By ANDREAS BUTLER / FLORIDA COURIER
(Source: Florida Courier)
Edward Waters University (EWU) named Brian Jenkins as its interim head football coach on July 16.
Jenkins had served as associate head coach and offensive coordinator for the Tigers since 2021.
He is a former head football coach at Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) in Daytona Beach.
Jenkins assumes the role at the Jacksonville-based HBCU following the departure of Toriano Morgan, who led the Tigers’ program since 2021. Morgan stepped away for personal reasons but plans to return to coaching soon.
Morgan stepped down a day after the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Media Day.
Past MEAC Coach of the Year
Jenkins is no stranger to leading a college football program. He has more than two decades of collegiate coaching experience and is a seasoned figure in HBCU football with a proven championship pedigree. Jenkins has an overall coaching record of 54-31.
“We are confident in Coach Jenkins’ ability to lead our program with integrity, discipline, and vision,” said Ashley Conner, Deputy Director of Athletics at EWU.
“He has earned the trust of our student-athletes and staff, and we’re excited about the leadership he brings into this transitional chapter for Edward Waters football.”
Jenkins was head coach at Bethune-Cookman University from 2010-2014 where he led the Wildcats to four Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championships, three NCAA FCS playoff appearances and a 46–14 overall record. He was named MEAC Coach of the Year in 2012.
Jenkins led Alabama State University from 2015-2017 where he went 9-17 overall.
He also served as an assistant coach at Rutgers University, the University of Louisville, Bowling Green State University and Western Kentucky University.
EWU is in preparation for the 2025 season with high hopes despite being picked to finish eighth in the Southern Inter- collegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) pre-season media polls. The conference consists of 13 teams.
Edward Waters had a down year last season with a 4-7 record but had improved in win totals from 2021 through 2023, winning four, five and six games, respectively, in those seasons.
The Tigers’ football program is growing and progressing. Edward Waters is the only NCAA Division II Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the state of Florida, having earned full NCAA membership in July 2024, a transformational milestone in the university’s 159-year legacy.
Over the past four years, Edward Waters University has made significant and sustained investments in its football program, including:
- Construction of the university’s first-ever on-campus football stadium (2021), which fea- tures a turf playing surface, fan amenities, and remains the newest football stadium in the SIAC conference.
- Completion of a new state-of-the-art weight room and athletic training complex (2023)
- Construction of new football locker room facilities that are scheduled to debut later this month Expansion of football coaching, compliance, and recruiting staff and budgets
- More than a doubling of football-specific athletic scholarships since 2021
Football season schedule
The Tigers open the 2025 season on the road at Savannah State University on Aug. 30. They will then return home to face the defending SIAC champion, Miles College on Sept. 6.
Edward Waters also host pe- rennial Division II power, Virginia Union University on Sept. 13.
The Tigers also travel to Daytona Beach on Sept. 20 to face Jenkins’ former team, the B-CU Wildcats.
Edward Waters hosts Central State University on Nov. 1 for homecoming.
They close the season on Nov. 8 at Allen University for the sixth annual AME Football Classic in South Carolina.
Five Edward Waters Tigers were named to the 2025 SIAC Preseason All-Conference Team. They are Desmon Self (offensive line), Makai Lovett (wide receiver), Johntarrious Thomas (running back), Brady Tillman (kick returner), and Tyreese Williams (defensive line).
