Spring may be a little over a week away, but the focus of Howard University’s football team is set on the fall as the squad has released its 2025 schedule. The announcement came Tuesday.
The slate of games, which includes a Labor Day Weekend clash with Florida A&M University, the battle for “the real HU” against Hampton University and the second of a two-game series with Tennessee State University, looks to make for an exciting season for the Bison, who hopes to rebound from last season’s 4-8 (1-4 MEAC) finish.
The Bison will open the 2025 season against Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic Saturday (August 30). The two teams played in the inaugural 1933 Orange Blossom Classic and have faced off 40 times over the last century in regular and postseason play. The game, the Bison’s first time back in the Orange Blossom Classic since 1974, will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. The game is the first of the three consecutive weeks when the Bison play in NFL stadiums. On September 6, the Bison will travel to Philadelphia to play Temple University at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Eagles), followed by September 13 when Howard takes on Morehouse College in the HBCU NY Classic at MetLife Stadium (New York Jets and New York Giants).
Participating in high-profile games like the Orange Blossom and HBCU NY Classics or facing programs like Temple on their home field do a lot for helping to raise the profile of Howard football, in general, and HBCU football overall, said Bison Head Coach Larry Scott.
“We are excited about the upcoming season and the opportunity for our student-athletes to be on big stages to demonstrate the competitive excellence that we know they are capable of,” Scott said. “We have been diligently working during this offseason and will continue to do so this spring to ensure that our team is ready to make our alumni and fans proud. We are determined to bring a championship mindset each week and bring a title home.”
The second half of the 2025 schedule features fierce contests against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) rivals, including Delaware State University and Norfolk State University, both now led by first-year coaches, who had electrifying NFL careers – DeSean Jackson and Mike Vick, respectively.
The Bison, who were back-to-back MEAC champions (2022 & 2023) and participated in the 2023 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, have been dedicating a lot of time to offseason training. The public will be able to get a glimpse of what they can expect once the regular season starts during the annual Spring Game, which will take place at Greene Stadium Saturday (April 12).
Howard Director of Athletics Kery Davis says that Bison fans have a lot to look forward to this season, from the away games in Miami and the New York metropolitan area to a visit to Nashville where they will be the homecoming opponent for Tennessee State University. The schedule will help reinforce Howard’s commitment to providing a high-quality experience for student-athletes while showing the public that Howard students are capable of excelling both in and outside of the classroom.
“For the last several years, Howard University has seen a renaissance within our athletics programs, with our student-athletes winning championships in multiple sports,” Davis said. “Of course, we are proud of Howard’s rich and highly respected history of academic and leadership excellence. But we also have a phenomenal athletics program with incredibly talented student-athletes and this schedule will allow people in different regions to see the caliber of student-athletes we have and hopefully inspire students to consider coming to Howard where they can get a great education and compete in high-quality NCAA competition.”
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2025 Howard University Football Schedule
- Aug. 30 – Florida A&M University – Orange Blossom Classic (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
- Sept. 6 – @ Temple University (Philadelphia, Pa.)
- Sept. 13 – Morehouse College – HBCU NY Classic (East Rutherford, NJ)
- Sept. 20 – Hampton University – Greene Stadium
- Sept. 27 – @ University of Richmond (Richmond, Va.)
- Oct. 11– @ Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, Conn.)
- Oct. 18 – @ Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tenn.)
- Oct. 25 – Morgan State University – Greene Stadium *** Homecoming ***
- Nov. 1 – North Carolina Central University – Greene Stadium
- Nov. 8 – @ South Carolina State University (Orangeburg, S.C.)
- Nov. 15 – @ Delaware State University (Dover, Del.)
- Nov. 22 – Norfolk State University – Greene Stadium