JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Pro football hall of famer Ed Reed is set to become Bethune-Cookman's new head football coach. The university said that it had agreed in principle with Reed to take over the program on Tuesday.
Reed is currently the chief of staff at Miami where he starred from 1998-2001. Reed got into coaching in 2016 when he was the defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills. Former Miami head coach Manny Diaz hired Reed as an advisor in 2020 and stayed in his chief of staff role after the school hired Mario Cristobal.
The FCS school's hire of Reed follows the blueprint Jackson State set when it hired Deion Sanders. Much like Sanders did at Jackson State, Reed will have a big rebuilding project on his hands at fellow SWAC member BCU. The Wildcats went 2-9 in 2022 and their only wins came over Grambling State and Mississippi Valley State teams that combined for five wins. Sanders’ Jackson State program beat Bethune-Cookman 48-8 at TIAA Bank Field back in October.
Reed, 44, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019 in his first year on the ballot. He had an illustrious professional career and spent all but one of his 12 NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.