BY SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
Alabama State head coach Eddie Robinson Jr. didn’t shy away from the sting of missing out on the 2025 SWAC East title. Even with the potential to finish the season with 10 wins — the Hornets’ highest total since their 2004 championship run — Robinson said the success didn’t erase the ache of falling short of postseason play.
Speaking candidly ahead of the Turkey Day Classic against Tuskegee, Robinson offered a philosophical reflection rather than excuses.
“It’s life, you know what should have happened, happened,” he said this week. “So I think you accept it.”
Alabama State’s only conference loss was a narrow four-point defeat to Jackson State in October, a setback that ultimately cost the Hornets the division. Despite winning out and posting the second-best record in the SWAC, ASU found itself preparing for the offseason rather than a championship appearance.
In his fourth season at the helm, Robinson holds a 20–14 overall record and has guided the Hornets to three straight second-place finishes in the SWAC East. That consistency, he said, makes the near-miss even more motivating.
Robinson described a personal ritual he turns to after each season: stepping away, resetting, and beginning the work of rebuilding.
“I’m going to a coffee shop, get my notes, kind of write down everything in my journal, talk to myself about what I could have done better, how we can improve,” he said.
The process isn’t about dwelling on losses or assigning blame. Instead, Robinson focuses on identifying strategic adjustments, developmental gaps, and roster needs that could push ASU closer to a title.
“You start working at trying to win a championship next year,” he said. “That’s just how it goes. It’s just the cycle of football.”
Robinson’s acceptance wasn’t resignation — it was the mindset of a coach who understands how thin the margin is between contending and conquering. And Alabama State, once again, proved it is on the doorstep.