JCSU football schedule: Historic venue and a national power

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith, which tied the school single season wins record with eight in 2024, will take on Morehouse at Harvard Stadium to open the season, followed by a home date against Valdosta State, last year's Division II national runner-up in the first game between the programs.

Johnson C. Smith’s 2025 football schedule includes historic firsts and national implications.

The Golden Bulls’ 10-game campaign is comprised of four home dates at Eddie McGirt Field and a neutral-site game against Morehouse at Harvard Stadium in the Golden Bulls’ first trip to New England. They also host Division II runner-up Valdosta (Ga.) State in Charlotte, the first meeting between the programs.

“When you look at not just this ‘25 season, but our program from year one, we felt that it was not best for our program and our players when we first came in to set a schedule where we’re just jumping out there playing teams that we knew we weren’t ready for, that our program as a whole was not ready for,” Golden Bulls coach Maurice Flowers said. “So, what you're going to see is a very competitive non-conference schedule to prepare us for a very, very competitive CIAA schedule.”

The CIAA schedule highlights include rematches at Virginia Union, which won the CIAA title and a pair of games in the Division II playoffs last year, and Virginia State, which played the Panthers in the conference title game. In addition, the Golden Bulls take on annual North Carolina rivals Winston-Salem State at home and a road trip to Fayetteville State.

JCSU, which matched the school record for wins in a season with eight in 2024, open the season Aug. 30 against Morehouse in the HBCU Kickoff Classic in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Golden Bulls beat the Maroon Tigers, who went 1-9 last year, 37-13. Valdosta State, which went 13-1 in 2024, is a perennial force in Division II and a regular in the national rankings. The Blazers, who have a new coach in Graham Craig, finished second in the final national poll.

“We really want to point to the growth of our program,” Flowers said. “We probably had about eight to 10 teams that we thought we had contracts to play, but somehow, they kept falling apart. We’re not going to say teams were shy about playing the Golden Bulls, but somehow there would be breakdowns. But one team you know is not going to back down from any game is Valdosta State. …

“That is just going to be so big for our university.”

2025 Johnson C. Smith football schedule:

August

30 – vs. Morehouse (HBCU Kickoff Classic, Cambridge, Mass.)

September

6 – Valdosta State (Eddie McGirt Classic)

13 – at Elizabeth City State

20 – at Virginia Union

27 – Bluefield State (Homecoming)

October

4 – at Virginia State

18 – at Shaw 

25 – Winston-Salem State

November

1 – at Fayetteville State

8 – Livingstone (Commemorative Classic)

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