South Carolina State is set to hire Benedict College head coach Chennis Berry as its next head coach, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
After a 5-5 debut season, Berry guided the Tigers to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons with wins in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game.
Twenty of Benedict's 22 wins over the past two seasons came by at least 14 points. This fall, Berry's Tigers won their first 11 games by an average score of 41-8, including a 47-10 drubbing of Albany State in the conference championship.
Berry replaces Buddy Pough, who retired after winning 151 games and eight MEAC titles in 22 seasons at SC State. The Bulldogs won the Celebration Bowl and the Black national title in 2021.
South Carolina State went 5-6 this fall, concluding with a 44-17 win over Norfolk State on Nov. 18.
Berry won the AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year award in 2022 and '23. He was previously the associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Southern, where his offenses set numerous school and SWAC records. He also has previous offensive coordinator experience at Morgan State, North Carolina A&T and Howard.
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