Ed Reed is becoming a head football coach. According to a report by Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, Reed, the Hall of Fame safety who is most well known for his time at the University of Miami and as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, will head to the HBCU ranks and take over at Bethune-Cookman.
Former University of Miami & NFL star Ed Reed will be next coach at Bethune-Cookman, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 27, 2022
Shortly after the report, the school’s athletic department confirmed in a tweet that Reed and the university agreed in principle to a deal that will make him the 16th head coach in program history.
Bethune-Cookman University Athletics has entered an agreement in principle with Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed to be its 16th head football coach.
More information will be forthcoming.#𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙨𝙂𝙤 | #𝙃𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙨 | #𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙮𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧
— Bethune-Cookman Athletics (@BCUAthletics) December 27, 2022
Reed has some coaching experience under his belt, as he worked as an assistant defensive backs coach under Rex Ryan with the Buffalo Bills in 2016 and has been the chief of staff at his alma mater since 2020 under two separate head coaches, Manny Diaz and Mario Cristobal. He is a Hall of Fame inductee for his collegiate and professional careers, the latter of which included a Super Bowl, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and eight All-Pro selections, with five of them coming as a member of the first team. Reed was included in both the NFL’s All-Decade team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team.
Bethune-Cookman, which competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has been in search of a head coach ever since it parted ways with Terry Sims at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Sims was hired in 2015 and led the program to a 38-39 record, but after spending their first five seasons in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Wildcats have struggled in each of their two years in the SWAC, going 2-9 with a 2-6 record in conference play in 2021 and 2022.