Ravens Hall of Famer taking Deion Sanders route as new Bethune-Cookman head coach

Baltimore Ravens Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed is taking the Deion Sanders route as the new head coach of Bethune-Cookman University. 

Once again, a former player of the Baltimore Ravens and eventual Hall of Famer is finding himself as the head coach of an HBCU, and this time it is Ed Reed.

The long-time Ravens standout and Super Bowl XLVII champion will now take on a new role as head coach of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, as the school announced the hire on Tuesday evening.

It is an exciting time to be a Wildcat, as Reed is one of the greatest to ever do it. Since arriving in Baltimore, the former Miami standout earned nine-time Pro Bowl selections and was part of the Ravens’ core for several seasons. Additionally, Reed joins Sanders and fellow Hall of Famer Eddie George as NFL standouts taking on head coaching roles at historically black colleges and universities.

Ed Reed is the latest NFL Hall of Famer to become a head coach at an HBCU

While it is exciting to see Reed follow a similar path to Sanders, let’s not forget that a large segment of the population, writers, and television analysts spoke out about Sanders’ eventual departure from Jackson State to Colorado, calling it a “sell-out move.” Despicable and disrespectful, quite frankly.

Hopefully, Reed never hears those kinds of words, regardless of his decisions. At this point, he’s probably focused on bringing the Wildcats back to prominence. The history is extensive, as the school produced one of the most outstanding offensive linemen in league history in guard Larry Little. The Wildcats have also won six MEAC championships since 2000.

However, the program has fallen on hard times, struggling since joining the SWAC in 2021 and going 2-9 in back-to-back seasons. Still, Reed knows what it takes to win, and if he’s as good a coach as he was a player, Bethune-Cookman could be looking at a swift turnaround.