Fort Valley State football to play on national TV in Red Tails Classic. How to watch

Micah Johnston
·3 min read

For the third consecutive year, Fort Valley State University’s football team will suit up in the Red Tails Classic in Montgomery to open the season in a historic matchup and play on national TV.

The Wildcats will face Tuskegee University in a game that honors the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. The Sep. 3 showdown will be aired on ESPNU. FVSU won the Red Tails Classic in both 2021 and 2022.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity. Not many teams on our level get a chance to play on ESPNU or ESPN2, the national stages,” said Wildcats head coach Shawn Gibbs. “To be able to play in front of a national audience, it’s a tremendous opportunity for us to go out and show the country about our team.”

The game will begin a season of optimism for FVSU, who finished 8-2 last season in Gibbs’ first year as head coach. The Wildcats were the second-ranked team in their division after one of their losses came against Benedict College.

“We’re excited about just having the opportunity to build on that. It was an exciting year last year,” Gibbs said ahead of the season opener. “At the same time, for me, it was a little disappointing, because I feel that we lost two games that we could’ve won. So now last year is in the rearview mirror and we’re just excited for a really good year.”

The matchup, a celebration of Black history, also means a lot personally for Gibbs.

“From a personal perspective, being a Black college graduate, having spent my career in HBCU football, it means a lot to be a part of that,” Gibbs said. “And to do that against a program like Tuskegee, one of the winningest Black football programs in history, is special.”

The 8-2 finish in 2022, which improved on the prior season in which FVSU finished 5-5, lent credibility to the hype surrounding Gibbs’ hire. He was experienced as a coach after working at North Carolina A&T for multiple seasons and molding running back Tarik Cohen into an NFL talent.

Gibbs has continued emphasizing that talent level, exemplified by last year’s top running back Emanuel Wilson already showing out in the NFL preseason. Now the Wildcats will try and make an impression on national TV with a third straight win in the Red Tails Classic.

FVSU fans should also watch for wide receiver and return specialist Hakeem Ellington this year, as he’s one of only two players from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference named to the HBCU Preseason All-American team.

Gibbs also said quarterback Kelvin Durham, receiver Corintheus Edmonds and the team’s defensive line as some impact players to watch.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule for the Wildcats in 2023:

Fort Valley State receiver Corintheus Edmonds (12) celebrates a touchdown reception with quarterback Kelvin Durham (3) during the Wildcats 29-27 win Saturday over Allen University.
Fort Valley State receiver Corintheus Edmonds (12) celebrates a touchdown reception with quarterback Kelvin Durham (3) during the Wildcats 29-27 win Saturday over Allen University.

  • Sep. 3 (Sun.): v.s. Tuskegee at Red Tails Classic in Montgomery, AL

  • Sep. 9: @ Clark-Atlanta University at 2 p.m.

  • Sep. 16: v.s. Edward Waters College at 6 p.m.

  • Sep. 23: @ Kentucky State University at 1 p.m.

  • Sep. 30: @ Allen University at 7 p.m.

  • Oct. 7: v.s. Savannah State University at 6 p.m.

  • Oct. 12 (Thurs.): @ Benedict College at 7:30 p.m.

  • Oct. 24: v.s. Morehouse College at 2 p.m.

  • Oct. 28: v.s. Virginia University of Lynchburg at 2 p.m.

  • Nov. 4: v.s. Albany State at 2 p.m. (Fountain City Classic in Columbus, Ga.)