ATLANTA, Ga. | Brad Sherrod is not beginning his first season as Morehouse head football coach with a public prediction attached to the Maroon Tigers. He is beginning it with a standard. Morehouse College head football coach Brad Sherrod recently sat down with Sylvester "Sly the Sports Guy" Williams and Jamie Walker on HBCU Game Day's "SIAC Sit-Down" for an in-depth conversation about his path into coaching, the staff he's assembled, and the standard he intends to build at Morehouse.

During a recent appearance on HBCU Gameday's SIAC Sit-Down, Sherrod outlined a vision centered on consistency, accountability and building a football program that reflects the excellence of Morehouse College.

"I saw this as an opportunity, as a challenge, and to match what the school is — the excellence that the school has," Sherrod said. "I want to make sure our football program matches that. The players deserve that, and the alumni deserve that."

From Monroe, North Carolina, to the Maroon Tigers

Sherrod grew up in Monroe, North Carolina, just outside Charlotte, in a household where education was non-negotiable. His father was a high school math teacher and track coach, and his mother worked as a home extension agent for the state and federal government. Both parents were the first in their families to attend college, and all four of the Sherrod children followed that same path — a foundation Sherrod says still shapes how he views the college experience for his players today.

Sherrod's coaching journey has taken him through nearly every level of college football. His coaching career began in 1995 at the University of Massachusetts as a restricted earnings coach making $11,000 a year — a steep pay cut he jokes his mother thought was "crazy." His coaching career includes his start at Massachusetts to stops at Duke, Western Carolina, Delaware, Elon, Sam Houston State, Wake Forest, Tennessee State and UTSA. His first head-coaching opportunity came at Texas Wesleyan, where he helped turn the program into a conference champion and back-to-back national playoff participant, including a 10-0 season and conference title in his first year.

What the journey has taught Sherrod

Along the way, Sherrod says he learned there's no substitute for detail-oriented, fundamentally sound football. Citing his time at Wake Forest under Dave Clawson, he described a formula built on controlling the run game, playing complementary special teams, and eliminating turnovers — "little things," in his words, that ultimately decide close games.

The lessons collected along the way now shape the foundation he is installing at Morehouse: run the football, stop the run, excel on special teams, protect the football, create turnovers and remain committed to the details that decide games. Sherrod said winning is rarely built on a secret formula. It is created by repeating the right habits until they become the program's identity.

"How to go about winning is really boring," Sherrod said. "It's the same formula every week. If you do it every week and do what you're supposed to do, you have success."

That message was at the center of Morehouse's spring practices. Sherrod said the Maroon Tigers showed flashes of the effort he wanted early in the spring, but the challenge was producing it every day. By the end of the practice period, he saw greater consistency in how the team ran to the football, approached drills and responded to coaching.

Expectations

Sherrod's expectation for the 2026 team begins with competition — against opponents, teammates and the player each Maroon Tiger was the day before. He declined to attach a win total to the season, but he made clear that Morehouse will not accept practices built around simply going through the motions.

"When we hit that practice field, we are working," Sherrod said. "We're going to work, and we're going to work hard. The expectation is that we're going to come and go to work every day, and then I think that will take care of itself."

Recruiting

Recruiting will follow the same long-term approach. Sherrod said Morehouse will place a heavy emphasis on Metro Atlanta and the state of Georgia while also using the College's national reach and alumni network to identify prospects in other regions. The program will continue to build primarily through high school recruiting, using the transfer portal to address positions that require immediate help.

The profile Morehouse seeks goes beyond athletic ability. Sherrod wants prospects who can meet the College's academic expectations, value their education and understand that their decision can shape far more than four football seasons.

"I don't want them to think they're making a four-year decision," Sherrod said. "You're making a 40-year decision. You're talking about an alumni base that will support you beyond football."

Assembling a Staff with Pedigree

That philosophy also guides how Sherrod views his coaching staff and the resources being invested in the program. A central theme of the conversation was the coaching staff Sherrod has built at Morehouse. He detailed hiring decisions built on trust and firsthand knowledge of each coach's track record — from an offensive line coach with stops at Norfolk State, Alabama State and Midwestern State, to a defensive assistant with more than three decades of experience and time on staff at North Carolina A&T under Rod Broadway. Sherrod also brought in a former UTSA player-turned-assistant to lead the defensive line and a young linebackers coach with Clemson and LSU playing experience, along with a director of player personnel and a general manager to help manage roster evaluation and player development. Sherrod has assembled a veteran group capable of immediately teaching and developing players, while also adding younger coaches who can connect with the current generation of student-athletes.

"You got to have a really good staff that can help you take some of that off, because you can't do it all," Sherrod said, adding that trying to shoulder every responsibility as a head coach is a recipe for burnout. Sherrod said the staff's responsibility is to develop the whole person — athletically, academically, socially and professionally.

Raising the Bar for Morehouse Football

Asked about his expectations for the program, Sherrod said his goal is for Morehouse to compete for conference championships and make playoff runs as a standing expectation, not an occasional achievement. Noting that last year's team won three games but "probably should have won six," he emphasized that consistency, discipline and everyday competitiveness — not predictions of win totals — will drive the program forward.

He also praised the commitment he's seen from Morehouse's administration and alumni, pointing to investment in resources like the weight room and a planned nutrition area, along with alumni-driven fundraising efforts such as a golf tournament and gala.

"We need to put together a product that they can be proud of," Sherrod said, adding that changing the broader expectation of what it means to be a Morehouse football player is central to his mission. He stressed that every investment must be used responsibly and must improve the student-athlete experience, whether through athletic development, academic support, professional preparation or opportunities that prepare players for life after football.

Sherrod also spoke about the growing rivalry with Clark Atlanta, which will be played on Labor Day weekend this season, and about the respect he has for the coaching talent throughout the SIAC.

He also understands the passion surrounding Morehouse football. Former players and alumni have reached out to offer assistance, and Sherrod said the program must reward that support by producing a team the Morehouse community can proudly stand behind.

His long-range goal is not a single breakthrough season. Sherrod wants to establish a foundation that makes championship contention the permanent expectation. By the fifth year of the program's development, he wants Morehouse competing for the SIAC championship and a national playoff opportunity every season.

"Why else would you play this game?" Sherrod said. "Why else would you put a football team out there if you're not expecting them to play for championships? I want that to be the expectation for my players, our administrators and our alums that come and watch us."

Family and Perspective

Toward the end of the conversation, Sherrod reflected on the personal sacrifices of a coaching career — time away from his wife and children, missed family milestones — while crediting his family's support as essential to his ability to do the job. He said his wife and children were proud of his decision to take the Morehouse job, a move he sees as both a professional opportunity and a chance to build something lasting.

"I want that to always be what people see when they see Morehouse football," Sherrod said. "They're going to challenge for the conference championship. They're going to make a run in the playoffs — every year. That has to be the expectation."

For Sherrod, that championship expectation does not conflict with the Morehouse mission. It completes it. The goal is to build better football players, stronger students and prepared Men of Morehouse who understand that the program's greatest value will remain long after the final whistle. For up-to-date athletic information on the Maroon Tigers, follow them on social media or online at www.morehouseathletics.com or Maroon Tiger football on Instagram @morehousefootball.

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