Southern University becomes first HBCU to win national esports title
In a historic first for a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), Southern University and A&M College, located in Baton Rouge, LA, has captured the 2026 ECAC EA Sports College Football National Championship.
Computer science major Coby Robinson, known by the gamertag K1NGC0BY, achieved the historic win for the HBCU by becoming the ECAC EA Sports College Football 26 Division II national champion. Robinson secured the title by defeating the No. 1 seed, Bellarmine University, with a final match score of 38-29, clinching the best-of-five series 3-2, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
“I feel great, happy, and accomplished because this has been a dream of mine,” Robinson stated in a press release, according to Louisiana Weekly. “To see myself continuing to dominate and make history shows that I belong and that my dream is within reach.”
Christopher Turner, director and head coach of Southern University’s Esports and Digital Gaming Ecosystem (EDGE), announced the achievement on LinkedIn:
“National Champions. No University Funding. No NIL. Watching Coby Robinson take home the ECAC Esports, Electronic Arts (EA) College Football National Championship proves exactly what I’ve been saying: our student-athletes possess elite talent, discipline, and competitive spirit. At the Southern University and A&M College-Baton Rouge Esports Digital Gaming Ecosystem, our athletes represent this institution with excellence—often in spite of limited resources, not because of them. We have proven that we can compete and win at the highest level.”
The university’s success is a testament to the efforts of EDGE, a program whose website states its goal is to be “the leading HBCU center for esports and digital gaming excellence.” Through education, skill development, and community engagement, the program aims to cultivate digital creators and leaders among its students.
Turner said in the press release, “This is a monumental moment for Southern University and the entire HBCU landscape. We aren’t just participating in esports; we are setting the standard. I would like to thank God first for this win. This victory was a team effort that required total commitment to the plan. By diligently watching film and following the blueprint we created, we achieved success.”
Turner started the EDGE program at Southern in 2020, a year after joining the university following a career as a high school teacher. While at his former school, he ran a video game club. This experience led him to see how popular gaming was among young people and the subsequent need for a similar program at Southern.
He noticed that esports developed differently from traditional sports. Typically, professional leagues follow the development of youth or school-level sports, but esports reversed this trend. Players started earning money, yet most colleges lacked programs to coach and educate these young players properly.
Robinson, who knows a lot about football, spent a lot of time preparing for esports, especially EA Sports College Football. His coach, Turner, thinks Robinson spent 200–300 hours practicing and played an extra 200 hours in the last year. They planned by watching videos of opponents and figuring out strong game strategies.
“Coby could sit down with the best defensive minds at Southern and compare notes,” Turner said.
