Alcorn State is set to officially replace Tennessee State in the 2025 Southern Heritage Classic, per a social media announcement by the Classic. Alcorn will travel to Memphis, Tennessee to play University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, who replaced Jackson State in the classic in 2023.
“We are thrilled to welcome Alcorn State to Memphis this September to take on UAPB,” Southern Heritage Classic founder Fred Jones Jr. said in a statement sent to media outlets. “For the first time in our history, there is added significance to this year’s event, as this will be a conference game for both teams.”
While this will be Alcorn State’s debut in the Southern Heritage Classic, the Braves and the Golden Lions are no strangers to each other. Originally set to play in Pine Bluff, the game was moved to Memphis as part of the event. Historically, UAPB leads their all-time series against Alcorn State with a 22-21-4 record, but the Braves claimed victory in their most recent matchup, winning 38-28.
Although the new matchup is set for September 26th at 7 PM EST, many fans will surely miss Tennessee State’s participation in the game, which grew to be one of the most popular classics on the HBCU calendar. Tennessee State participated in the matchup for 35 yers, even after Jackson State departed after the 2022 season. However, several things precluded the Tigers from continuing their long-standing relationship with the classic.
According to interim university president Dwayne Tucker, the new contract did not offer the university sufficient funds to remain involved. When reports surfaced about Tennessee State possibly not participating in the Southern Heritage Classic, Fred Jones, the event’s founder and promoter, immediately reached out to university officials after noticing the classic was missing from Tennessee State’s schedule.
“I think most people understand that TSU has some financial issues,” Tucker told Action News 5, “that we need to walk and correct ourselves, so to play an event where it’s financially not in our best interest; the fee that’s being proposed—it’s just not a good financial return for Tennessee State. But we’d love to come back.”
Jones proposed giving the university $400,000 annually for the next five years to participate in the classic. Of this amount, $300,000 would support the football team and marching band, while $100,000 would cover other expenses. However, the university declined and left the classic.
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