Former HBCU coach makes leap to high school football
01/24/2025 04:38 PM
Former HBCU coaching mainstay Rich Freeman is making the leap from college football to high school football. The former Morehouse College coach is headed to Cedar Grove High School in DeKalb County, Georiga, per a report by the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
"I'm from Atlanta, born and raised, and most of my fondest memories came from the Atlanta and DeKalb County area, and I just know about the history and tradition over at Cedar Grove and how well they've done over the past 20 years," Freeman said to the AJC. "There's some fertile ground on the east side in terms of talent."
Freeman brings a wealth of experience to Cedar Grove from his diverse HBCU football experience as a player and coach. He served as the coach of Morehouse College for 16 years, guiding the football program through several ups and downs in his tenure. Under Freeman, the Maroon Tigers clinched a 2010 NCAA Playoff Birth. That 2010 team compiled an 8-3 record but lost in the playoffs to Wingate 63-41. Freeman had seven winning seasons in his tenure at Morehouse and turned a two-loss Maroon Tigers team in 2006 into a seven-win team in his first season in 2007.
Freeman departed Morehouse College in 2022 and the institution has had a tough time finding a coach that can bring them to prominence in the SIAC. Following Freeman’s departure, the Maroon Tigers hired alumnus Gerard Wilcher. In his only season with the team, he went 1-9. The circumstances surrounding his departure sparked controversy, as he hinted on social media that undisclosed problems hindered his efforts to develop the team effectively.
"Please know that I tried every day to uplift my beloved Morehouse," he said in the statement. "Statistically, we improved in almost every category. We played a challenging schedule with only 2 home games and even though we asked numerous times, we were not given the resources to have a strength and conditioning program. I was hired after the recruiting season and had no recruiting budget. However, the College has made the decision to no longer retain me rather than give us the support and resources we need in order to be successful."
Now, Morehouse is led by Terrance Mathis, a former Atlanta Falcons standout. The team is still rebuilding, as they also finished the year with a 1-9 record.
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