The Hampton Pirates again find themselves in an all-too familiar place; a talent-laden squad falling well-short of expectations, and facing questions about the near future.
Where injuries haven’t cut short their offensive potential, inconsistency has marred their defensive focus – particularly against the pass.
And with remaining games against Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M Morgan State and , the 4-4 Pirates walk a fine line between a third-consecutive 6-5 finish, or their first sub .500 season in 13 years.
If there is any good news to this saga, it’s that Dr. William Harvey isn’t likely to fire first-year coach Donovan Rose after the season. It may be a season of lows, but outside of the Battle of the Bay, the Pirates haven’t looked insufficiently coached in any contest. HU boasts the third-ranked rushing defense in the MEAC and ranks second in the conference in sacks.
And even if Dr. Harvey or athletic director Lonza Hardy wanted to fire Rose, there’s no way Pirate boosters and corporate partners would take a fourth coach hire in four years lightly. To signal a loss of program vision or a lack of continuity with recruiting and community relations would be a death knell to a program that was once among the FCS elite.
So what happens now with Hampton football? Do you still consider them one of the better program in the conference? Have they been decimated enough to be ranked among the middle-tier teams? Or are they flat out just not what they used to be? For the sake of the emerging exposure of MEAC football on ESPN and elsewhere, it would be best to know so that pollsters aren’t overly influenced by bad showings in front of national audiences.
Hampton is one of the three football jewels of the MEAC, and one of its most successful programs over the last 25 years. We all know where Hampton has been as a program.
But it certainly would help to know which way they are going.
