NCCU Football Announces 2025 Schedule

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University head football coach Trei Oliver announced the Eagles’ 2025 football schedule on Wednesday evening during a National Signing Day event, a slate that includes five home games.

The Eagles will open the season in the national spotlight when they face Southern University in a marquee tilt in the 2025 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 30. This will be N.C. Central’s third appearance in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, having played in the game in 2018 and 2021.

In all, the Eagles will play at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium five times, to go along with two road games against MEAC opponents and two road games against former MEAC foes in North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M. 

N.C. Central’s full 2025 football schedule is included below.

2025 North Carolina Central Football Schedule:

(Home games BOLDED; all games on Saturdays unless otherwise noted)

• Aug. 23: vs. Southern (Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff)
• Aug. 30: vs. NEW HAMPSHIRE
• Sept. 6: at Old Dominion 
• Sept. 13: vs. FAYETTEVILLE STATE
• Sept. 20: at North Carolina A&T (Aggie-Eagle Classic)
• Sept. 27: at East Texas A&M 
• Oct. 4: Open Date
• Oct. 11: at Florida A&M
• Oct. 18: Open Date
• Oct. 25: vs. DELAWARE STATE (Homecoming)
• Nov. 1: at Howard
• Nov. 8: vs. NORFOLK STATE
• Nov. 15: vs. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE
• Nov. 22: at Morgan State

A complete list of gameday designations for the 2025 season will be announced at a later date. All kickoff times are TBA.

The team plans to hold its annual Spring Game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12. 

GAME BY GAME

AUG. 23 • VS. SOUTHERN • CENTER PARC STADIUM, ATLANTA, GA. (MEAC/SWAC CHALLENGE) 

This will be just the second meeting between the Eagles and the Jaguars of Southern University, the first since facing off in 2006 in Baton Rouge, La. The Eagles won that meeting 27-20. The marquee matchup between the respective conferences will mark N.C. Central’s third appearance in the Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff (the first since 2021). The Eagles are 1-1 in those games. This will mark the fourth appearance for Southern; most recently, the Jaguars played in the season-opening bowl in 2017, when the event was held in Orlando, Fla. The Jaguars are 3-0 in MEAC/SWAC Challenges. The Eagles are 6-0 in classics, bowls or challenges since Oliver arrived at N.C. Central in 2019. Oliver was an assistant at Southern from 2016-18.

 

AUG. 30 • VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE • O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM, DURHAM, N.C.  

N.C. Central will host New Hampshire for the Eagles’ home opener on Aug. 30. This will be just the second meeting all-time between the Eagles and New Hampshire. NCCU won the first meeting 45-17 on the road in Durham, N.H., during the 2022 season. N.C. Central is 18-12 in non-conference games under Oliver and 16-4 over the last two-plus seasons. The Eagles have had nine games against CAA football teams, holding a 6-3 record in those games. They have played at least two teams from the league each year since 2023.  

 

SEPT. 6 • AT OLD DOMINION • S.B. BALLARD STADIUM, NORFOLK, VA. 

The Eagles will make their second trip to Coastal Virginia to face the Monarchs of Old Dominion on Sept. 6 in an FBS matchup. This will be the third meeting all-time between ODU and North Carolina Central. The last matchup between the two teams was in 2010, when the Monarchs traveled to Durham to face the Eagles. ODU leads the series 2-0, having won both meetings during its time as an FCS Independent team.  

 

SEPT. 13 • VS. FAYETTEVILLE STATE • O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM, DURHAM, N.C.

North Carolina Central will welcome an old CIAA foe to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium when Fayetteville State comes to Durham on Sept. 13. This will mark the 29th meeting between the two schools, with N.C. Central holding a 19-9 edge in the series. Keeping with a trend that Oliver hasheld since he arrived at North Carolina Central, he is playing schools in the state of North Carolina. At least two teams from the state have been on the schedule each year since he took over as head coach. Oliver holds a 10-6 edge over teams from North Carolina. This will be the Broncos’ first trip to Durham since 2012, when the Eagles won 54-31. 

 

SEPT. 20 • AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T • TRUIST STADIUM, GREENSBORO, N.C.

The annual Aggie-Eagle Classic will occur on Sept. 20 at Truist Stadium on North Carolina A&T State’s campus. The Eagles will face first-year head coach Shawn Gibbs, an NCCU alum. This will be the 97th meeting between the two teams, with the Eagles winning the last three games in the series. In last season’s match-up, the Eagles scored a series-high 66 points. Quarterback Walker Harris threw three touchdown passes and accounted for four scores, while the offense finished with over 500 yards of total offense. This will be the 43rd time the teams have played in Greensboro, with the Aggies holding a slight edge. Oliver was a part of two HBCU national championships as an assistant coach at North Carolina A&T from 2011-15. 

