News
12/27/22
3 min read
Ed Reed Tabbed as Next Head Coach at Bethune-Cookman
Editor's Note: On Jan. 21, Reed announced that Bethune-Cookman was not ratifying his contract, and he would not be joining the program.
Hall of Fame safety and Miami Hurricanes great Ed Reed is taking his talents to Daytona Beach where he will become the next head coach at Bethune-Cookman.
Reed is the latest in a trend of former NFL greats getting hired as first-time head coaches in college with very little coaching experience at any major level.Â
In 2020, Deion Sanders was hired as head coach at Jackson State, where he turned a struggling program into an HBCU powerhouse that could recruit nationally. Sanders parlayed that success into a Power 5 job at Colorado. And last year, Tennessee State tabbed Eddie George to lead its program.
Now it’s Reed’s turn at BCU.
"Anytime you get a legend like that, a Hall of Famer like that, if not the best safety to ever play ... to come on campus and be able to impact a university like that, it's a really big thing," said Vikings wide receiver KJ Osborn, who like Reed played at Miami and is an analyst for The 33rd Team. "I'm sure he will draw lots of recruits, the transfer portal is freaking crazy right now."
The former Baltimore Ravens safety takes over a program that struggled in its first two years in the Southwestern Athletic Conference under Terry Sims, who was fired in November after consecutive 2-9 campaigns in the Wildcats’ two SWAC seasons.
Reed was hired by Rex Ryan in 2016 as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Buffalo Bills but that lasted only one season. Ryan was fired and new coach Sean McDermott did not retain Reed.
Reed has some experience in the college ranks. In 2020, he was hired by Miami football as the program’s chief of staff, where he has served in an advisory role to Hurricanes head coaches Manny Diaz and Mario Cristobal the last three seasons.
Reed was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
