Bethune-Cookman coaching search: 5 potential candidates after Ed Reed departure

Bethune-Cookman now has to choose its second head football coach in as many months.

It came to an agreement in principle with Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed on Dec. 27. But last week, after Reed made controversial and profanity-laced remarks about the school on social media, Bethune-Cookman’s administration decided not to finalize Reed’s contract.

The good news: Athletic Director Reggie Theus and his hiring committee just went through this.

During an interview with HBCU Gameday, Theus said he received over 100 resumes and created two lists — a short list of three big names, including Reed, and a secondary list.

Much of that should carry over to this search.

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The Wildcats are 4-18 in two seasons since joining the Southwestern Athletic Conference, but they hold a long tradition of winning. During the 2010s, they tallied only one losing season, putting up an overall record of 80-35 with five Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships.

Here are five post-Reed names to watch:

Kevin Sumlin

Bethune-Cookman was rumored to have interest in Sumlin before bringing in Reed. The current coach of the USFL’s Houston Gamblers, Sumlin would be another splashy hire but with plenty of high-level college coaching experience.

He owns a 95-63 record during stops at the University of Houston, Texas A&M and Arizona. He’s viewed as a guru of the spread offense, having worked with quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Sam Bradford and Johnny Manziel.

Sumlin reportedly flirted with HBCU jobs at Southern and Prairie View A&M in the last two years.

Raymond Woodie

Everywhere Willie Taggart has gone as head coach, Woodie has followed as a trusted assistant.

He coached defense and served as an ace recruiter at Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State and Florida Atlantic. Before that, he spent 13 seasons as a head coach at Bayshore High School and Palmetto High School in Florida.

Woodie knows the state’s football scene well. But maybe most notably, he starred as a Bethune-Cookman defender from 1992-1995. In his final two seasons, he was a I-AA All-American and earned First-Team All-MEAC honors.

Woodie is currently available after FAU parted with Taggart in November. He contacted Bethune-Cookman about the job after Terry Sims’ departure.

Chennis Berry

Berry took over the football program at Benedict College, a Division II HBCU in South Carolina, and has only elevated his profile since.

He inherited a 1-9 team and transformed the program in just two seasons. After a 5-5 showing in 2021, Berry piloted the Tigers to an 11-1 record and a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship last season. He also claimed the league’s coach of the year award.

As an assistant, he's enjoyed stints as an offensive coordinator at Morgan State, North Carolina A&T, Howard and Southern.

Autry Denson

Denson just grabbed a new title — as athletic director at Northwood Academy in Summerville, South Carolina — three weeks ago.

But, like Woodie, expressed interest in the B-CU job, and most of his experience has come at the college level.

Denson was head coach at Charleston Southern for the past four seasons. He compiled a 14-22 record before the two sides split in November.

Prior to his first head-coaching job at Charleston Southern, he made stops as assistant at Miami (Ohio), South Florida, Notre Dame and, yes, Bethune-Cookman. He tutored running backs at the Daytona Beach HBCU from 2011-2013.

Denson also suited up for four seasons in the National Football League. He is Notre Dame’s all-time leading rusher with 4,318 yards.

Ryan Lewis

Lewis knows what he’d be getting himself into at Bethune-Cookman.

A native of Pompano Beach, Florida, Lewis earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Bethune-Cookman and captained the Wildcats’ defense as a linebacker. He then coached at his alma mater from 2014-2018 and again from 2019-2021. He also spent one year on the staff at Edward Waters.

Before the 2022 season, he left his post as special teams coordinator and linebackers coach to become Alabama State’s defensive coordinator. The Hornets went 6-5, and Lewis’ unit gave up an average of 20 points per game.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bethune-Cookman football coaching search: 5 candidates to watch