Morehouse Football: Coach Brad Sherrod Talks New Era, Releases 2026 Schedule

With passion, purpose, and veteran leadership, Coach Sherrod is ready to elevate the Maroon Tigers and build on Morehouse’s historic legacy.

ATLANTA — Brad Sherrod has spent 32 years working his way to this moment — becoming a head football coach.

The new head football coach at Morehouse College arrives with a résumé built across dozens of programs, a championship pedigree, and a philosophy centered on culture, character, and classroom performance — and he says the storied Atlanta institution is exactly where he wants to be.

"I want our players to start focusing that way and thinking that way — changing the mindset on how we prepare for games and practice," Sherrod told HBCU Legends.

Sherrod, a native of Monroe, North Carolina, played collegiately at Duke University, where he served as team captain and earned all-conference honors. His path into coaching was anything but conventional.

He left a supervisory position at a printing company, took a pay cut to $181 a week, and lived in a basement to pursue the coaching profession, a sacrifice he said defined his commitment to the game.

He launched his coaching career at UMass before accumulating experience at a series of programs over three decades. Most recently, he served as head coach at Texas Wesleyan University, where he guided the team to a conference championship and a playoff appearance.

Coach Sherrod | Credit: HBCU Legends

Building a Winning Culture

Sherrod said sustained success — not just a single winning season — is the standard he intends to set at Morehouse.

"The hardest thing about — it's not winning, it's really maintaining that," he said.

He credits coaches, including C. Keeler, who coached at the University of Delaware and Sam Houston State, and Jeff Traylor of UTSA, for shaping his approach to program building, budget management, and staff development.

"C. Keeler — he taught me a lot. He started giving me responsibilities, preparing me to be a head coach," Sherrod said.

Those lessons, Sherrod said, reinforced that culture is the foundation of any successful program.

Sherrod has high expectations for the assistant coaches he is bringing to Morehouse. "I want coaches that are going to put their players first. And to me, this is all about the players. I want to make sure whatever decisions we make are made in the best interest of those players," he said.

His staff will monitor class attendance, maintain communication with professors, and hold players to high academic standards — mirroring what he described as Morehouse's broader legacy of scholarly excellence.

Morehouse College Head Football Coach Brad Sherrod | Credit: Morehouse Athletics

Legacy and Purpose

Sherrod, who describes coaching as both a passion and a ministry, said walking the same campus as Morehouse alumni, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., carries significant weight.

"It's a passion, but it's also my ministry to continue to keep mentoring," Sherrod said, noting how his five-pillar mission aligns with the college's Christian-based foundation.

He emphasized humility, discipline, and fundamentals as the cornerstones of his program, and said the backing of Morehouse's administration and faculty will be critical to the team's growth in 2026.

"We just have to do the little things right and make sure that we do our part to give ourselves a chance to win," Sherrod said.

2026 Schedule

Sherrod will make his Morehouse debut on Aug. 29 when the Maroon Tigers open the 2026 season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the Nature State Kickoff Classic in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Morehouse will begin Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play Sept. 5 against rival Clark Atlanta in the Big Cat Classic during Labor Day weekend. The matchup will feature the SIAC debuts of both programs' new head coaches — a unique storyline that adds to an already anticipated rivalry game.

The Maroon Tigers return home Sept. 12 to host Central State before traveling to Lane College on Sept. 19. Morehouse returns to Atlanta on Sept. 26 to host Edward Waters in a game that will double as Senior Day.

October opens with the annual Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic on Oct. 3 in Montgomery, Alabama, followed by Homecoming on Oct. 10 against Savannah State.

The Maroon Tigers then travel to face Howard on Oct. 17 — a game that renews the on-campus rivalry after the two programs met at the HBCU New York Classic in recent years — before an open date on Oct. 24.

Morehouse closes the regular season with road games at Allen on Oct. 31 and at Kentucky State on Nov. 7. The 2026 SIAC Football Championship Game is scheduled for Nov. 14.

2026 Morehouse Football Schedule

• Aug. 29 — vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Ark. (Nature State Kickoff Classic)
• Sept. 5 — vs. Clark Atlanta (Big Cat Classic / SIAC Opener)
• Sept. 12 — vs. Central State
• Sept. 19 — at Lane College
• Sept. 26 — vs. Edward Waters (Senior Day)
• Oct. 3 — vs. Tuskegee, Montgomery, Ala. (Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic)
• Oct. 10 — vs. Savannah State (Homecoming)
• Oct. 17 — at Howard
• Oct. 24 — Bye
• Oct. 31 — at Allen
• Nov. 7 — at Kentucky State
• Nov. 14 — SIAC Championship Game