HOUSTON - Before Florida A&M won the 2023 SWAC Championship on Saturday, Willie Simmons' name was a hot commodity in the coaching circles. He's already won the 2023 SWAC Coach of the Year award and is in the running for the FCS Coach of the Year honors. Simmons, an intelligent and well-respected coach, has built winning programs at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. The logical step would be running a small but talented Division I team.
Tulane University recently lost its head football coach, Willie Fritz, who will accept the same job at the University of Houston. One of the premier academic colleges in the nation, Fritz restored the Green Wave brand, leaving the football program in excellent shape. Last week, Tulane hired Northern Iowa's David Harris to become its Director of Athletics. Kortne Gosha, Deputy Athletic Director at Tulane University, was the VP of Athletics at Florida A&M from 2019 to 2022 and worked with Coach Simmons.
The primary goal for Willie Simmons is to win the 2023 Cricket Celebration Bowl against Howard University on Saturday, Dec. 16. Still, should he win and claim the 2023 HBCU Division I National Football Championship title, interviewing for the role at Tulane would be a positive step in his career progression.
Simmons has proven to be an excellent recruiter of NFL-caliber talent. For instance, Markquese Bell, a former Rattler, is a starting linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. Isaiah Land, another former Simmons protege, was with the Cowboys during the summer but has since been signed to the Indianapolis Colts' active roster. Additionally, wide receiver Xavier Smith is now a part of the Los Angeles Rams.
Florida A&M boasts some impressive talent, including Jeremy Moussa, who is the current 2023 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year, Isaiah Major, who is the 2023 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Kenneth Bohler, a cornerback who is currently being heavily scouted by NFL teams. Simmons' excellent skills in identifying and evaluating football talent would be valuable to Tulane.
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