Under Kenneth Blakeney’s leadership, Howard University men’s basketball has gone from being an underappreciated HBCU sport to becoming a rising mid-major force. However, in Blakeney’s opinion, winning consecutive MEAC crowns and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament are just the beginning. In order to change his program, Blakeney is seeking investors. To stay relevant in college basketball, he has come up with a plan to sell investors and private equity firms a third of the program for $100 million.

According to Blakeney, via the Washington Post, “I don’t want to have a two-tiered system where we’re not able to compete for the NCAA tournament or the national championship.” “And based on what I’m hearing right now, it’s quite possible that the NCAA tournament will just feature those Power Four universities and possibly the Big East, leaving out everyone else. I did not sign up for it.

Blakeney has come up with a three-way revenue split in which a third goes to the investors, the school, and the program. The funds would be used to pay players and improve the team’s arena and practice space, including acquiring naming rights. Additionally, it would depart from the MEAC and could become independent or join a larger program. The basketball program at the HBCU in Washington, D.C. has seen significant transformation since Kenny Blakeney took over. His direction has made the squad competitive, which has resulted in notable successes in the last few seasons.

Howard won 22 games in the 2022–2023 campaign, winning the MEAC regular season and postseason tournament titles, and making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in thirty-one years. Blakeney won numerous honors as a result of his accomplishments, including ECAC Coach of the Year and the John McLendon Award. In order to build on this achievement, Blakeney added eight new players for the 2023–2024 campaign, a combination of seasoned transfers and bright rookies. One of the most varied and comprehensive classes since Blakeney’s admission to the HBCU was thought to have been recruited. The group also concentrated on social justice projects, like mentoring young people involved in the legal system, which reflected Blakeney’s dedication to activism and community involvement.

HBCU Gameday published an article titled “HBCU basketball coach wants to sell piece of team for $100 million.”

Chris Weinke, a former football Heisman winner from FSU, talks about the season opener between the Noles and Georgia Tech.

The 1999–2000 season was maybe Florida State’s most successful of its three national title seasons. The group was the first—and currently only one of three—in college football history to have been ranked first in both the preseason and final AP Polls. That season, quarterback Chris Weinke won both the Heisman Trophy and the national championship.

Weinke set school records by completing 650 of 1,107 pass attempts for 9,839 yards and 79 touchdowns during his tenure with the Garnet and Gold. The Carolina Panthers selected Weinke in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Although Weinke’s professional career came to an end in 2007, he is currently Georgia Tech’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Weinke offered his opinions on coaching not only against his previous squad but also on an international platform as the 2024 season draws near for both teams, when they will square off on the football field once more, this time to begin the season.

Yes, it is exciting for me, and I won’t sit here and claim otherwise. My alma mater is that. I’m pleased with the school I attended. Though I am happy with my alma mater, let me clarify that I am a coach at Georgia Tech. And that’s the first task we have planned for this year. occurs to be on a large platform, which we appreciate,” Weinke remarked, as reported by Georgia Tech on SI. As we get closer and begin to hone in and prepare the game for certain guys and lock in on them, I haven’t necessarily given it a lot of consideration. The creative juices should be flowing. The fact that it presents our children with a thrilling chance is, in my opinion, the most crucial factor. You’re up against a squad that was quite successful the previous season. A few changes have been made to their roster. Though not necessarily on our end of the field, our roster did shift a little.

Well, we’ve had a few setbacks, but for now, we just want to strive to be the best versions of ourselves every single day. And I believe that things will pick up here once we start thinking about them,” Weinke added.

The Yellow Jackets’ visit to Tallahassee in 2022 was the final meeting between the two teams. The Seminoles went on a 19-game winning streak that lasted over two seasons after that victory.

The 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic between the conference rivals is scheduled for August 24 in Dublin, Ireland. All-time, FSU is 15-11-1 against Georgia Tech.