This is the 5th year of the HBCU Legacy Bowl, where the best athletes from Historical College University football teams are invited to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts looking for an opportunity to make their dreams come true with an opportunity to participate in the NFL combine or a team invite with the possibility of earning a spot with a program. The athletes went through a week of preparation for the game that was played between Team Robinson and Team Gaither, who defeating team Robinson 27-23.
South Carolina State University HBCU National Champion Head Coach Chennis Berry was the Head Coach for Team Gaither. Coach Berry has been a part of four of the five HBCU Legacy Bowl games, by winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as the Head Coach at Benedict College in 2022 and 2023, 2024 was his first season at South Carolina State where he won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference losing to Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl, and in 2025 winning the HBCU National Championship game beating Coach Tremaine Jackson Prairie View A&M football team in four overtimes is Coach Robinson Head Coach.
Coach Berry provided his players insight on how important this game if for them and their legacy by taking advantage of the opportunity presented to them, because the players don’t know what the scouts are looking for that would be a benefit to their NFL organizations. If the athletes were able to grab their attention during the week or preparation leading up to the game, they want to make sure their play on the field has the scouts walking away, with no doubt that if their organization took a chance on them, they would be an impactful player within their organization.
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Team Gaither Head Coach last minute speech to the team before the game was “Win the effort battle, effort has nothing to do with talent, play hard”, which is key because there have been players drafted to NFL teams based on their effort and not their talent. The South Carolina State University Head Coach has a way of motivating athletes to give their all on the field, and it showed with Team Gaither securing the win in the 2026 HBCU Legacy Bowl. Coach Berry always tells his players to go 1-0, and Team Gairhter showed Coach Berry the message was received and fulfilled the objective of going 1-0 for the day. The waiting game begins for many of the players with hopes of living out their dreams with an opportunity to play for a professional football team. The athletes must continue to work hard and prepare themselves for their pro day, which is coming up.
This year, HBCU Legacy Bowl was one of the most competitive to date, and it will continue to grow and get better. The HBCU players past and present owe a great deal of gratitude to former Grambling State quarterbacks Doug Williams and James “Shack” Harris for providing them with an opportunity to show the NFL scouts and the world that HBCU football programs have some of the best players that many don’t get an opportunity to see play this game.