N.C. A&T head coach Shawn Gibbs has been here before. Gibbs was a part of the Aggies’ program for a decade, starting in 2011, as running backs coach. Now, he’s the captain of the ship.
With that comes the responsibility of recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL and everything in between.
Gibbs left A&T for his first head coaching job with the Fort Valley State University (FVSU) Wildcats in 2021. In his first year, he led them to an 8-2 record, their first eight-win season since 2012. He backed that up with another eight-win season in his second year. In his third year, the Wildcats finished with a 6-4 record.
Gibbs pointed out one thing that he thought from last year’s team that could be fixed without talent or resources.
“Valuing doing the little things, mastering the things that don’t require talent,” Gibbs said. “Paying attention to detail, things like that. One is us coaching them up and putting them into positions to make plays. Number two, from them buying into what we’re trying to tell them and doing all the extra stuff that it takes to be a really good football player.”
Gibbs will be coaching in his fourth conference in five years. He was on the coaching staff when A&T were at the top of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and during the transition to the Big South. At Fort Valley, he coached in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) for three seasons, and now, returning to A&T, he will coach in the CAA.
“The CAA is without a doubt the better conference between the MEAC and Big South,” said Gibbs. “It’s a lot of people that might not think we belong. We’re not intimidated or afraid of anybody in the country or any other conference. We’re out to prove we can play with anybody in the country.”
With a step up in conference competition, quarterback play will be important. Last year, one of the biggest holes in the team was the inconsistency at the position. Finding a quarterback who can take charge next year is near the top of Gibbs’ list.
The Aggies returned three quarterbacks from last year, and all three saw action at one point of the season. Junior quarterback Kevin White got the starting role at the beginning of the season before going down in the fourth game against N.C. Central. Sophomore Braxton Thomas got a few starts toward the end of the year due to the play of Justin Fomby. Another quarterback, Noah Sanders, got the fewest snaps of the three signal callers.
“We’re going to compete,” Gibbs said. “That’s the number one thing we’re going to do. Definitely have to develop some depth, and I think coach McGhee will do a great job getting those guys coached up.”
Gibbs won’t be the only one returning to Greensboro; quarterback Alston Hooker committed to play back at A&T after leaving for a year to play at Florida A&M. Hooker started his career with the Aggies in 2021, he transferred to A&M in 2023.
The Aggies have lost three straight to Central in the Aggie Eagle Classic and were embarrassed in last year’s matchup 66-24.This is one game Gibbs knows the significance of all too well. Gibbs is a former player and graduate of Central. He also coached at Central from 2003-2006, but spent most of his years in Greensboro coaching with the Aggies.
As a coach at A&T, Gibbs has a 7-4 record and when he faces off against his alma mater this year, he’ll try to end the losing streak. He’ll play his alma mater again this year and Even though he wasn’t on the coaching staff last year, he didn’t forget last year’s game.
“I’ve been on both sides of it,” Gibbs said. “I know how intense the rivalry is. We’re going to try to kill them, and they’re going to try to kill us. My college teammate is the head coach down there. We haven’t forgot about last year, I know I wasn’t here, but that doesn’t sit well with us over here.”
The Aggie Eagle Classic will be back in Greensboro this year on Sept. 20 and the new era under Gibbs will start against Tennessee State on Aug. 30.
