When Winston-Salem State removed the interim tag from head football coach Robert Massey in December 2021, he talked of his desire to protect the legacy of the Rams’ storied program.
That legacy runs deep:
* 12 CIAA championships since the 1970s — tied with Virginia State for second-most all-time and tied for first among schools currently in the league;
* An amazing six times going back-to-back as CIAA champs (1977-78, 1987-88, 1990-91, 1999-2000, 2011-12, 2015-16);
* A 13-1 season in 2011, which included a trip to the Division II semifinals, followed by a 14-1 campaign the next year, which ended in the D2 championship game, a first for an HBCU.
As the Rams embark upon their latest spring football campaign, Massey recognizes that fans and those within the program want to do more than just talk about the glory days. They want to add to the legacy with more wins, championships and storybook seasons.
The school’s last CIAA title came in ’16. The last winning season was 2018.
“It puts a bitter taste in your mouth because we’ve had a good run but now it’s a little stagnant. We want to get back to our winning ways,” Massey said.
Winston-Salem State stood on the cusp of a breakthrough a year ago. The final record: 4-6 overall, 4-4 in the CIAA. But it easily could have been multiple games on the positive side of .500.
The Rams took eventual South Division champion Fayetteville State (8-0 in the CIAA regular season) to overtime. They lost to Livingstone by 2, Lincoln by 3 and Johnson C. Smith by 4. A few plays here and there, and …
“You tell the guys, ‘Look, we were 15 points away from being in the championship game,'” Massey said. “Right now we’ve got about 75 percent of our team returning. That is a good thing.”
The Rams took big steps forward on offense a year ago. Chris Barnette joined the staff as offensive coordinator, and the WSSU attack averaged 26.7 points per game — an increase of nearly 10 points per contest from 2022.
Freshman quarterback Daylin Lee, wide receiver RJ Mobley, offensive linemen Darius McDuffie and Elijah Gordon, and tight end Qamar Grant landed on the CIAA all-conference team.
Lee (Shelby | Shelby HS) threw for 1,845 yards and 18 touchdowns, against only six interceptions, to earn second-team honors. Mobley (Columbia, S.C.) caught seven of those TD passes, finishing with 598 yards. Nine players in all caught at least TD throw.
Mobley has exhausted his eligibility, and Barnette took the OC job at Alabama State. But many other pieces remain on campus. Wide receivers coach Glenn Reese is serving as the Rams’ offensive coordinator this spring, and the plan is to run the same system to keep Lee and company comfortable.
Massey believes Lee could be in the mix for first-team all-conference — and league player of the year honors — if he continues to progress.
“In college football today, you need a good trigger man and we’ve got a great one,” Massey said. “He can make all the throws at this level. He’s an intelligent young man and he shows leadership skills beyond his age. To me he is going to be the face of the program, the face of the franchise.”
It is still up for grabs who will be WR1 by the fall. Mobley will be missed. He competed in the HBCU Legacy Bowl last month and impressed NFL scouts during combine season.
Jashawn Middleton (Goldsboro | Cleveland HS) caught three touchdown passes in 2023. Kaleb Washington (Charlotte | Mallard Creek HS) hauled in 10 throws, including another TD. Grant (Mableton, Ga. | Pebblebrook HS) initially came to WSSU as a quarterback but moved to tight end, a position he played earlier in his football career.
“We’ve got quite a few targets (Lee) can throw to. And running backs who can catch the ball out of the backfield,” Massey said. “We feel good about the direction of the offense.”
The injury bug hit the offensive line in the opener against North Carolina Central. Two players went down. But that gave others a chance to see the field, giving the Rams solid experience in the trenches going into 2024. McDuffie (Durham | Southern Durham HS) played his way onto the CIAA’s first team all-conference list. Elijah Gordon (Charlotte | South Mecklenburg HS) landed on the all-rookie team.
The defensive front also saw a pair of injuries take out projected starters early in the ’23 season. But Massey sees the D-line as the projected strength of the stopping unit right now.
Camar Kyle (Raleigh | Rolesville HS) had a monster junior season, picking up second-team all-conference. He finished with 15.5 tackles for loss (third-best in the CIAA) and 5.5 sacks (seventh). He recovered three fumbles and even scored a touchdown.
Other projected leaders on the defensive line include Trevor Willard (Winston-Salem | Reagan HS) and David Eldridge (Winston-Salem | West Forsyth HS).
The Rams picked up a transfer from St. Augustine’s in linebacker Jamieson Alston (Fayetteville | Seventy-First HS). Alston was second-team all-CIAA.
Defensive back Justin Fleming (Greensboro | SE Guilford HS) made first-team all-CIAA a year ago. He led the Rams with 70 tackles, picked off two passes, blocked two kicks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Other leading tacklers from a year ago like Dante Bowlding (Fayetteville | Terry Sanford HS), Noble Joyner (Lawrenceville, Ga. | Georgia Knights Prep) and Jasahn Rankin (Reidsville | Reidsville HS) also are slated to return.
“We’ve got guys who are battle-tested,” Massey said.
When the season begins in September, the Rams will get battle-tested right away — with regional bragging rights on the line. The opener will come against a familiar foe, North Carolina A&T. The Rams and Aggies haven’t played since 2010. NC A&T now competes at the FCS level and, not unlike Winston-Salem State, is in a building phase under second-year coach Vincent Brown.
The history between the neighboring schools and their fans goes back generations.
“You can’t beat these types of rivalries,” Massey said. “They are Classics but they are just not named Classics. If it were up to us, we would probably say it’s our I-40 Classic.”
The rivalry has its own Wikipedia page. The schools have played 46 times all-time, with NC A&T owning a 34-12 edge. But Winston-Salem State has won three of the last five meetings, including the most recent in 2010 (21-14).
A&T got a jump-start on the series, winning the first 18 meetings from 1952-69. Since then, it’s 16-12 Aggies.
“Anytime you get North Carolina A&T and Winston-Salem State playing in a football game you can’t lose because now you’ve got the whole Triad up in a roar,” Massey said. “You throw out the words Division I and Division II. It’s all about competition. They are going to give us their best. We’re going to give them our best.”
Winston-Salem State will host Ohio Dominican in week two. The Panthers beat the Rams 26-14 in Columbus a year ago.
From there, it’s all conference play for WSSU. A date with the defending CIAA champions from Virginia Union will be Oct. 5. Other Northern Division opponents this season include Virginia State and Bowie State. Southern rivals Shaw, Johnson C. Smith and Fayetteville State will come to Bowman Gray this year. The Rams will play at Livingstone and St. Aug’s.
—> READ MORE: Winston-Salem State’s full 2024 football schedule.
Winston-Salem State’s spring game has been set for April 13 at Carver High School.
“We are like everyone else right now, we’re very optimistic and excited about what is going on,” Massey said. “But the goal never changes. The goal is to win your division, then win your conference and then when you get to the Division II national playoffs, anything can happen.”
Like building on your legacy.
