NORFOLK, Va. — Trei Oliver stood in front of a microphone at MEAC Media Day and said something most coaches won’t say out loud. Eight wins is not enough. Not anymore.
North Carolina Central has been one of the most consistent programs in HBCU football for the last handful of seasons. Since winning the Celebration Bowl in 2022, they’ve stacked winning records and grabbed an FCS playoff berth in 2023. But the trophy case hasn’t gained any new hardware. South Carolina State has been the roadblock, and Oliver is tired of looking at it.
“The expectations don’t change. It’s about winning championships,” Oliver told Dr. Kenyatta Cavil on Inside the HBCU Sports Lab. “People tell you that you need to be happy with eight wins and all this stuff. Eight wins isn’t enough.”
He wasn’t done. A beat later he added: “We spend too much time in this thing not to win it.”
Last season’s MEAC title chase came down to a single game. The Eagles and Bulldogs went toe-to-toe until the final whistle, with South Carolina State pulling out a 34-27 win. Oliver gave credit to Chennis Berry’s program but made it clear that kind of finish isn’t acceptable.
“That was a dogfight,” Oliver said. “It came down to the wire, and I take my hat off to Coach Berry. But we’ve got to finish.”
Oliver turned the mirror on himself
When the season ended, Oliver didn’st blame injuries or bad luck. He looked at leadership. Starting with his own.
“I wasn’t pleased with our leadership, and that starts at the top with me,” he said. “We had a good team, but we kind of lost focus in certain areas. At times we could’ve used a little bit more leadership from the older guys. When you’re facing adversity, you’ve got to lean on them. The young guys have got to be willing to be led.”
That kind of self-scouting is why Oliver has kept the program stable while others around the MEAC have gone through upheaval. It also explains why he didn’t hesitate to overhaul his coaching staff this offseason. Offensive coordinator Matt Leone left for Tennessee State, and Oliver brought in Chris Barnette from Alabama State to run the offense. On defense, he hired Tommy Thigpen, who was the co-defensive coordinator at North Carolina under Mack Brown.
“Schematically, on both sides of the ball, we’re going to do some things differently,” Oliver said. “Chris and Tommy have done wonders this offseason. I’m excited about it.”
Culture over scheme isn’t just a slogan
Oliver has a phrase he repeats constantly around the program: culture over scheme. He believes it. But he also knows that saying it doesn’t make it true. So the team does things differently.
“The team GPA is over 3.2. Kids are in the community. The phone isn’t ringing at night with them getting in trouble,” Oliver said on The Pivot podcast. “We had cooking classes last week. We took them to a car dealership because so many brothers don’t know how to change tires. Football is going to end. For them to be great men, great fathers and great husbands, they’ve got to know how to survive.”
He acknowledged the transfer portal and NIL have made college football transactional. But he doesn’t see that as an excuse to stop developing young men.
“It’s all about the money now. It’s all business,” Oliver said. “But as a Black man at an HBCU, it’s my responsibility to make sure these kids make it.”
That doesn’t mean he’s forgotten about winning. North Carolina Central returns Chance Peterson, the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. The Eagles should be in the mix again. But Oliver knows that talent alone won’t get them back to Atlanta for the Celebration Bowl.
When asked which game he circles every year, he didn’t hesitate.
“North Carolina A&T. When I was in school, we didn’t go on their campus and they didn’t come on ours. Respect to my homeboy Gibbs, but it’s going to go down when we play them.”
The Eagles thumped the Aggies 62-20 last season. Oliver smiled when the score came up, but the smile faded quick. He’s already thinking about the next one.
“We’re going to work our butts off because we’ve got to get back to Atlanta.”
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