HBCU coach adapting as Power programs grab talent
"When we walked off the field from that Elite Eight loss to Valdosta (State), I looked around and I said, you know what? We're a two-time champion team, made an Elite Eight run, and I got 13 starters coming back," Parker said on Verified Sources with SJG. "I felt great about it. Two weeks later, I had 17 guys in the portal."
The mass departure highlights a growing challenge for HBCU programs, especially at the Division II level. Talented players are increasingly drawn to bigger schools with larger financial incentives.
"The landscape changed. It can change just that quick. We're not talking about years. We're talking about days and weeks," Parker said. "At that point now, we go from a player development staff to a roster management type staff."
Despite the upheaval, Parker remains committed to developing players - even when it means watching them leave.
"I promised every guy when they came to Virginia Union, I promise all of them you'll leave here better than you were when you came," he said. "So when guys come in and they're getting huge contracts, money that they're not going to get from anywhere else, that I can't provide them - you know what? I kept my promise."
Parker's approach has elevated Virginia Union's visibility in the HBCU football landscape. Players like Vick and Davis used the program to showcase their skills on a national stage.
"We gave them the platform. They came here and they showed off. Other people saw them and they got swooped up," Parker said.
Even after major departures, the Panthers' culture of development remains strong. Parker and his staff continue to prepare new talent while reinforcing the HBCU pipeline.
"We've done a good enough job of making sure the roster always looked a certain way that, you know, it was kind of like, 'who's up next?'" he said. "Because the landscape of college football is totally different. People say it wasn't like it was when I was back then. No - it wasn't like what it was last year."
As HBCU football adjusts to the realities of NIL and player mobility, coaches like Dr. Alvin Parker are evolving too - rooted in tradition, yet adapting to a fast-changing game. Parker recently wrote a new book called 'Play411: Leadership' which tackles the challenges of leadership.
The post HBCU coach adapting as Power programs grab talent appeared first on HBCU Gameday.
Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
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