Birmingham, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) held its annual Media Day with one of the biggest issues being addressed by SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. The conference has announced the permanent future of its football championship game which will be played at the home site of the highest ranked team at the conclusion of the regular season.

“Hosting the game on campus last year gave us a great level of insight and understanding as it relates to the overall worth and value the game brings to our conference. We look forward to the future of the game on campus in what should undoubtedly bring exciting atmospheres and memorable performances,” said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland who took over the job in August 2018.

Putting that issue to rest early help set the tone as all teams in the conference were represented by their head coach and two players. All eyes were focused on the center table where the Alcorn State University Braves were sitting. The Braves have won the East Division five years in a row and completed one of their goals they set at the beginning of the year by becoming the 2018 SWAC Champions.

They are prepared to be challenged more this year as they are the perineal favorites to win it all again being led by First Team All-Conference and SWAC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Noah Johnson. The senior from Tampa, Florida is looking forward to repeating as a SWAC Champion but knows the task won’t be easy.

“I work hard on my body to stay durable throughout the season. I am constantly in the weight room and watching a lot of film trying to get better each and every day,” said Johnson.

Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University were also in attendance representing the state of Texas. The in-state rivals who reside just 51.3 miles away from each other kick off the season in the annual Labor Day Classic on August 31st. Both teams are looking to bounce back from what is considered a down but encouraging year as TSU finished the season behind PV in the West Division.

Texas Southern hired Houston native Clarence McKinney who is a product of Jack Yates High School and served as their head football coach for three years before heading to the college ranks to serve as an assistant coach to Kevin Sumlin at the University of Houston, Texas A&M, and the University of Arizona. McKinney is looking to restore the winning ways at TSU but knows that it starts and stops with the young men he has been hired to lead.

“The first thing we talked about to our guys about was being competitive,” said Mckinney. “The next thing we try to do is teach them about playing hard and don’t worry about making mistakes. Just play at the highest level that you can.”

Head coach Eric Dooley of the Prairie View A&M Panthers learned a lot about his team this past year. After serving as the offensive coordinator from 2014-17 at Grambling State University, Dooley took over as the head coach of the Panthers in 2018 and under his offensive system PV lead the SWAC in scoring and passing yards per game. They ended their season by outscoring their opponents 154-61 as they put up 60-plus points in back-to-back games against Alabama State and Texas Southern.

“We had a new team that started to come together at the end of the season,” Dooley said when asked about the end of season offensive outburst. “We talked about the excitement of finishing the season strong and allowing that to carry over into this season.”

SWAC Commissioner McClelland wanted to make sure that I conveyed his excitement to the Houston Texans and rookie offensive lineman Tytus Howard who was drafted in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft out of Alabama State.

“We are extremely proud of that young man and the Texans have not only picked up a great offensive lineman but a great human being.”