On a warm Tuesday in July, SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman stood at the Harriet Tubman Museum for Media Day in Macon, Georgia. The writing was on the wall: The SIAC is already winning. 

SIAC schedule allowed just 10 games while most other NCAA Division II programs played 11. After a long, hard-fought battle, which was deemed, in his own words, “penalizing,” Holloman was finally able to bring an additional game to the third and fourth teams in the regular season standings. You see, competing was important, but visibility was just as important, too. 

The media day saw Holloman plan for teams No. 3 and No. 4 to host non-conference matchups against teams from Conference Carolinas. The Commissioner even called it “two new pathways to championships,” the first being the top two squads meeting in the conference championship game. All in all, SIAC has all the momentum right now. It’s 2025, the HBCU Division II conference’s fifth, and historically, most visible year with ESPN. And, on Monday, SIAC made an official announcement.

“The SIAC will play 23 football games on ESPN platforms this fall with 11 weeks of regular-season competition in addition to the highly anticipated conference championship on Nov. 15.” 

SIAC is now all set to, as Holloman had quoted earlier in the month, “eagerly anticipate an unforgettable season that will showcase the legacy, competitive fervor, and resilience that define SIAC football.” They will start with the fifth edition of The Red Tails Classic as the opener on ESPNU and ESPN+. 

Not only that, but the schedule also features the league’s most revered traditions, such as the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic, the Fountain City Classic (Fort Valley State and Albany State), the Unity Classic (Edward Waters and Virginia Union), and the Good Trouble Heritage Classic (Fort Valley State and Savannah State). The September 11 matchup between Fort Valley State and Clark Atlanta will even get a prime-time slot on ESPNU at CAU Panther Stadium.

Such a historical move has former NFL player and Auburn’s Heisman winner Cam Newton really excited about HBCUs’ future. Sitting on his 4th and 1 podcast, Newton stated, “Since y’all don’t want me, that’s cool. I want to be a part of the black college football game.” 

While the former NFL MVP asked HBCU GameDay’s Steven Gaither for the opportunity, he also challenged ESPN and FOX for not giving him their pregame football shows to host like Pat McAfee’s All-Black College GameDay hosting deal. Whether Cam Newton gets his desired role or not, that remains to be seen. But that is not to take away the fact that the latest announcement should certainly add to the visibility an HBCU truly deserves.