Morgan, the Conner immediately installed Brian Jenkins as the interim head coach. Morgan accepted the co-offensive coordinator post under Reggie Barlow at Tennessee State.

Coach Jenkins inherited a team that went 3-7 in 2024 under Morgan, but had a productive offseason, bringing in transfers like quarterback Noah Bodden.  

Eric Dooley | IMAGN

One of Jenkins' cleverest moves was to request that veteran HBCU coach Eric Dooley join his program as offensive coordinator, effectively reuniting him with his former signal-caller, Noah Bodden, to lead the offensive game plan.

Currently, Bodden is 15th in NCAA Division II quarterbacks, completing 53 of 90 passes for 729 yards and eight touchdowns. Edward Waters ranks 53rd in the nation with 1,163 total yards (387.7 YPG), 13 offensive touchdowns, and averages 6.36 yards per offensive play. Also, the Tigers are 17th in the country with 66 first downs.

Last weekend's 41-38 victory over then-No. 13 VA Union (top-ranked in HBCU DII) gave the athletic department the confidence to promote Coach Jenkins.

In addition, Coach Jenkins grew in confidence with his players after the massive win over the Panthers. "It gave me even more confidence," Jenkins told First Coast News. "It let me know that my players really wanted it, playing against a team of Virginia Union's caliber, and fighting to the finish to find a win. It just told me a lot about this football team."

Many may have forgotten that Jenkins was the head coach of Bethune-Cookman from 2010 to 2014. He led the Wildcats to four MEAC Championships and was named MEAC Coach of the Year in 2012. Jenkins was 46-14 with B-CU before leaving the program to accept the head coaching job at Alabama State.

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EW | EW Athletics

UP NEXT & GAME INFO vs. BETHUNE-COOKMAN

The Edward Waters Tigers (3-0) will square off against the scrappy Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (0-3) team in Daytona at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kick off is for 3 PM ET with HBCU GO broadcasting the contest. 1380 WELE will handle the radio broadcast.  

Bethune-Cookman has won six straight games against Edward Waters. The last contest had the Wildcats coming out victoriously, 70-10, over the Tigers in 2010 in Daytona Beach. Jenkins was the head coach.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Channel: HBCU Go

Broadcasters: Derrin Horton/Jon Kelly/Lawrencia Moten

Broadcast Link: HBCU GO | HBCU GO

Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/football/summary

Listen: Youtube.com/CatEyeNetwork / BCUAthletics.com/Radio

COACHING RECORDS

Brian Jenkins, Sr. (EWU): 3-0, 1st season

Raymond Woodie, Jr. (BCU): 5-21, 3rd season

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday marks the 23rd meeting between B-CU and EWU. The Wildcats own a 14-5-3 advantage in the series and have won seven straight dating back to 1944. The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 70-10 beatdown by the Wildcats back in 2010, under Coach Jenkins.

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