HOW MYCHAEL SALAHUDDIN IS CHANGING HBCU FOOTBALL FOREVER

The transfer portal gods giveth and taketh, and this past week they shined upon North Carolina A&T. The question I pose to high school football recruits, is why become just another number at a big Division 1 program when you become a living legend playing HBCU football? Well it seems that the paradigm is finally shifting for as former 4 star running back and Pitt Panther, Mychale "Houdini" Salahuddin announced that he will transfer to North Carolina A&T Sunday, December 15th through Twitter. This day will go down in Aggie Football history, as Salahuddin will not only bring extreme talent to next year's roster but leadership and great character. The next member of RBU was a highly touted recruit in the class of 2018 being ranked as the #5 running back nationally, and the #1 player in all of Washington, DC.

As a senior in high school Salahuddin rushed for 1,274 yards and 12 touchdowns at H.D. Woodson averaging more than 10 yards per carry. He was voted as Washington Post first team All-Met…first team All-D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA)…first team All-DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia and led H.D. Woodson to a 9-3 record and the DCIAA championship

Salahuddin is an amazing talent that just needed the opportunity to prove it. Only playing in 4 games as a freshman, Salahuddin spoke on his decision to transfer saying “It’s all about opportunity,” he said. Transferring to the FCS will allow Salahuddin to play immediately so he will definitely have his opportunity to shine in Greensboro. Why A&T specifically? According to the letter stating his decision that he posted on Twitter, he says, “This decision is different, I’m different so why not make my legacy different. Why not be the face of an entire conference, a historical franchise instead of being just another number”

Not only will A&T be receiving a premier talent in the country, Salahuddin also brings good character, a hard work ethic, and love for the game. After announcing his decision on Twitter he received some criticism from fans of other college football programs. He defended his decision tweeting, “ I control my destiny! people go to the league from anywhere . I had my chances to go play in the college football playoffs when I had 50 D1 O’s. Stay out my mentions with the nonsense. They will Find the REAL BALLERS! #PathToDraft

Brian Dohn of Scout.com provided the following analysis on Salahuddin:

Salahuddin grew a few inches since the summer and it did wonders for him out of his junior season. He can cut at a high rate of speed, and he hits the hole hard. He gets through it quickly and is at top speed within a few steps. Salahuddin has very good acceleration, and he possesses enough wiggle to get past the second level. He runs with balance, and his vision is good. He is also a pass catcher out of the backfield. An interesting aspect if Salahuddin has the ability to play safety. He is willing to come up and hit in the running game, and he has closing speed to impact the passing game.

Hopefully this will just be the beginning of top talent high school black athletes deciding to play for historically black universities. As far as Salahuddin I expect him to have a humongous impact as soon as he touches the field for the Aggies. The question is if Aggie legend Jah-Maine Martin will return for his senior season. If so, with the strong offensive line A&T has returning, we can definitely see two 1500 rushing yard running backs. If Martin decides to forgo next season, Salahuddin will be the MEAC rookie of the year and will definitely be a MEAC player of the year and a Walter Payton finalist one day, and you can book it.

Hopefully this will just be the beginning of top talent high school black athletes deciding to play for historically black universities. As far as Salahuddin I expect him to have a humongous impact as soon as he touches the field for the Aggies. The question is if Aggie legend Jah-Maine Martin will return for his senior season. If so, with the strong offensive line A&T has returning, we can definitely see two 1500 rushing yard running backs. If Martin decides to forgo next season, Salahuddin will be the MEAC player of the year and you can book it.