Texas Southern Players Met With Dr. Granger On Coach McKinney, Program's Future
HOUSTON - During a meeting with Dr. Kevin Granger, the vice president of athletics, several Texas Southern football players discussed the current state of the Tigers' football program and the status of head football coach Clarence McKinney. Dr. Granger told HBCU Legends the meeting was in response to an article reporting "incorrect information about Texas Southern parting ways with Coach McKinney." He continued, "Most of them saw the incorrect information and didn't see my statement saying it was untrue. A few of them saw it, but a majority had not seen it."
At this time, Dr. Granger still has yet to decide on Coach McKinney's future. "I shared with them that I start the process when you finish the season. I do this with every sport that we have [at Texas Southern]. I haven't started that process here."
Coach Clarence McKinneyVP of Athletics, Dr. Kevin Granger
Dr. Granger refrained from divulging his thoughts on the football program's progress. He said, "We've had some good things to happen in season and bad things to happen. But, I haven't dived into a full evaluation."
Coach Clarence McKinney was minutes from winning the 2022 SWAC West title last season before losing his starting quarterback, Andrew Body, to a shoulder injury versus Alabama A&M. TSU lost 24-20 as the Bulldogs rallied to win in the final game of the 2022 season.
Andrew Body opened the season against Prairie View A&M in the Labor Day Classic. However, his shoulder had not fully healed, so Body applied for a redshirt exemption while retaining two years of NCAA eligibility. Transfer student-athlete Jace Wilson took over as the Tigers' starting signal-caller. His best outing was in Week 11 as Texas Southern stunned Alcorn State with a 44-10 upset. Wilson completed 17 of 23 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers' all-time leading rusher, LaDarius Owens, rushed for 211 yards on 24 carries.
Coach McKinney's future with Texas Southern is murky, at best. Dr. Granger verified that several returning players supported McKinney's return. QB Jace Wilson replied to an HBCU Legend social media post on the rumors, "Run It Back." The Texas Southern Tigers (3-7) will have their season finale against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1-9) at 2 PM CT in Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 18.