 

SEPT. 27 • AT EAST TEXAS A&M • MEMORIAL STADIUM, COMMERCE, TEXAS 

For the second week in a row, the Eagles will be on the road; this time, they will travel to the Lone Star State to face the Lions of East Texas A&M. This will be the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron, and this will be N.C. Central’s first trip to Texas to play a football game. 

 

OCT. 11 • AT FLORIDA A&M • BRAGG MEMORIAL STADIUM, TALLAHASSEE, FLA.

The Eagles will play another former MEAC foe, the Rattlers of Florida A&M University, when they play their fourth game on the road on Oct. 11. This will be the 14th meeting all-time between the two teams and the sixth time they have played at Bragg Memorial Stadium. The Rattlers lead the series 8-4-1, with the last game being played in 2019, Oliver’s first year as head coach of the Eagles. 

 

OCT. 25 • VS. DELAWARE STATE • O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM, DURHAM, N.C. (HOMECOMING)

N.C. Central will welcome alumni and fans back to campus for Homecoming 2025 when they return home for the first time in over a month to host Delaware State on Oct. 25. This will be the 31st meeting between the Hornets and the Eagles, with NCCU holding a 23-7 lead in the series. Delaware State, under first-year head coach DeSean Jackson, will make its 17th appearance to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium, and N.C. Central has won the last five meetings in the contest, including a 51-10 win in Dover last season.

 

NOV. 1 • AT HOWARD • GREENE STADIUM, WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Eagles will return on the road and travel to the nation’s capital to face the Bison of Howard University to start November. This will be N.C. Central’s 15th trip to D.C. to face Howard, and they have won nine of those games and lead the overall series 17-10-1. In last year’s meeting, the Bison were held to just three points in the game, losing 26-3 in Durham. The Eagles have won nine of the last 10 meetings in the series. 

 

NOV. 8 • VS. NORFOLK STATE • O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM, DURHAM, N.C.

Norfolk State and first-year head coach Micheal Vick will come to Durham on Nov. 8 to face the Eagles. This will be the 22nd meeting between the two teams on the gridiron. N.C. Central has won the last four meetings between the two teams and eight of the last 10 games. The Spartans will make their 13th trip to O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium for a football game, and the Eagles have won eight of those meetings. 

 

NOV. 15 • VS. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE • O’KELLY-RIDDICK STADIUM, DURHAM, N.C.

The 2024 MEAC champion Bulldogs of South Carolina State return to O’Kelly-Riddick stadium for the final home game of the regular season on Nov. 15. This will mark the 30th meeting between S.C. State and N.C. Central on the football field, with the Bulldogs holding a slight 16-13 edge in the series. The Eagles won the last meeting in Durham by a score of 62-28, but came up short in Orangeburg a year ago. This will be S.C. State’s head coach Chennis Berry’s first trip to Durham leading the Bulldogs. 

 

NOV. 22 • AT MORGAN STATE • HUGHES STADIUM, BALTIMORE, MD. 

North Carolina Central will close out the 2025 regular season on the road at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Morgan State on Nov. 22. This will be the 47th meeting on the football field between the two teams, with the Bears holding a 23-20-2 lead in the series. The Eagles have won eight of the last 10 meetings in the series and four of the last five played in Baltimore. This will be N.C. Central’s 23rd time playing in Baltimore and a series they trail by just one game, which stands at 10-11-1.

 

SCHEDULE NOTES AND ODDITIES 

• The Eagles will play a 12-game schedule for the 11th time in program history as they look to win eight games or more for the fourth consecutive year. 
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• N.C. Central will face nine new coaches for the first time with the slate of 2025 schedule, including an alum and two new head coaches in the MEAC, Micheal Vick (Norfolk State) and DeSean Jackson (Delaware State). 
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• Keeping with the theme since taking over as head coach, Oliver has played schools from the state of North Carolina, and there are two on the schedule this year. At least two teams from the state have been on the schedule each year since he has taken over the program. 
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• The Eagles have won a combined 143 games against opponents on the 2025 schedule. N.C. Central’s 2025 opponents won a combined 60 games in 2024, with one team making it to the postseason (New Hampshire) and another playing in a conference championship game (Southern). 
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• North Carolina Central enters the season having won its most recent meeting with eight of the 12 teams on its schedule. The Eagles have an active winning streak against Southern (one), New Hampshire (one), Fayetteville State (one), North Carolina A&T (3), Delaware State (5), Howard (one), Norfolk State (4) and Morgan State (7).