Barlow Lands at Virginia State

The lure of coaching at the college level has brought Reggie Barlow back into the HBCU fold. The former Alabama State standout player, NFL veteran and head coach was introduced last week as the new head football coach at Virginia State. Barlow was fired at ASU in 2015 following his eighth year as head coach at his alma mater. Ninety (90) days ago, he had accepted the head coaching job at his high school alma mater, Sidney Lanier High School in Birmingham. In January, he had accepted the job as head coach at G. W. Carver High School in Columbus, Ga.

Barlow, 43, was 49-42 at ASU, becoming the university’s all-time winningest coach. He starred at ASU as a wide receiver, spent eight seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. “I am pleased with the selection that the search committee has made,” Virginia State athletic director Peggy Davis said in a news release. “We are excited to welcome Coach Barlow to the Land of Troy as the football program continues to move in the right direction.”

He replaces Byron Thweatt who coached one season at VSU before resigning to coach linebackers at FCS James Madison. Justin Harper was the interim coach. VSU finished 6-4 overall last season under Thweatt, including 4-3 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association play.